Industry Night Out at POSTA

The ultimate RC Show after-hours event is ready to light up Port Credit.

RC Show is intense in the best way: three days of constant hellos, new ideas, new gear, new ingredients, and a calendar that spills over with possibility. But after the discovery, the deals, and the key learnings, the real industry bonding tends to happen when the lanyards loosen at the end of the day.

That’s why Industry Night Out—RC Show’s ultimate after-hours event, matters. And why this year’s host, POSTA Italbar Cucina, feels like such a perfect match.

POSTA sits on the Port Credit waterfront, built for big energy and big groups—about 160 guests on the patio and around 275 indoors, with cocktail-style capacity closer to 350, plus private dining areas designed for corporate and milestone events. It’s not just a restaurant; it’s a room that can hold the full range of how the industry likes to celebrate.

A host who knows exactly what hospitality people want.

POSTA’s story is, in many ways, Connie and Rocco Mastrangelo’s story. The couple stepped fully into the business a few years ago. “POSTA was established in 2018,” says Connie. “In 2023, we took over full proprietorship and operations and began to build our POSTA family in the heart of Port Credit. Having run Toronto’s beloved Café Diplomatico for 30 of its 58 years in Little Italy, we saw the potential for building not only a brand, but becoming an integral part of the community.”

When the opportunity came to expand to Port Credit, it wasn’t about chasing a trend—it was meant to be. “In 2018, we were presented with an opportunity to venture out to Port Credit,” she recalls. “We just fell in love with the neighborhood, and that’s when we decided to open POSTA.”

You can sense the operator instinct beneath the romance of a new concept. After 30 years of making a beloved anchor in Little Italy work—night after night, season after season—Connie and Rocco weren’t looking to reinvent themselves so much as extend what they’d already proven and the experience they’d earned. Port Credit offered the rare chance to carry forward the warmth and community they’d built on College Street, but in a bigger canvas, with a new room, a new rhythm, a new neighbourhood to get to know—a place where they could stretch their wings without letting go of what made them successful in the first place.

 “POSTA is a lot larger,” says Connie. “It’s still casual dining but not as casual as Café Dip. We have a bigger space, so we leaned in on the artisanal, making all of our own pasta—and basically everything—in house. We tried to keep it very, very authentic, but with a bit of a modern twist.”

That blend—elevated, yet casual and authentic, but current—is part of what makes POSTA such a perfect spot for Industry Night Out. It’s also, quite intentionally, built to host. “It’s a large venue with a large patio. We have private dining areas, and we focus a lot on private events—corporate events, meetings, and personal events like birthdays and milestone celebrations. And you can’t say enough about the location because it’s just superb in the summer and spring. In the winter, it’s quite beautiful watching the icy waters.”

But it’s not the thrill of expansion and the overall success of the business that Connie homes in on. It’s the joy of providing POSTA’s guests with an outstanding experience. “I’m very proud of the food,” she says. “And I love my service staff. I think we were able to recreate that personal service we provide on College Street. Our staff get to know our customers really well, and we’re starting to build a lot of regulars, which I love to see.”

She’s heard the reports that say guests are pulling back from restaurant spending, but from her vantage point, the appetite to go out is still there. “I know that there’s several reports talking about people not dining out but I feel that people have dined out in droves since COVID,” she says. “I feel that people are still enjoying going out and socializing, they’re looking for an experience rather than just a reservation.”

That’s part of why POSTA’s outdoor dome has become a major draw. “The dome is super popular—we get calls and emails about it constantly,” Connie says, laughing. “I could fill the whole restaurant with the number of calls I get about the dome itself.” And it’s also why POSTA makes sense for Industry Night Out: the lakefront backdrop, the camera-ready moments, the easy feeling that you’re somewhere people really want to be.

Connie talks about reinvention the way long-time operators do—as a mode of survival, as an instinct, and as an essential element of hospitality. “We’ve always reinvented to deliver what the customers need, right? So, at POSTA, we do that too,” she says. “We create, and we go with the flow. There are no ‘rules,’ and don’t like to say no to anything—we love to entertain.”

Connie agreed to host for that exact reason, and because she knows what this night gives back to the people who spend most of their lives giving to others. “I was really honoured to even be asked to host by Restaurants Canada,” she says. “I think it’s going to be a great night. “I’ve attended RC Show for years—I’m an industry veteran. So, I’m happy to host all of the colleagues that you never get to meet. You’re always working.”

Expect gorgeous food, mesmerizing beats, and orange everywhere.

Connie is working directly with the RC Show team and event sponsors to bring all of the details together, and she lights up talking about their work on elevating sponsor collaborations into real VIP and menu moments, including Skip’s playful VIP Experience takeover, which Connie fully embraces. “I was so excited when I heard who was going to sponsor the event,” she says. “I love the idea of making everything orange for Skip. We’ve brought in a refreshing orange mango sorbet and peach gelato, a beautifully branded Aperol Spritz welcome cocktail bar and orange cannolis—orange everywhere including the dance floor and VIP booths. It’s going to be a great time.”

“It’s been great to work with High Liner Foods on this event. We came up with an outstanding and delicious gourmet fish and chip dish, the Mini Fish & Chippy, which may be added permanently to our Happy Hour menu. We tested it with our regulars and it was a big hit!”

Other highlights of the night include:

• Passed bites from POSTA, Skip and High Liner Foodservice
• Grown-Ass Pizza Party, a DJ-fuelled dance floor takeover by No Def Collective, presented by Skip
• POSTA’s Pizza Station featuring Pizza Margherita, Funghi, and Diavola
• An Après Skip-themed photo booth in the outdoor dome
• POSTA’s Pasta Station with their famous flaming parm wheel
•  Fish Sandwich Station from High Liner Foodservice

So, if RC Show is where you find what’s next, Industry Night Out is where you remember why this industry still pulls people together in the first place. It’s a room full of colleagues you rarely get to be with, hosted by an operator who understands both the craft and the pressure of the work—and who’s building POSTA the same way she built her legacy downtown: with food that earns its praise, real hospitality, and a setting that makes the whole night feel like a destination.

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For one night, the industry gets to be on the other side of the room. Don’t miss out.

Industry Night Out

Sunday, March 8 | 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM | POSTA Italbar Cucina
31 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON L5G 4V5
Presented by: Restaurants Canada and POSTA
VIP Experience Presented by: Skip

Tickets: $80.00 + HST – Available in the RC Show registration portal OR direct. 
This is a limited-capacity event. Get your tickets now.

With Support From:
High Liner Foodservice | Visit Mississauga | No Def Collective