Located in the legendary Italian-American enclave of Federal Hill, Angelo’s Civita Farnese has satisfied Providence, RI, locals with flavorful homestyle Italian food, lovingly prepared, for ninety six years.

Angelo’s has always embraced tradition, from its carefully preserved décor to its consistently unchanging menu. But then COVID-19 lockdowns closed the dining room and pushed fourth-generation owner Jamie Antignano and her family to seek creative new ways to boost sales and profitability.

Key Idea – Jamie began by tempting regulars to order takeout more often by posting new beautiful photos of their favorite entrées on Instagram and Facebook daily. Rather than mentioning price, she emphasized mouthwatering flavors and how much her team missed their customers!

Key Idea – To make ordering takeout easier, Jamie decided it was finally time to start taking online orders. Rather than waiting to find a perfect POS solution, Jamie added the “Square” app to her smartphone and began taking online orders that day. In her daily social posts, Jamie began alerting customers to its availability.

Key Idea – As online orders grew, Jamie worked on keeping each purchase profitable by researching and purchasing a new POS system capable of directly processing each online purchase, thereby avoiding costly third- party fees. For the same profitability reason, Jamie also refuses to allow third parties to deliver her food.

Key Idea – In addition to beer and wine “to go,” Jamie merchandises upscale house-made cocktails in clear beverage pouches. Popular specialties include refreshing “FROSÉ” (frozen rosé slush) and Pinot Grigio cocktails seasoned with spiced pear liqueur and tangy fresh cranberries.

Key Idea – For dessert, Angelo’s sells “fill it yourself” cannoli kits, including empty shells, a disposable piping bag prefilled with sweet ricotta, and small lidded cups of pistachios, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc. for dipping the ends. Beyond DIY fun, filling shells at the last moment keeps them crunchiest!

Key Idea – To boost the sales of chilled/frozen “heat and serve” soups, sauces, and entrées, Jamie broadcasts a weekly “Cooking with Angelo’s Pantry” show on Facebook Live. In six-minute videos, she cheerfully demonstrates how customers can effortlessly transform Angelo’s premade items into attractive multi-course meals!

Key Idea – Especially popular are Angelo’s frozen “boil in bag” pasta entrées. Each sealed bag contains two pounds of par-cooked pasta in sauce. Customer prep is as simple as heating the sealed bag in boiling water for 20 minutes. A scissor snip later, Sunday supper is served!

Thanks to these and other improvements, the Antignano family is holding their own! BRAVO!!!