He Hid During His Pub’s Opening Day. Now He Runs 27 Restaurants Across Oklahoma and Arkansas

Elliot Nelson, founder and CEO of McNellie’s Group, expanded a single Tulsa pub into 27 restaurants across Oklahoma and Arkansas. As a restaurateur and community developer, he has built spaces that anchor neighborhoods and showcase the spirit of Oklahoma hospitality.

Watch now to learn about surviving a St. Patrick’s Day disaster, the challenge of building a neighborhood around a pub, and how Oklahoma hospitality turned into 27 restaurants.

Sponsored by:

• TOAST AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Chapters:

[02:10] - Opening Day Disaster and Hiding on a Keg

[08:05] - Building a Pub and Then a Neighborhood

[19:45] - Creating Loyalty Around McNellie’s Story

[27:14] - What Oklahoma Hospitality Really Means

[30:42] - Balancing Technology with Human Connection

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

• Toast AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Episode Links:

McNellie’s Group

McNellie’s Pub

Elliot Nelson Instagram

Elliot Nelson LinkedIn

Key Takeaways:

Failure Can Spark a Career: Elliot Nelson’s first St. Patrick’s Day at McNellie’s Pub was such a disaster he hid on a keg, but that early chaos laid the groundwork for everything he built after.

Neighborhoods Come Before Restaurants: Nelson didn’t just open concepts, he revitalized downtown Tulsa by creating gathering places that turned overlooked blocks into thriving communities.

Hospitality Builds Loyalty: Guests still flock to McNellie’s because they believe in the story and the spirit of Oklahoma hospitality that Nelson has championed across 27 locations.

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ABOUT ELLIOT NELSON —

Elliot Nelson, the company’s founder and CEO, went to the University of Notre Dame for college. During his junior year he left South Bend to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland. While he was in Ireland he fell in love with the atmosphere and unique hospitality that he experienced every time he walked into classic Dublin pubs like Stag’s Head, Kehoe’s, Mulligan’s, Palace, and McDaid’s.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media

Produced by Cali BBQ Media