Stacy Smith is a newcomer to the food service industry. Even so, she opened Maine-ly Sandwiches in Pearland on Oct. 15 after finding more free time when her middle son left for college.

On multiple visits to a Maine-ly Sandwiches location in Houston, Smith—a Friendswood resident—recognized diners from the area. That observation sparked the idea to open an eatery of her own.

“I was sitting there at Maine-ly Sandwiches eating with a friend of mine and she said, ‘Well maybe you ought to open up a restaurant,’” Smith said. “And I thought this would be a really cool concept.”

Maine-ly Sandwiches offers New England-style cuisine, such as lobster and crab rolls, in addition to deli sandwiches, hamburgers, soups and salads. Smith said all the sandwiches are served on homemade bread. Customers can order their lobster or crab rolls in a variety of styles with mayonnaise or butter.

“The Pearland community has been extremely welcoming,” she said. “The people [from] Maine, Connecticut and the New England area have flooded in. Facebook has been our friend.”

Maine-ly Sandwiches offers delivery service to all of Pearland and Friendswood, Smith said, and the drive-thru is expected to open in mid-February.