Syndicated, the Bushwick venue known for its great food, drinks and film screenings, is showing movies again. Films will be screened outside and projected on the business’s exterior wall, for the time being.
Those interested in catching an outdoor movie at Syndicated, located on the corner of Bogart and Thames streets, can do so for free. Movies will be shown every evening at 8 p.m., right after the sun goes down. Seats, however, come on a first-come, first-served basis.
“It has become pretty clear that we are not going to be able to use our indoor space any time soon,” Tim Chung, owner of Syndicated, told the Bushwick Daily. “Why not give people the next best thing and try to do it outside?”
Syndicated has been offering outdoor dining since late June, when NYC restaurants were given the green light to seat customers again. But, Syndicated’s customers haven’t been able to watch a movie at the venue since it had to close its doors at the start of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Syndicated hinted at outdoor movie showings by posting a photo of an employee painting a white screen on the building’s exterior brick wall with the caption, “coming soon to a sidewalk near you…”
The next day, Syndicated posted another photo revealing its movie schedule for the first week and highlighting some “house rules.” Among its rules, Syndicated asks that all guests adhere to social distancing guidelines.
While enjoying a movie, guests are expected to order something to eat and drink. Syndicated offers an enticing menu, featuring items like the nacho fries, cheesesteak sandwich and the brand new Pink Flamingo cocktail, made with Mezcal, fresh watermelon juice, ginger syrup and lemon.
“We are trying to be a community-friendly place,” Chung told the Bushwick Daily. “We aren’t enforcing any kind of strict table minimums or anything like that. We just want to get people back to see movies, honestly.”
All across Brooklyn, small businesses are struggling. Despite NYC entering phase four of reopening, 53% of Brooklyn businesses said they see themselves struggling to stay open over the next three months, according to a recent survey conducted by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
For Syndicated and its loyal patrons, the ability to screen and enjoy movies again represents a return to at least some sort of normalcy.
“It feels amazing,” Chung told the Bushwick Daily. “As a lover of going to the movies myself, I miss the movies. So, we can’t go to movies, but let’s try to watch some movies outside. It feels great. I’m really excited to have people, safely socially-distanced, watching movies again.”
To stay up-to-date on movie screenings, Chung recommends that customers check Syndicated’s Instagram page, which the business is updating daily.
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