High energy, local flavor (and a grandpa you may recognize!)
Pull up a chair: We sit down with News10’s new ‘Be Our Guest’ host Billy Floyd, whose first Holiday Feast Week is airing now on News10.
Capital Region foodies love their “Be Our Guest” restaurant deals that air Thursdays at 9 a.m. on News10. The program’s newest convert? Me! And it has a lot to do with the segment’s new host, Billy Floyd, whom I met via text on a recent rainy Sunday when I was preparing Saratoga culinary stars Zac Denham and Clark Gale for their turn on Floyd’s show.
Me: Giant slug mode. Billy: “Always have to bring the energy! I appreciate you!”
I was mesmerized.
An excellent writer who pens impressive TV copy in minutes, Floyd also has an innate knack for seamless TV — not always a simple task when the interviewees are small business owners who might have no experience on camera.
“The owners, managers and chefs work incredibly hard every day to make a positive difference in the community,” he says. “Being able to highlight what they’re doing means a lot to me.”
Q: When did you start hosting “Be Our Guest,” which lets customers buy gift cards to the restaurants on your show at 50 percent off?
A: The segment started in 2023 and was originally hosted by the incredible Samantha DiMascio. She left television this past September, which opened the door for me to take it over. She is a first-class reporter, host and personality, and she went above and beyond to help me prepare before she moved on. I was really grateful for her guidance, and the entire experience has been a blast.
Q: Are you from the Capital Region? What did you do before this?
A: I grew up in Guilderland. Right after graduating from Marist College, I moved to Casper, Wyoming, where I became the morning news anchor and host for Good Morning Wyoming. I produced and anchored both the morning and noon shows, and the mornings were filled with positive, community-based storytelling that felt very similar to what I get to do now on “Be Our Guest.”
From October 2020 to March 2021, I worked strictly in hard news, which is important, but not where my passion was. So I moved back home to Guilderland.
Back home in the Capital Region, I became the arena and stadium host for the Adirondack Thunder, Glens Falls Dragons, and Union men’s and women’s hockey. I also visit schools across the Capital Region to give positive presentations, which is still some of my favorite work.
Q: I was blown away by your ability to pump people up before the segment. How did you become such a leader in that way?
A: I was blessed with incredible role models. My grandfather, Ernie Anastos, is one of the most iconic personalities and storytellers in the history of television news. When I’d visit him as a kid, we’d walk through the mall, around the city, anywhere, and people would flock to him nonstop. No matter who they were, he treated every person like they were the most important one in the room. He showed me exactly how to treat people.
Nothing is more important than giving people that spark that helps them be their best. He also taught me that pressure is a privilege, having people rely on you is an honor, and being the person who shows up every time is an honor. If you live with that mindset, you can influence the world more than you realize.
To snap up some of these “Be Our Guest” Holiday Feast Week deals, visit news10.com.