FAIRLEA (WVDN) – You would have to see it to believe it, and many have seen it, so they now believe it as well.
Starting last Wednesday, July 6, Greenbrier County residents most likely have noticed cars lining the side of the road all the way back past the State Fairgrounds.
Was Flo Rida in town early for his fair concert? Nope.
Was Netflix’s Stranger Things’ character Eddie Munson signing autographs while playing his guitar on top of a building? Not even close.
No, it was neither of those, but it was, however, the grand re-opening of Long John Silver’s.
I know, that would have been everyone’s next guess.
A couple of years ago, LJS shut down and was rumored to be closing its doors to the community for good, but it was then decided that the building would stay standing, be remodeled and eventually open back up again.
After these last few days, that looks like one of the smartest decisions made in this town in a long time.
Customers have been reported to wait in the drive-thru line for over two hours. The line has included over 40 cars at one time, all waiting to get their hands on some fish, chicken and hush puppies.
Halley Reed, a customer who happens to have family connections to the general manager, Kayla Morgan, went down to help volunteer on the first day and is not even an employee at the store.
“I went over there to help her (Morgan) on opening day. I completely volunteered and pretty much insisted,” Reed said. “I spent three hours in the line, sitting at the back of it to let people know they weren’t going to be able to serve any additional customers. I probably turned away 60 cars. People are crazy,” Reed said with a laugh.
However, the company did not let her efforts go unnoticed.
“When I got back to the restaurant, they gave me plenty of food to feed my whole family. I was more than happy,” Reed said.
The popularity of the re-opening has been a complete shock to the majority of the county – there are memes posted on social media and statuses and comments all over everything as it has taken town by storm.
Even people from other counties and parts of the state have made the trek to Fairlea for the mayhem of it all.
Debbie Workman of Marlinton said, “even people in Pocahontas County are excited.”
“It’s the Fairlea 500 pit stop,” Lewisburg resident Danny King said.
Another customer, Kelly Hamrick, said, “I went down there on opening day and waited 30 minutes and moved four car lengths.”
Even with all the craziness and endless supply of customers, general manager Morgan knows it’s good for business and good for the community, and she is very thankful for that.
“It is amazing the community has welcomed us with open arms,” Morgan said. “They have been exceptionally understanding and patient.”
The hype will eventually die down, one would think, but as of Sunday, July 10 at 2:40 p.m., there were 16 cars in line which stretched out along the main road, so it is still a hot spot for now.
In any case, the restaurant appears that it will affect the community in a positive way and will always be remembered for its grand re-opening and all the fun that came with it.
