I went into a local store and one of my friends’ moms actually works at the store and she was asking about our event … and she had said, “It’s this weekend, right? I heard it on the radio.” So that was kind of cool to hear that she had actually heard it on that platform.

Owner

Owner, Main Deck / Upper Deck

Industry

Restaurant & Bar

Location

Penn Yan, NY

Products

Radio, Digital

When you walk into Main Deck, the energy hits you before the menu does. It is the kind of place that fills up on a Thursday because word got around, because someone heard something on the radio driving in from Rochester, because a friend’s mom ran into someone at a store and asked if the big event was still happening this weekend. That kind of reach does not happen by accident.

The restaurant and bar, which operates across two platforms — the main dining room and a tunnel bar called Upper Deck — is now in its third season, and the owner is clear-eyed about what has driven the growth. He did not start with a marketing plan. He started with a phone call from the mayor.

“Our good friend, Mr. Mayor Dan Kandala, gave us a rundown,” he says. “That’s really how we got started.” From there, the strategy evolved into something more deliberate: a combination of radio and digital advertising built around special events, working together rather than independently.

If you have an advertisement that says go check the website verbally on the radio, vice versa — they feed into each other.

That feedback loop is not just theory. Before FrostFast, one of Main Deck’s signature seasonal events, a friend’s mother walked into a store and stopped a stranger mid-aisle. She had heard the spot on the radio and wanted to confirm the event was still on for the weekend. For the owner, that moment was the proof of concept. Someone outside his immediate circle, in a different town, had the event lodged in her head because she had heard it.

The digital side of the buy has pushed the reach further — past the Finger Lakes and into Rochester, Syracuse, and beyond. “We’re in such a digital era right now,” he says. “People get on their phones to look up things.” For a newer business still building name recognition, that broader digital presence has given Main Deck access to an audience that radio alone might not reach. For a business already known locally, radio reinforces what digital plants.

He is equally direct about the working relationship with the FLX Local Media team — two account reps, both named Dan, who come by every couple of weeks with actual numbers.

Very personable, very thorough — they give you forecasting. They come in and show you what’s working and what’s not working. You’re not just throwing money into a void.

That accountability matters to him. He can see the data. He can see what moved and what did not. And when he looks at where Main Deck is now compared to its first season — the praise on the menu, the atmosphere, the crowds that showed up for events they heard about on the radio — he connects it to that visibility.

For businesses just starting out, he does not hedge: go digital first. Get the reach while you are building. Layer in radio when you are ready to reinforce it. The channels are not competing for the same dollar — they are each doing a different part of the job.

Being present on digital as well as on the radio has definitely just been beneficial for us. Because it’s working.

Main Deck is in its third season. It is still growing. The Upper Deck tunnel bar is drawing its own crowd. And somewhere in a store in the Finger Lakes, someone is probably asking if the next event is this weekend — because they heard it on the radio.

Interviewer: Tell me how you got involved with advertising — both on the radio and doing digital.

Main Deck Owner: Our good friend Mr. Mayor Dan Kandala stopped down and gave us a little rundown of exactly what it would entail, and we jumped at the opportunity.

Interviewer: Tell me what kind of advertising you do — both radio and digital.

Main Deck Owner: We do both radio and digital. We do a lot of advertising for special events and things like that that we're hosting, because we have two platforms — the main dining room up here and the Tunnel Bar. So we have a lot of opportunities for events.

Interviewer: How does it work for you?

Main Deck Owner: It works really well. I shouldn't say one works better than the other because they're both really impressive platforms. We're noticing with the digital side that it is reaching more people on a broader spectrum.

Interviewer: How would you say they work together?

Main Deck Owner: I think if you have a radio ad that says "go check the website," and then things on the digital side that say "check out the radio spot at such and such a time," that gets people more engaged across both platforms. They feed each other.

Interviewer: Do you have any stories of people who heard the ads and came in because of them?

Main Deck Owner: Yeah. I went into a local store and one of my friend's moms works there, and she was asking about our event FrostFest, which happens in February. She said, "That's this weekend, right? I heard it on the radio." It was kind of cool to hear that she had actually heard it on that platform.

Interviewer: What has it meant for the business?

Main Deck Owner: Because we are still growing — we're on our third season — it has definitely, in my opinion, opened up a lot of people's eyes to what we're doing here. I think all the way out to Rochester, Syracuse, and even further, it is definitely reaching more of a demographic for us.

Interviewer: A lot of people advertise just for a week here and there, but you're pretty consistent. Why is that important?

Main Deck Owner: Because so many people — we're in such a digital era right now — people get on their phones to look up things. I think it's really important to stay relevant and keep up with current trends.

Interviewer: If a friend was opening a business and said, hey, you're on the radio, I see you doing digital ads — what recommendation would you give them?

Main Deck Owner: I would definitely say digital, for sure — definitely lead with that. Like I said, we're in such a digital era right now that everybody's on their phones or tablets. I would definitely say that's where to start.

Interviewer: Tell me about working with the team — both Dans. How has that gone?

Main Deck Owner: Not only are they great guys and very personable, but they're very thorough. Everything is open for interpretation, and they do a great job of telling you what each thing does and what to expect — they give you a kind of forecast of what they expect something to do. And they're always in touch. They'll say, hey, this seems like it's working, or hey, this isn't working, let's focus more here and pull back from that. They're very organized and they communicate really well.

Interviewer: How do you know it's working?

Main Deck Owner: That's another thing — they come to us every couple of weeks and show us exactly what data they've collected, what's working and what's not. So we always have a clear picture.

Interviewer: What kind of growth have you seen over the last couple of seasons?

Main Deck Owner: We've definitely seen a significant amount of growth, in a good way. People are coming in and giving us great feedback on the menu because our chef does a really great job. And I think just the atmosphere we have — people are seeing the photos and things like that. Being present on digital as well as on the radio has definitely been beneficial for us.

Interviewer: Why do you think you'll continue? Is it working?

Main Deck Owner: It is working.