Kelly's Roast Beef — Restaurant in Boston

I haven’t been to Kelly’s since I was a kid, so I wanted to have it while I was visiting home and in the airport. My family and I used to split the cheese fries and I would have a small roast beef. I wanted those again, but the cheese fries didn’t come as a side and each were only available in the full size. As someone who is overweight and trying to work on that, it can be difficult to place food orders without fearing judgement, whether it be true or made up in my head. I tried to use the self-service kiosk, but it wasn’t working. I ordered with the cashier and after ordering my sandwich, I asked for the cheese fries. His response was “are you sure? with bacon too?”(bacon is standard on the menu item). I wasn’t sure what to say to that besides yes. I took my receipt and waited. Five people were ahead of me waiting on their orders. When calling out orders, the cashier called out the order numbers, even when he had to call out the number multiple times for those who were delayed in coming to the counter. When he called my number, only once, he stated exactly what I ordered in front of those who were waiting by the counter. He then proceeded not to do the same with the orders after mine. I may be mistaken, but given the question asked of me earlier and the feeling I was being shamed by what I ordered, it was very upsetting. It is difficult to order fast food being someone who has struggled with their weight and fluctuated in size many times over their life. He does not know my medical history or what could be affecting my ability to gain or lose and it is not appropriate for someone to question someone...

Bottom Line Up Front: An average-at-best option that is as impressive as flying coach in a cramped airplane.

The Setting: This Kelly's is inside Terminal B of Logan International Airport. It has a sizable seating area with plenty of chairs and tables. The best feature is that almost every table had electrical outlets to charge your mobile devices while waiting for your flight; a huge plus that's rarely seen at other airport restaurants.

The Food: Being in New England, I had to try to the calm chowder. The first issue, there were only two options: cup or pint. The cup was literally a small cup (think 8 ounces) ... for $8 (ridiculously overpriced). The pint was about $13 -- kinda pricey. (Airport food prices are inflated everywhere.) I ordered a side of chips and selected a small bag of Miss Vickie's sea salt chips, which was of course good because that's a known quantity, so to speak. The second issue was the taste. Unfortunately, the soup was more watery than creamy. On the bright side, there was a solid amount of clams.

The Service: On the plus side, the employee who took my order was fast, friendly, and competent.

The Conclusion: While the service was good, it doesn't make up for the fact that you don't get much soup for the price you pay and the clam chowder didn't have the texture and taste of soups I've had in New England in the past. I would not return here for the chowder. If circumstances dictacted, I might be willing to give Kelly's a second chance if it's for one of their roast...

To Whom It May Concern,

I’m writing to voice serious frustration after an absolutely unacceptable experience at one of your locations. I waited over 35 minutes for my food—and I wasn’t the only one. Several others around me were just as frustrated, standing around, checking their watches, and questioning what was going on. Some even walked out without their food.

While waiting, someone in line mentioned that Kelly’s Roast Beef was recently bought by private equity and that you’re planning to expand nationwide. Let me be blunt: if this is how you operate now, good luck. This level of service won’t survive outside of New England. You better get your act together before scaling, because no one in their right mind is going to wait 30+ minutes for fast-casual roast beef—especially without an apology, explanation, or even acknowledgment from the staff.

The complete lack of communication or urgency from the team working that day made the experience even worse. It felt like no one cared that a room full of customers were visibly irritated and confused.

Kelly’s has a legacy, and I’ve always loved your food, but this was a major letdown. I’m not just venting—I’m telling you as a longtime customer: if this is the direction things are going, you’re going to lose people fast.

I expect a response from someone in leadership explaining how this is being addressed—before word-of-mouth and social media do...