Kelly's Roast Beef: The Fast Food Chain That Pioneered Juicy Sandwiches Before Arby's

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While Arby's is known for its roast beef sandwiches, the fast food chain Kelly's Roast Beef actually started serving up its signature juicy roast beef sandwiches over a decade earlier, opening its first location in 1951 on Revere Beach, Massachusetts. Kelly's built its reputation on fresh-roasting beef and carving it to order, rather than relying on pre-portioned deli meat. Though it remained a regional chain mostly confined to the Boston area, Kelly's menu expanded over the years to include seafood, burgers, and classic New England fare, though its roast beef sandwiches remained the star attraction.

Why it matters

Kelly's Roast Beef's story highlights how regional fast food chains can develop unique identities and menu specialties that precede and differ from the national chains that later become more dominant. While Arby's may be the more well-known roast beef fast food brand today, Kelly's pioneered the concept decades earlier and maintained a loyal following in its New England home base.

The details

Kelly's Roast Beef was founded in 1951 by business partners Frank V. McCarthy and Raymond Carey, who opened the first location as a hot dog shack on Revere Beach, Massachusetts. The pair soon added roast beef sandwiches to the menu after salvaging a surplus of roast beef from a canceled wedding nearby. Kelly's built its reputation on fresh-roasting beef and carving it to order for customers, rather than using pre-portioned deli meat. Over time, Kelly's expanded its menu to include seafood plates, burgers, and classic New England fare like clam chowder, but its roast beef sandwiches remained the signature item, with a local slang term of "Three-way" for the classic version with barbecue sauce, mayo, and cheese.

• Kelly's Roast Beef opened its first location in 1951 on Revere Beach, Massachusetts.
• Arby's was founded in 1964 in Boardman, Ohio, over a decade after Kelly's started serving roast beef sandwiches.

What’s next

Kelly's Roast Beef's new private equity owners reportedly plan to open additional locations, though they will likely focus on expanding within New England rather than nationally.