Local businesses come together with BP to form coalition

Borough President Eric Adams was joined by local entrepreneurs on Thursday, May 28 at Borough Hall to launch the Brooklyn Nightlife and Restaurant Coalition – a group whose mission is to improve relations between industry stakeholders, community members and city agencies.

Chaired by Adams and Dave Rosen, owner and operator of The Woods – a bar and restaurant in Williamsburg, the coalition grew out of the expanding hospitality circuit in Brooklyn – a sector that, according to Adams’ office, saw the fastest rate of job growth in the borough between 2008 and 2012, 85 percent of which came from restaurants and bars.

“Brooklyn is an after-hours destination, attracting foodies and fun-lovers alike, and we must ensure our small businesses gain prosperity from the popularity of our brand,” said Adams. “Our hospitality industry is growing, but growing comes with growing pains. The Brooklyn Nightlife and Restaurant Coalition is a proactive approach to getting our business community better organized to share best practices, improve neighborhood ties and work effectively with relevant stakeholders.”

According to the borough president’s office, businesses that have agreed to join the coalition include Bobby Redd Projects, an event production space in Bushwick; Brooklyn Brewery, a brewery in Williamsburg; Momofuku Milk Bar, a bakery in Williamsburg; Noble Experiment, a distillery in Bushwick; Output, a nightclub in Williamsburg; PopGun Presents, a live music venue in Bushwick; Project Parlor, a bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant; Roberta’s, a pizzeria in Bushwick; Van Brunt Stillhouse, a distillery in Red Hook; and The Woods.

“We are sincerely honored by the opportunity to work with the borough president to further our efforts to organize the nightlife and restaurant industry in Brooklyn,” said Rosen. “We are confident that we can build a model of community cooperation that can serve as a foundation for industry into the future.”

“As our business has grown, we have become increasingly aware of the importance [of] community engagement,” added Vanessa Rimando of Roberta’s. “We are committed to helping the Coalition expand throughout Brooklyn.”

The leadership of the Coalition will include Crown Architecture and Consulting, an architecture and design firm; Elke Hoffman Law, a law firm specializing in the hospitality industry; and Helbraun, Levey and O’Donoghue, a law firm specializing in the hospitality industry.