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Frenchette Team Is Opening a Restaurant Inside A24's West Village Theater
Historic New York City theater Cherry Lane Theatre is getting ready to reopen — now in the hands of film studio A24, behind recent films like the Materialists and Babygirl . The intent, according to news that first circulated in 2023 about the company purchasing the theater, was to turn it into a clubhouse of sorts for events, performances, as well as film screenings.
A cool concession stand would make sense at any new theater, especially one with as savvy a marketing team as the one at A24. This year, A24 released its own line of chocolate bars — the synergy is already there.
Community board filings show that the film studio is taking it a step further, working to open a lobby restaurant and bar. It appears to be in collaboration with Galactus Group LLC, affiliated with Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, two of New York's biggest restaurateurs, known for Frenchette, Le Rock, and most recently, Le Veau D'Or. The latter in particular showcases their commitment to honoring a space's past, where they relaunched one of the oldest French bistros in New York. It wouldn't be the team's first time working in a cultural center, either: they also opened Frenchette Bakery inside the Whitney Museum. A source close to the restaurant confirmed that the project — a new hospitality concept — is underway and looking at a fall opening.
A 2023 liquor authority application for the Cherry Lane Theatre listed the dining room seat count at around 60. The theater, located at 38 Commerce Street, has seemingly never had a restaurant, but the space dates back to 1923. It was once known for its counterculture, off-Broadway plays, and has hosted performances from playwrights to musicians and writers — such as Bob Dylan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sam Shepard, and David Mamet — but it struggled in its later life.
With in-person film attendance dwindling in recent years, others in the industry have made attempts to restore these sacred entertainment spaces. In 2023, Eater LA reported on director Quentin Tarantino's new cafe inside his Vista Theater. That same year, Netflix announced it had purchased the Paris Theater in Midtown. Most recently, HBO's John Wilson is opening Low Cinema in Ridgewood.
Eater has reached out to Hanson and Nasr's team and A24, but did not hear back before publishing. See More: Coming Attractions
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