Kelly’s Roast Beef set to open new sandwich spot in Manatee. What to know
After choosing the Bradenton-Sarasota area as home for its first location outside New England three years ago, Kelly’s Roast Beef is opening a second area restaurant this week.
The restaurant chain is known for its roast beef sandwiches, seafood and other New England comfort dishes.
The new sandwich shop at 8710 U.S. 301 North in Parrish’s Creekside Commons shopping plaza will welcome diners starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The 3,500-square-foot restaurant includes dine-in seating and a drive-thru.
It’s the franchise’s sixth Florida location, and the second in Manatee County. Kelly’s opened in December 2022 at 5207 University Parkway in southern Manatee County in the Square at University Town Center.
Kelly’s Roast Beef menu
Roast beef sandwiches aren’t all that is served. The menu also features lobster rolls, fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, whole-bellied clams, scallops, clam chowder, soft-serve ice cream and more.
Kelly’s Roast Beef history
It was almost a fluke for the restaurant, which began in 1951 in the Boston area, to popularize the roast beef sandwich, a company history says. Founders Frank V. McCarthy and Raymond Carey started Kelly’s as a hot dog shack on Revere Beach outside of Boston.
They also worked next door for a special events venue, and wound up with multiple roast beefs after a wedding was canceled, the company history says. The duo made thinly-cut roast beef sandwiches on grilled hamburger rolls the next day. The new item was a hit, running out in an hour, the company history says.
McCarthy and Carey named the shack after their best friend, Thomas Kelly.
“Kelly’s has built its reputation on serving high-quality, made-to-order food that people crave, and that commitment shines through at every location,” RAVentures Hospitality regional director Jeff Doward said in a news release. “We’ve found that the classic flavors and Boston tradition behind Kelly’s really resonate with South Florida residents and visitors alike — whether they’re discovering us for the first time or reconnecting with a taste of home.”
RAVentures, which owns the franchise rights to Kelly’s, is also opening a seafood restaurant, Oar & Iron Raw Bar & Grill, in the same plaza in June.
Other Florida locations for Kelly’s Roast Beef are in Pinellas, Lee and Collier counties.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
