Written by Angela Anderson, Co-Owner
There is always a backstory to everything we do at Syndicate. There have been weekly comments about “wow, I didn’t know you had food,” or “last time I was here we were able to bring our own food,” that I feel the need to give a more detailed back story about the evolution of our brand.
Syndicate Wine Bar opened in July 2019 as a wine bar that also offered small charcuterie plates and shareable appetizers. We took a lot of effort in these early days to work on plating as well as what flavors in food would bring out the best in most, if not all, of the wines available by the glass. Fast forward to March 2020 when COVID-19 hit and every restaurant had to adapt. Indoor seating was no longer allowed and many of us didn’t have patio seating. What did we do to survive? We created a patio with 8-12 individual tables. We provided drink service, then allowed meals to be purchased from our neighboring restaurants. Each wine on the menu had an entree recommendation (or two) from our neighbors. We were full every night. We took on the risk of table service but only made money from drinks. Since our location was small, this was an affordable solution. It worked. Many of our neighbors appreciated the partnership as their businesses also flourished.
This model worked well for all involved as indoor seating increased and decreased over the next 2 years. In the meantime, we underwent a major construction inside which would provide to us a 1500 square foot dining room once completed. We knew this would come at a cost of our outdoor Barrel Room that everyone came to love. That outdoor model was only temporarily approved by the City of Beaverton, TVF&R, and our landlord until a more permanent solution could be found. Construction always takes time, but the Barrel Room became a focal point of the district.
Many nights in 2020-2022 we would see record crowds, sometimes turning 50 or more people away because we ran out of seats. We would have to three front of house servers to maintain the customer service levels people expected. Times were amazing, but as with everything, change happens. Building codes were not overlooked. Temporary allowances expired and construction was finished.
That’s okay, we knew this was coming and had a plan in place. By June of 2022, we had developed a full food menu with the assistance of a larger kitchen footprint in another location. The Beaverton construction was concluding so it was time to move back indoors and roll out our full dining menu. We started with simple charcuterie boards and share plates, and over the next 2 years have grown to homemade soups, brunch, bruschetta, and smoked steelhead or tri-tip Caesar salads. Since 2022, we stopped allowing outside food because our full kitchen was now operational and met all the requirements of Washington County Health Authority. (Not many people know this, but if a restaurant has a commercial kitchen, they cannot allow outside food. It’s too much of a liability.) Again, in June of 2022 we now had a full drink and food menu available to any guest of Syndicate Wine Bar.
In July 2023, we officially closed our Newberg operations but still use that kitchen for a lot of our custom dishes that need more space to prepare than our small kitchen in Beaverton. Our full-time kitchen employee lives in Newberg and spends many prep hours in this space creating and designing what you see today.
Two years later, we still have people saying, “I loved Syndicate more when I could bring in my own food.” Think about that. Do you say that to any other restaurant? With triple the space and triple the rent, we couldn’t afford to be open if we shut down our kitchen and allowed consumers to bring in outside food. It’s not efficient or financially responsible. We need to make sure all aspects of our restaurant are respected and revenue generating, including the restaurant, bottle shop, and retail space.
Food has always been part of our program since 2019. It will always be part of our program. Food and wine are important to pair together, not only out of responsibility to those that drink alcohol but also to the experience.
Thank you again for supporting all aspects of our brand, from our wine to our food. We appreciate you.