Remnants of the half-demolished former Long John Silver’s restaurant at Northwood Plaza on Monday in Franklin. The building was later completely torn down for a future Scooter’s Coffee location.
Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
The Long John Silvers in Franklin was torn down this week after more than a decade of sitting empty. The demolition makes way for a new-to-Franklin coffeehouse, called Scooter’s Coffee.
Representatives from Scooter’s say a local franchisee is opening two Scooter’s locations in Johnson County, with the first to open in Franklin at the site of the former Long John Silvers, 1730 N. Morton St, in spring 2023. A second location will open in Greenwood in fall or winter 2023, but a location for that coffeehouse has not been finalized.
The two new locations are a part of a major expansion in Indiana for the Omaha, Nebraska-based chain. Several Scooter’s have opened across the state in recent months, including in Connersville, Crawfordsville, Logansport and Nappanee. More will likely open as a result of the company’s effort to recruit Indiana franchisees.
The coffee chain is drive-thru only and the goal is for people to “scoot in and scoot out” with their coffee as quickly as possible, according to their website.
The chain offers hot, iced and blended coffee, along with smoothies and tea. Breakfast sandwiches and baked goods are also served, according to their online menu.
Demolition on the Long John Silvers began Monday and continued into Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, there was only a pile of debris where the restaurant once stood. Plans for the Scooter’s location have not yet been filed, but someone has been in contact with the city planning department about building a restaurant at the site following the demolition, Mayor Steve Barnett said.
The building and why it is still standing undeveloped has been a point of curiosity among city residents for years. They’ve often asked city officials about it and even brought it up during the question-and-answer portion of a State of the City address in recent years. The building coming down was met with comments like “finally” and “it was about time” on social media when photos of the demolition began circulating.
Scooter’s will join the field of many coffee choices in Franklin, including three Starbucks and five locally-owned cafés downtown.
