Roll-N-Roaster Flooded With Calls After Online Rumor Falsely Claims Restaurant Will Close

Staff at Roll-N-Roaster, Sheepshead Bay’s beloved roast beef sandwich maker, said they received more than 100 phone calls on Sunday after a wild conspiracy theory emerged online that the restaurant had been sold to a condo developer and would close in October.

“One woman was crying on the phone and another walked in and she was in tears,” said manager Eric Rodriguez after denying there was any truth to the rumor. “It’s absolutely false. Roll-N-Roaster is here to stay and is not going anywhere.”

The rumor appears to have started on Facebook Saturday night and we received several emails and social media inquiries asking if the claim was true. It’s unclear where the story originated but several people cited one man’s Facebook post, which garnered 1,247 shares, claiming the iconic Emmons Avenue restaurant was going “bye bye.”

We messaged the owner of the account to find out where he received that information. He has not replied.

The rumor also spread on Twitter, where there were many heartbroken messages about Roll-N-Roaster’s impending demise.

This is not the first time people have speculated about the end of the 45-year-old fast food joint. Rodriguez explained that a similar rumor circulated online a little over eight years ago.

However, he said the faulty gossip was good for business. Many people come in to find out if the restaurant is closing and then stick around to eat after their worries have been put to rest.

“It’s been very busy,” he said.

UPDATE 3:14pm: Roll-N-Roaster’s General Manager also called to confirm the restaurant has no plans to close.