Roanoke-based Saltys Lobster & Co. food trailer will bring its popular lobster rolls and crab fries to Richmond starting Saturday at Hatch Local Food Hall’s anniversary bash and will continue popping up at area events.
Saltys was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In spring 2020, Jonathan Kelly’s newly opened Roanoke restaurant Wokology was closed, and he got a craving. “I love lobster,” he said. “When I lived in San Diego, I used to go lobster hooping ... and I just said, ‘Who wants do a lobster run?’”
He got his hands on some lobsters, offered preorders through Google Sheets, used the Wokoloy kitchen and his ghost kitchen Crafteria to assemble and deliver lobster roll kits, then delivered them for free via the restaurant delivery business he owned called Fetch. Apparently, Kelly was not the only one craving a seafood pick-me-up while stuck at home — the meal kit preorders regularly sold out, and he expanded the concept to include other creative and high-end food items.
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Next, he added regular weekend business hours out of the Wokoloy restaurant space, where the menu also regularly sold out. In less than six months, the Saltys Lobster & Co. Facebook page, where Kelly shared business updates and giveaways, hit 10,000 followers.
Kelly continued adding hours and menu options and, in spring 2021, he purchased a food truck to serve lobster rolls at breweries, festivals and other events. He continued honing the menu and expanding the business, purchasing a second food truck and turning out more than 1,000 rolls a week. At the four-day Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Danville in September 2021, Saltys went through 30,000 lobsters, 5,000 New England split-top rolls and 60 cases of fries. Now, Saltys is expanding to Richmond.
What makes Saltys so sought after? “I just like food,” Kelly said. “We’re small, and we are different on purpose.” The rolls for Saltys’ various seafood sandwiches come from a bakery outside of Boston. “They are a little longer and bigger because we want that toasted buttery bun,” Kelly said.
The classic lobster roll is packed with lobster meat from Maine, then drizzled with warm butter and a special seasoning blend. For high-end wedding catering, Kelly tops them with caviar and gold flakes.
Another favorite is crab fries. “The fries are battered in flour so they are super crispy and extra crunchy,” Kelly said. They are then topped with nacho cheese, real bacon bits and fresh crab meat.
Kelly rotates the menu by event and to generate excitement.
“Most times you are at a brewery and you just get the food that’s there,” Kelly said. “We want people to follow the truck.”
He is looking for a Richmond brewery partner to create a beer to pair with his lobster corn dog, which is a fair favorite. The corn dog is battered in beer, so he is seeking a local beer partner to co-create a lobster claw tap and a big launch party. “We are weird, and we want to throw some different things into the mix,” he said.
The Saltys menu often includes smash burgers. And a past favorite that occasionally returns is a cheesesteak featuring hand-cut ribeye steak topped with goat cheese and truffle honey.
The first opportunity to taste Saltys in Richmond will be at the anniversary bash of Hatch Local Food Hall (400/414 Hull St.) on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until products sell out. On Sunday, Saltys will be at Final Gravity Brewing Co. (6118 Lakeside Ave.). Follow on Instagram and Facebook for additional locations and dates.
“Richmond is a test market,” Kelly said.
He is hoping that, if he is successful here, he can continue expanding across Virginia. The Richmond menu will start simple as the team gets up to speed in the new city, while made-to-order dishes like the lobster corn dog will come later.
“We want our customers to be happy,” Kelly said. “We are doing this because we look at the details. We want to build relationships.”