Freddy's Elevates Brand Marketing Leadership
Kansas restaurant operators can watch how a 600-location chain centralizes campaign oversight at the vice president level.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Marketing
Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers promoted Lindsey Kochanski from director of brand marketing to vice president of marketing, and she will oversee the company's brand team. The Wichita, Kansas-based chain, with about 600 locations across the United States, is the subject of the move, which is relevant to Kansas operators watching how regional restaurant brands structure their marketing leadership.
Why it matters
The promotion signals that Freddy's is placing marketing leadership and brand oversight at a senior executive level as it works to grow across roughly 600 locations. For Kansas businesses, a home-state chain investing in marketing structure is a useful reference point for how multi-unit restaurant operators organize brand strategy.
Freddy's operates approximately 600 locations across the United States from its Wichita headquarters. Kochanski advanced from senior brand marketing manager in 2023 to vice president of marketing in November 2026.
The players
Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
A Wichita, Kansas-based fast-casual restaurant chain with approximately 600 locations across the United States.
Lindsey Kochanski
Freddy's vice president of marketing, who previously held marketing roles at The Coca-Cola Co. and joined Freddy's in 2023.
The Coca-Cola Co.
A global beverage company whose marketing organization builds integrated campaigns and audience-targeted programs at scale.
The details
Kochanski previously held marketing positions at The Coca-Cola Co., where she developed integrated marketing plans, targeted campaigns and audience-specific tools. She now oversees Freddy's brand team, and the company says her marketing initiatives are designed to increase traffic, boost sales, improve efficiencies and support growth. For a multi-unit chain, centralizing brand leadership at the vice president level typically means campaign strategy is set once and deployed across many locations.
Timeline
Kochanski joined Freddy's as senior brand marketing manager in 2023.
Kochanski was promoted to vice president of marketing on November 4, 2026.
Market Landscape
Consumer-packaged-goods marketing practices developed at Coca-Cola are now being carried into regional restaurant brands, where multi-unit footprints demand similar centralized campaign planning. Freddy's, a Kansas-headquartered chain with about 600 locations, is applying that model as it competes for traffic against larger national quick-service rivals.
Operators of multi-unit restaurant concepts should note that centralizing brand leadership under a vice president can consolidate campaign decisions across locations. Owners of single-unit or small restaurant businesses may find that larger chains' marketing consolidation shapes the competitive traffic they compete for.
The takeaway
Operators watching regional chains should track whether Freddy's marketing reorganization produces measurable traffic or sales gains across its locations over the coming quarters. Small restaurant owners in Kansas can review how a nearby chain's brand strategy shifts when deciding where their own marketing dollars give the best return.
Further reading
For broader context on how regional brands build their marketing organizations, see Marketing coverage on Kansas-based businesses.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fast Casual.
