Kelli Pilkington leads restaurant marketing at Flagship Restaurant Group

Influential Women is spotlighting Kelli Pilkington, Vice President of Marketing at Flagship Restaurant Group, for her work aligning restaurant marketing with business growth, guest experience, and leadership development. The profile highlights her two-decade hospitality career, her role across 14 brands and more than 50 locations, and her focus on mentoring future industry leaders.

Why it matters: - Kelli Pilkington’s role sits at the intersection of restaurant growth, brand building, and guest engagement for a national portfolio. - Her career path highlights how operational experience can shape stronger marketing leadership in hospitality. - Her mentoring work reflects a broader industry need for workforce development and leadership pipelines.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Kelli Pilkington in its 2026 edition representing Omaha, Nebraska. - Pilkington is Vice President of Marketing at Flagship Restaurant Group. - She leads an in-house team covering marketing strategy, creative services, digital marketing, brand development, and guest engagement. - Her work supports 14 restaurant brands and more than 50 locations nationwide. - Her profile notes more than 25 years in hospitality and about 11 years in marketing leadership.

The details: - Pilkington started in restaurants as a bar manager, chef, general manager, and restaurant opening specialist. - She later moved into marketing after being recruited to Raising Cane’s. - She joined Flagship Restaurant Group afterward and advanced from Director of Marketing to Vice President. - Her approach ties marketing decisions to restaurant-level performance and the guest experience. - She leads with empathy, innovation, accountability, and an emphasis on developing people. - Pilkington holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from Southeast Community College. - Her experience extends through executive leadership, industry involvement, and mentorship. - She serves as a Board Director for the Nebraska Hospitality Association. - She is also a member of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Hospitality, Restaurant & Tourism Management Program Advisory Board. - She supports ProStart as a judge and mentor for aspiring hospitality professionals. - Her advice to women in the industry is to keep moving forward, know their worth, and not let uncertainty block opportunity.

Between the lines: - Pilkington’s background suggests hospitality companies still value leaders who understand operations as well as marketing. - The profile frames adaptability and continuous learning as key traits for executives in a fast-changing restaurant market. - Her emphasis on mentorship points to the sector’s ongoing challenge of developing future leaders while retaining talent.

What's next: - Pilkington is expected to continue shaping Flagship Restaurant Group’s brand strategy and guest-facing marketing. - Her board and mentoring roles suggest continued involvement in hospitality education and workforce development. - The profile positions her as part of a broader effort to encourage more women to pursue leadership in the industry.

The bottom line: - Pilkington’s career shows how hands-on restaurant experience can translate into executive marketing leadership with broader impact across brands, teams, and future talent.