Five years ago, Kevin Kelley was working as a litigator in Dallas in a 10,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of his building, which had been vacant for about a year.
As a result of the pandemic and no takers of the building, he decided to build it out as a restaurant serving Southern comfort food and modern cocktails.
People enjoyed it, and fast forward five years later, Kelley has opened six restaurants, including his newest in Philadelphia this past weekend, writes Michael Klein for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
His Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley concept already has other locations in Chicago, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Charlotte.
The new Philly location on South Broad Street features 300 seats, including a 25-seat bar and 50-seat private dining room.
Within the next year, he hopes to open six more Kitchen + Kocktails locations.
As he reflects on his journey, Kelley said, “if somebody had been willing to pay a small lease, I might not have opened a restaurant. But you know, God is good.”
Despite growing quite the impressive restaurant chain, Kelley has remained in the legal industry, as well.
In fact, he sees it as an extension of his legal work because hospitality is his passion and he sees it as the future.
Read more about Kevin Kelley’s work both as a lawyer and a restaurateur in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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