In the Kitchen with Termac – Kelly’s Seafood
By Terence O’Reilly, Jr. and Sean O’Reilly, Sr.
Whether they are making the famous snapper soup or polishing the restaurant fixtures, the Kelly brothers are all in, and hands on, at Kelly’s Seafood, 9362 Old Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia. It is their attention to detail that makes the Northeast Philadelphia restaurant a longstanding, popular destination.
“There’s always a Kelly in the kitchen” says Brett Kelly, who explains that there are three full-time Kellys, and two part-time Kellys on the premises. Twins Brett and Brian run the business. Their sister is a hostess and does administrative work. Dad Ron keeps a presence, and a nephew also works in the kitchen. Older brother and mentor Tim is now retired.
This family business encourages quality and consistency, traits that bring patrons back to the nautically-themed Kelly’s year after year. The restaurant has a 60-year-history, and for 50 of those years, they have been Termac customers, since the Kellys’ father and grandfather purchased their first dishwasher. Today they are also satisfied customers of Universal Fire Protection, a fire safety company and subsidiary of Termac.
Although competitors have come knocking many times, Kelly feels a kinship with this other family business. “Who else would we trust our business with other than Termac? Their service is excellent, with a phone call they are here within a half-hour to an hour,” he adds.
In 1958, William Kelly started a luncheonette about three miles down the pike. He then bought the Adams Bar nearby, which he ran with son Ron. Customers who had liked the luncheonette stopped in, and the former “dive” bar became a family restaurant. In 1982 the Kellys expanded, doubling the physical space, adding parking and a banquet room. The banquet room for 40-50 patrons is popular for family milestones, like christenings and anniversaries.
Because there was no seafood restaurant nearby, the menu has always had seafood as its centerpiece, but Kelly’s customers enjoy chicken, veal, steak and pasta too. Known for crab cakes, shrimp, oysters, deviled crab, deviled clams, flounder and scallops – fried, grilled, sautéed or broiled – the fish is delivered fresh daily.
Kelly is a stickler for grease-free hoods and relies on Universal Fire Protection to keep his restaurant safe and compliant with scheduled suppression system service and inspections. “People know us,” he says. “They know we are a family business. They know that service and quality is important to us. We are here 60 years, and we want to be here for another 60 years.”
Contact a TERMAC Representative today at 800-332-4912 or TERMAC.COM to make sure your kitchen is running as smoothly as possible.
Termac Corporation is a family-owned business serving the hospitality industry for more than 57 years with its cleaning and sanitation products. To meet the needs of this evolving market, it established a system of service and developed The Filter Man, GTO Grease Trap Services, Universal Fire Protection and AllPro Stainless Steel and Metal Fabrication.
