Kelly Clancy

Kelly Clancy is the Managing Partner and Divisional Supervisor for RPM Restaurants, including RPM Italian, RPM Steak, Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events and RPM Seafood in Chicago and RPM Italian in Washington, D.C.

Quite literally growing up in restaurants, Kelly worked in her father’s restaurant answering phones, washing dishes, making pizzas and eventually managing during college. Having this familiarity with the hospitality industry, it was only fitting that Kelly went to work for The Kimpton Group after graduating college. She quickly realized that her passion lies in restaurants and found herself applying at Chicago’s greatest restaurant group, Lettuce Entertain You.

She began her career working at Mity Nice Grill for two years before transferring to the Mon Ami Gabi division. There, Kelly worked with partners such as Susan Weaver, Christian Eckmann, and Michael Cunningham and was able to learn and continue to grow. She moved over to Hub 51 and Paris Club Bistro & Bar in December 2011 before making the move to open RPM Italian in Chicago in February 2012. From there, she continued on the managing team that eventually opened RPM Steak and a second location of RPM Italian in Washington, D.C. In the latter part of 2019 and early 2020, she and the team opened their most ambitious project to date on the Chicago riverfront – a multi-concept space that includes Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events and RPM Seafood.

In early 2022, Kelly and her partners are excited to expand the RPM brand to Las Vegas with the opening of RPM Italian at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Kelly and is a die-hard White Sox fan. She is married and loves live music and traveling. She believes that experiencing other cultures, cuisines, and languages are truly what life is all about and helps create authentic and meaningful experiences in the restaurants. Kelly gets her inspiration and motivation from her peers and teammates and gets her energy and joy from watching them grow and helping them become more successful. She is excited for what the future holds for RPM and watching it become a worldwide brand with global recognition.