Kelly’s Roast Beef, a landmark North Shore eatery, is planning Worcester and Natick locations in the next two years as part of an expansion across New England.
Worcester and Natick, along with planned spots in Quincy and Providence, would add to the chain’s existing locations in Danvers, Medford, Saugus and Revere. Kelly’s announced the expansion Monday.
In addition to traditional brick-and-mortar locations, Kelly’s is eyeing express locations in mall food courts and colleges. The goal is to have as many as 50 total locations operating in the next five years.
Kelly’s got its start in 1951 — and says it invented the modern roast beef sandwich — and today sells roughly a million sandwiches a year. But until now has never ventured beyond the suburbs north of Boston. Kelly’s announcement came with a solicitation of interest from potential franchisees. The total investment for a restaurant is $900,000 to $1.7 million, including a franchise fee of $40,000, the company said.
