Catering hall owner goes big with advertising

Carlyle on the Green owner Steve Carl wanted to get the message out that his restaurant-catering complex in Bethpage State Park is available for weddings right through Valentine's Day.

So he took out ads, but not traditional newspaper, broadcast or Internet ads. Carl said he believes in getting his message out in a big way: He erected 50-by-45-foot billboards a few weeks ago outside Nordstrom's and Macy's at Roosevelt Field mall in East Garden City.

The ads say Carlyle on the Green makes a perfect wedding spot.

"To the best of my knowledge, nobody in my industry has advertised" wedding services using billboards at Roosevelt Field, Carl said. The response, he said, has been "huge."

He has gotten 25 or so inquiries in the past week or so. "We were trying to do something new and different and novel," Carl said. "Anybody entering Roosevelt Field sees this. It's in their face."