The Vintage Syndicate hospitality group has something unique to offer Philadelphia beyond the stylized interiors and extensive drinks menus at each of its six concepts: a cooperative ownership model. Although different than a traditional franchising model, The Vintage Syndicate is exactly what its name suggests: a syndicate of individually owned bars and restaurants operating under the same hospitality group umbrella, headed by the company’s general partner, Jason Evenchik.
To break that down further: Both locations of Garage (Vintage Syndicate’s industrial auto body-themed sports bar with Skee-Ball machines) and Bar (the group’s no-frills bar that specializes in canned beers) are all owned by Salvatore D’Amato, Terrance Leach, and Josh McCullough. Time (a restaurant, whiskey bar, and live music venue) and Vintage wine bar and bistro (a wine bar with an extensive global wine list and a food menu of French small plates) are both owned by Evenchik.
The Goat Rittenhouse is a small neighborhood bar that offers small plates and sandwiches and a tightly curated wine, beer, and cocktails menu, owned by Evenchik, Fergus Carey, Patrick Iselin, and Jim McNamara. The last venue, Starbolt, is Vintage Syndicate’s newest establishment that opened last year, with a menu of American tapas and larger plates like burgers and steaks, and is owned by Evenchik, Iselin, and Craig Macbain.
“It’s definitely not franchising, but it’s a nice little family tree that we have going on,” said Christine Castro, Vintage Syndicate’s director of operations. “Operationally, it works the same [as any other restaurant group]. Each site has a GM; I oversee all of them. Some sites have kitchens and some are just bars. … Headquarters are what we call our owners, and then we have the two directors of operations. The owners run all of their own sites and then if a partner needs me for anything, or a GM, then they can just reach out.”
The Vintage Syndicate was founded in 2006 and has gradually added more concepts every couple of years to the company’s portfolio of concepts, with each business starting from the ground up. Every time a restaurant or bar was brought into the Vintage Syndicate family, Castro said that “we would make it our own” by changing the layouts, menus, etc. The entire syndicate is Philadelphia-owned and operated, with the individual owners adding some unique local flair to each venue, depending on the neighborhood. For example, The Goat in Rittenhouse has a different wine menu than Time in Center City, because the latter does not sell that much wine to its clientele.
Castro said the group has the luxury of waiting for potential new properties to come to them. If they hear about a bar closing, for example, they can scope it out to see if the space could be a good fit for a future Vintage Syndicate project.
While each Vintage Syndicate venue is unique and caters to a specific demographic need or taste (Time specializes in classic whiskey cocktails, and Vintage has an eclectic wine selection, for example), they all have a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere in common. Each concept is also community-oriented, especially Starbolt; Vintage Syndicate’s newest venue that opened last year and moonlights as a wedding venue airs Philly sports games on the venue’s big projector during football and baseball seasons, and even hosts a weekly outdoor neighborhood barbecue called “Starbecue.” The Vintage Syndicate is also closely involved with Philly’s music scene, particularly since Time operates as a music venue.
“I don’t think that there’s really anybody else that does it the way we do,” Castro said. “We definitely don’t want to be corporate, we want to keep going on the level we’re at right now. … We really want people to come in to our venues and feel comfortable. There’s nothing that’s too expensive, there’s nothing that’s unattainable. Each site has a little bit of something for that particular part of the city, and we try to cater to each demographic.”
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