Kelly's Roast Beef

Last updated
Kelly's Roast Beef
Kelly's Roast Beef Revere.jpg
Kelly's location at Revere Beach.
Restaurant information
Established1951
Street address410 Revere Beach Boulevard
City Revere
County Suffolk County
State Massachusetts
Postal/ZIP Code02151
Country United States
Other locations Danvers
Medford
Saugus
Website kellysroastbeef.com

Kelly's Roast Beef is a regional fast food restaurant chain located in Massachusetts. It is known for its roast beef sandwiches, lobster rolls, and other seafood. It was founded in 1951 in the city of Revere, Massachusetts, on Revere Beach shoreline by two partners, Frank V. McCarthy, and Raymond Carey. Neither partner wanted to be the namesake of the restaurant, so they decided to name it after a mutual friend, Thomas Kelly, a florist from Dorchester. [1]

Contents

The chain's menu consists primarily of sandwiches, seafood, and shellfish, as well as its signature roast beef. The restaurant features a drive-thru at every location except at Revere Beach. To compete with fast food giants like McDonald's and Burger King, the company added chicken fingers and french fries to their menu.

Kelly's claims to have invented the modern roast beef sandwich, stating it was unknown before they introduced it in 1951. [2] [3]

Despite its name, Kelly's Roast Beef is also noted for its lobster roll, with frequent mentions on reader contributor websites like Yelp [4] and Chowhound, [5] and placings on top ten lists of the area's best. [6]

Kelly's has become nationally known and has been featured in the PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like and on the Food Network show $40 a Day . [7]

Locations

Massachusetts locations include the flagship restaurant in Revere, Danvers, Medford, and Saugus. In 2022, Kelly's opened in New Hampshire and Florida, with further expansion in the works.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of New England</span> Northeastern US food culture

New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampanoag, and other native peoples. It also includes influences from Irish, French, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine, among others. It is characterized by extensive use of potatoes, beans, dairy products and seafood, resulting from its historical reliance on its seaports and fishing industry. Corn, the major crop historically grown by Native American tribes in New England, continues to be grown in all New England states, primarily as sweet corn although flint corn is grown as well. It is traditionally used in hasty puddings, cornbreads and corn chowders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submarine sandwich</span> Type of sandwich originating from the United States

A submarine sandwich, commonly known as a sub, hoagie, hero, Italian, grinder, wedge, or a spuckie, is a type of American cold or hot sandwich made from a cylindrical bread roll split lengthwise and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. It has many different names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamburger</span> Food consisting of a beef patty between rounded buns

A hamburger, or simply burger, is a sandwich consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis; condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing; and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheesesteak</span> Steak and cheese sandwich from Philadelphia

A cheesesteak is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Rogers Restaurants</span> American fast food restaurant chain

Roy Rogers Franchise Company, LLC is a chain of fast food restaurants primarily located in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. The chain originated as the rebranding of the RoBee's House of Beef chain of Fort Wayne, Indiana, acquired by the Marriott Corporation in February 1968. However, Marriott first used the Roy Rogers Roast Beef name on conversions of the company's Junior Hot Shoppes in the Washington, D.C. area in April 1968, then the existing RoBee's stores. An aggressive nationwide franchising campaign was launched. At its peak, the chain included over 600 locations. The chain now has 41 locations in seven states, either company owned or franchised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arby's</span> American sandwich chain based in Sandy Springs, Georgia

Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, Food & Wine called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French dip</span> Hot sandwich on a roll

A French dip sandwich, also known as a beef dip, is a hot sandwich consisting of thinly sliced roast beef on a "French roll" or baguette. It is usually served plain but a popular variation is to top with Swiss cheese, onions, and a dipping container of beef broth produced from the cooking process. Beef stock, a light beef gravy, or beef consommé is sometimes substituted. The sandwich is an American invention, with the name seeming to refer to the style of bread, rather than any French origin. Although the sandwich is most commonly served with a cup of jus or broth on the side of the plate, into which the sandwich is dipped as it is eaten, this is not how the sandwich was served when it was originally developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef on weck</span> Roast beef sandwich on a kummelweck roll

A beef on weck is a sandwich found primarily in Western New York State, particularly in the city of Buffalo. It is made with roast beef on a kummelweck roll, a roll that is topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. The meat on the sandwich is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip in jus and spread with horseradish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches</span> American sandwich restaurant chain

D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches is a chain of 83 neighborhood-style sandwich shops found in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches was founded in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1967. It serves various kinds of grilled and deli sandwiches, rice and grain bowls, lobster rolls, grilled topped salads, wraps, and hot soups. The company's grilled sandwich Number 9 was called “the finest fast-food sandwich in the land” in a Bloomberg News column.

Sandwiches That You Will Like is a 2002 PBS documentary by Rick Sebak of WQED. The unique sandwich offerings of cities across the United States are shown, from those that are often found outside of their city of origin to the virtually unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal Sea Foods</span> American restaurant chain

Legal Sea Foods is an American restaurant chain of casual-dining seafood restaurants primarily located in the Northeastern region of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rax Roast Beef</span> American fast food chain, founded 1967

Rax Roast Beef is a regional U.S. fast food restaurant chain specializing in roast beef sandwiches. The company has been through many iterations, declaring bankruptcy more than once, rising to as many as 504 locations in 38 U.S. states in the 1980s and falling to fewer than 20 locations on more than one occasion. As of 2022, Rax is based in Ironton, Ohio, and has fewer than ten franchisee-owned restaurants still in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BK Stacker</span> Sandwich line sold by Burger King

The BK Stacker sandwiches are a family of cheeseburgers sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicken sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A chicken sandwich is a sandwich that typically consists of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh served between slices of bread, on a bun, or on a roll. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include the chicken burger, chicken on a bun, chickwich, hot chicken, or chicken salad sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A steak sandwich is a sandwich prepared with steak that has been broiled, fried, grilled, barbecued or seared using steel grates or gridirons, then served on bread or a roll. Steak sandwiches are sometimes served with toppings of cheese, onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and in some instances fried eggs, coleslaw, and french fries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion's Choice</span> American fast food restaurant chain

Red Lion Beef Corporation, doing business as Lion's Choice, is an American fast food restaurant chain based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving roast beef sandwiches and other menu items. The company was founded in 1952 and opened its first restaurant in Ballwin, Missouri, on October 26, 1967, which remains open today. As of May 2021, there are 62 Lion's Choice restaurants in St. Louis and Kansas City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roast beef sandwich</span> Sandwich made from roast beef

The roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beef or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the United States, as well as fast food chains, such as Arby's, Rax Roast Beef, and Roy Rogers Restaurants. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce and/or melted American cheese. The roast beef sandwich also commonly comprises bread, cold roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard, although it would not be uncommon to find cheese, horseradish, fresh/powdered chili pepper and even in some cases red onion. Roast beef sandwiches may be served hot or cold, and are sometimes served open faced.

Clover Food Lab is a vegetarian fast food chain, founded in 2008 which operates food trucks and restaurants in Massachusetts, United States. The company serves a simple menu that changes daily and with the seasons based on what is available from local farmers and includes a large mix of organic ingredients. The company also offers meal delivery boxes and catering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valle's Steak House</span>

Valle's Steak House was an American chain of restaurants that operated on the East Coast of the United States from 1933 to 2000. The chain's menu focused on steaks and lobsters. A family-run business, Valle's aggressively expanded during the early 1970s but was unable to weather the financial challenges of the gas crisis and the resulting economic downturn; increasing labor costs, the death of its founder, and the changing dining habits of its customers. The last Valle's Steak House closed in August 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yia Yia Mary's</span> Pair of Greek restaurants in Houston, Texas

Yia Yia Mary's was a Greek restaurant with two locations in Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. Pappas Restaurants opened the Uptown Houston restaurant in 2004, and second Yia Yia Mary's began operating at William P. Hobby Airport in 2015. The restaurants served Greek cuisine including seafood and received a generally positive reception. Both locations closed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. "Frank McCarthy, food store owner; in Revere, aided many in need; 66", The Boston Globe , p. 43, September 30, 1982
  2. Kennedy, Louise (May 18, 2011). "At Kelly's, roast beef sandwiches rule". The Boston Globe.
  3. Cf. "Kelly's History" Archived 2010-09-25 at the Wayback Machine , company website
  4. "Kelly's Roast Beef". Yelp.com. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  5. "Lobster roll at Kelly's -- v good value". chowhound.com. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  6. "New England's Best: Lobster Roll". WHDH TV7 News. August 22, 2003. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013.
  7. "Boston, Clam Roll-Episode AD1B03". Food Network. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.