Kelly's Roast Beef is taking the space in Allston where Marty's used to be

Fletcher from the Sandbox on WFNX passes along this bit of news: Kelly's Roast Beef is opening in Allston.

The 58-year-old restaurant chain that takes credit for inventing the roast beef sandwich plans to revamp the former Marty’s Liquor store in Allston into its first Hub location. The 140-seat eatery will be the sixth for the Saugus chain that’s been named the 2009 Restaurant of the Year by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

I found this passage interesting:

With its Allston location at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Harvard Street, Kelly’s hopes to finally tap into the college market, which it’s been serving by catering for Boston College athletic teams and visiting schools.

McCarthy did some “research” on his plan’s viability by spending weekday nights in April through July having a few beers at Boston bars and quizzing college students about where they go to eat.

Not sure field research was necessary to figure out that a place like Kelly's, which is relatively cheap and offers some pretty big portions, would do well in a neighborhood full of college kids (this is a neighborhood where Redneck's has been operating for . . . how long now?). But at the same time, it's nice that a locally-owned establishment is taking that space.