Marketing & Consulting Client Testimonials:
What clients say about us

“I enjoy working with Warren. He is clear-thinking, strategic and creative.”

Richard Melman, Chairman and Founder, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

“Seldom have I seen the principals of an agency so involved in understanding what makes a brand tick. Ellish Marketing helped define the eatZi’s brand promise and then worked to help deliver it. No task was too small and no idea too big.  They have the expertise of a large agency without the large agency overhead and bureaucracy. Using a virtual agency like Ellish Marketing helped to leverage a modest marketing budget into big results.”

Lane Cardwell, former President eatzi’s (Brinker International) and current President of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

“Warren Ellish and his team have brought significant value to Bennigan’s Franchising Company as we set out to transform this 35-year-old legacy casual dining brand into a model that resonates with today’s consumer. Warren led the brand re-positioning efforts, developed our overarching strategy, and actively engaged our franchise community to build conscientiousness and trust. In addition, Warren developed and executed a consumer research project which aided in the development of our new menu, communication strategy and many elements of our new prototype. Warren did a great job of partnering with our internal corporate resources and franchise community which ensured buy-in and active participation. We will continue to call upon Warren and his group of professionals as we continue to move our brand forward.”

David Goronkin, former CEO, Bennigan’s Franchise Company and current Chairman and CEO of Real Mex Restaurants

“Ellish Marketing Group has been an invaluable asset to American Blue Ribbon Holdings. Warren’s insight and experience has helped guide the positioning of our Village Inn brand and has contributed to the turnaround that we have been experiencing. Additionally, the ability of Warren Ellish and the Ellish Marketing Group to identify the key guest benefits of one of our new product introductions insured the success of the program. They guided us and focused our marketing efforts in the right direction. As a result, this new item is now our biggest seller on the menu.”

Hazem Ouf, CEO, American Blue Ribbon Holdings

“Warren is a leader with a focus on sales and profits. I worked closely with Warren at Burger King in the late 80′s when he was in Marketing with responsibility for the Breakfast Daypart. I hired Warren/EMG in 2001, when I became the Denny’s CEO. I needed someone I could trust and deliver results. He led as consultant/business partner for brand positioning work, menu optimization/simplification and menu design. As part of this project EMG developed new traffic-generating products and the consumer research to validate the work. Warren has the leadership, the knowledge and the resources to deliver solutions that work. He knows how to help you make money.”

Nelson Marchioli, Former CEO, Denny’s

“Warren has the ability to take a concept, help position it in the marketplace with a focus and then produce a concise message with a clear plan of execution. He does all of this with a sense of urgency while understanding our company’s needs, goals and budget provisions. Warren keeps it simple and executes well.”

Kevin Brown, CEO Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

“Warren is a top notch marketing executive who really understands the restaurant business. We contracted Warren originally for concept positioning and he was able to work well with our team and help us develop new positioning in a fast efficient manner. Subsequently, we worked with Warren on various projects including menu development, grand opening marketing and direct mail campaigns. In each case, Warren had a tremendous level of knowledge and many creative ideas. He also understands the importance of return on investment and is very focused on measuring the results of every program. Upon moving to Salasarita’s, I engaged Warren to lead the brand positioning for us and he delivered with exceptional results.  Warren has the highest level of integrity and commitment, and is a real asset to any organization looking for marketing, branding or positioning expertise.”

Larry Reinstein, former CEO, Fresh City and current President & COO of Salsarita’s

“The direct mail work Warren and his team of professionals developed for Corner Bakery Cafe was right on target. Our brand was strengthened with the delivery of a strategically crafted, visually striking, and relevant message.”

Dave Wolfgram, former President, Corner Bakery Café and current CFO, Forklift Brands

“We had a great experience working with Warren. We needed some strategic help around positioning, pricing and marketing. Warren worked with our team and the result was a shift in our thinking about who we really are and what we can offer to our clients. We started thinking bigger!!”

Michael Caito, CEO, Restaurants On The Run and Global Chairman Entrepreneurs’ Organization

“I engaged Warren to run a process of helping VICORP Restaurants to establish a strategic marketing direction and, in connection with that, to execute a search process to identify and hire a new advertising agency. Warren’s knowledge of the industry (both agency and restaurant) enabled us to go through the process very efficiently–both in terms of the time to execute and in terms of identifying appropriate agencies and negotiating an appropriate contract. All of the constituencies at VICORP (the CEO, the head of marketing and myself) were very pleased with Warren’s knowledge base, his ability to assess relative strengths and weaknesses of the bidding firms, his attention to detail and his ability to deliver on a timeline.

Tony Carroll, former CFO, VICORP and current CFO at Palo Alto, Inc.

“I have used Ellish Marketing Group in many capacities for over ten years–both with an established and the launch of a new dental practice. I have always found Warren to be responsive, truthful and a pleasure to work with. His skills have been particularly effective in branding my business, even during tough economic times and with many new practices opening in my trade area. His direct mail marketing campaign continues to bring a constant flow of high quality patients through our door each month. Warren’s ideas are fresh and timely and he also ensures we stay current with social media marketing.”

Joseph P. O’Leary, D.D.S., Founder and Owner, Meadows Dental Group

“Arbor Dental Group used Ellish Marketing Group to develop and produce a unique direct mail program to solicit prospective patients. We have been using this program for over fourteen years with great success and have recouped our investment many times over. They have also helped us tremendously with our web marketing capabilities.  When people search for anything related to our practice in our geographic area–Arbor comes up strong. We have been working with Ellish Marketing for 14 years now and will continue to use them for some time to come.”

Mark P. Kinard, D.D.S., P.C., Founder and Owner, Arbor Dental Group

“Warren knows marketing strategies, brings creative solutions and has solid resources for implementation. Ellish Marketing Group developed our great new website and the supporting SEO strategy. Warren gets the job done!! ”

John Shelford, Former President, Naturipe Farms

“Warren and his team at Ellish Marketing Group have helped us a great deal in formulating our winning marketing strategy.  His team is also very much involved in the execution of the strategy. Thanks to his help we have grown 150% in the last 4 years!”

Stanislas Vilgrain, President and CEO, Cuisine Solutions, Inc.

“Warren is a class act. He’s a solid marketing professional who will operate as a dedicated member of your team. His work is excellent; his commitment to his clients is unmatched.”

Victoria Starr, Founder & President, Starr Map Company

“Warren is a true professional who has extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of the restaurant and hospitality marketing. He was instrumental in bringing our different product offerings to market in a very short duration.”

Tony Padam, President and CEO, Capture Code

“I loved working with Warren. He brought a combination of passion and professionalism I have rarely seen. I value his process and the output of his work with us has been eye-opening and fruitful. Thank you Warren.”

Jeff Buck, CEO, Quantisense