I recently came across a story about a Nashville Italian restaurant called Mangia, located in the Berry Hill neighborhood. As the pandemic was winding down, businesses across the country were still struggling with fewer customers and shrinking profits. Restaurants were hit especially hard. Many didn’t survive.
Back then, Mangia was close to shutting down. Its owner, Nick Pellegrino, was making literally just enough money to keep the lights on. One day, he decided it was too much. After 25 years, he was done. Nick made the announcement on social media.
But then, something odd and very fortuitous happened.
Past patrons of the place packed his feeds with their memories of parents’ last dances there, weddings, graduations, and other memorable events. Nick quickly pivoted and made the decision to keep the restaurant open but with a very unusual plan. He would only open the restaurant for just two nights a week, reservations only, with fixed prices and lots of spur-of-the-moment “activity.”
How could anyone even think they would make money?
Well, his first month sold out in days and his profits, now, are better than in any of the past 25 years. Why? It’s just another Italian restaurant. What made it so special? Pellegrino called on his Italian heritage, which was always built around family, food, and fun, and incorporated that into the experience. Being of that same descent, I can totally relate. The food was only part of the Italian family gathering. It was the laughing, the singing, the dancing and, yes, the yelling, that made it a memorable time.
HELLO, RADIO!!!!!! Are you paying attention?
Mangia has become not as much about the food as it is about making people FEEL something. Along with the pasta, they serve nostalgia, connection, and belonging. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
I’ve said this before in several of these columns. Radio is, and always has been, about that emotional connection with the listener. Your “food” may be the music, but you need to foster that feeling of connection and belonging for the listener that family four-packs of circus tickets or commercial-free hours won’t accomplish.
When the old model was failing, Pellegrino didn’t “tighten up the menu” or offer a 2-for-1 Monday night special. Instead, he turned it on its side, and the results speak for themselves.
Too often, we think “adjusting the powers,” doing a music test, or just playing more music will solve our problems. What if we ignored the usual questions and found a road less or never traveled? It’s time to reinvent. Change the paradigm.
Several stations, two in this market, are doing just that.
One of the first stations to buck the system is from old friend John Sebastian in Phoenix and KOAI – The Wow Factor. From the start, John’s goal was to super serve a forgotten demo, the Boomer generation, with the music and presentation that spoke directly to them. It’s now a top five Phoenix station.
Here in Nashville, Midwest Communications had a major signal that was the second-fiddle Top 40 station. They decided to throw out the programming manual and take a chance at all 80s and 90s country. It’s now Y’all 106.7, and it’s working. Consistent top ten performer.
Then a “work in progress” at another Nashville country station with Cumulus VP/Country Travis Daily at the helm. WKDF, perennially, the number three country station in a four-station race, is rewriting the country format “rule” book with every song they play. The station, like Y’All, is creating a solid emotional connection with a strongly engaged audience. And you know what I hear on both stations? Listeners CALLING in! Imagine that.
Whether it’s food or music, Nick Pellegrino or Y’all, these brands have stepped into an area where more radio stations should be. They are not afraid to be specific, and they are really trying to reflect the soul of their audience.
Radio – what are you going to cook up next?
