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The co-owner and primary operator of The Barnyard Hampton Bays, which sits on the property of the former Boardy Barn, is keeping the prominent drinking spot’s spirit alive for a younger crowd.
All while sprucing the place up and adding some new flavors for all ages.
“You walk in here on a Sunday, you’re gonna feel like you’re right back where you were years ago,” said Carl Johanson, pictured above. “We’re keeping all the bones the same, but just modifying it so it’s a little bit better, a little cleaner.”
He and the team have been giving the place a lot of TLC lately: renovating the beer-soaked bartop that had been deteriorating; replacing the barn red-painted fence with pallet walls, and making sure everything’s running smoothly — including the 48 tap lines.
More drink options are also part of the refresh.
“We still carry nine to 10 different beers on can, two main drafts, we have canned wine, we do a lot of barreled beer, throw in a Montauk beer, Twisted Tea, call liquor, rack liquor, margaritas, plus a few others,” he said.
And, it’s no longer just going to be a one-day-a-week destination for college kids, as it had been for decades. On Saturdays, a nightclub scene will evoke the nostalgic Drift Inn nights followed by Boardy Barn-like Sundays. The place will also be open on Friday nights, and select happy hours.
Then there’s the beer garden setting, complete with picnic tables (that are cleared out on Sundays), live local music, TVs, and food trucks from Chubs, among other fun stuff.
The expansive property now accommodates a diverse range of visitors, kids, families, dogs, and older community members with both indoor and outdoor bars and seating areas, and backyard games.
“We want to get everybody to hang out,” Johanson said during the first Friday happy hour at The Barnyard on June 23. “Generational is always the way you want to go. There are people that probably walked through the doors today that came here 20 to 30 years ago. And now they get to come back and have a beer and recapture the old fun stuff, but you don’t have to be here until 2, 3 in the morning to do so.”
“We want to show people it’s not just the kids we’re concerned about,” he continued. “We want to be part of the community. But we’re fortunate that the place has an amazing track record for showing young people a good time too. We’re gonna carry on that tradition of Sunday.”
So have your wild outfit and barnyard shoes at the ready.
“Something worn that you don’t mind smelling like beer when you go home,” he said with a laugh.
The background
It’s been surreal for the 35-year-old Westhampton native.
Like so many generations of Long Islanders, he spent just about every summer Sunday afternoon from 21 to 25 at the iconic summertime party venue on Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays.
“I’d wake up and be like, ‘Alright, let’s go to the Barn,’” Johanson recalled.
Since 1970, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, patrons packed themselves under its signature red-and-white tent to crush cheap draft beers, get splashed with drinks, dance the sun away, eat hotdogs, and be covered in smiley-face stickers.
But the mainstay poured its last light beer in the summer of 2021, one of its two beloved owners — Tony Galgano — passed away that fall, and the site was sold in May of 2022.
The surviving co-owner, Mickey Shields, who retained the Boardy Barn trademark and brand name, handed everything else to a property group.
At the top of the group’s list of potential owners and operators to takeover the spot was Bays Beer Garden, LLC, a collective of people behind John Scott’s Surf Shack in Westhampton Beach, and The Sayville Inn, a longstanding family restaurant on the South Shore.
Johanson, who worked at John Scott’s for years and is an active co-partner at The Sayville Inn, quickly became the main face of his old stomping grounds’ resurrection.
“Going from hanging out here all the time to owning and operating it is definitely daunting but in an exciting way,” said Johanson. “We’re hopefully gonna be here for a while and show people what we can do.
“You want to take a risk in a good way and this was one of the best risks to take, because it has such an iconic history with two great guys who showed support for the community and did everything they could to help.”
Making sure to honor what was established by the previous owners, old photos from throughout the Barn’s history will line the baseboard of the bar and many of the same bouncers and bartenders are still employed there. New stickers are also underway.
“I want to see this place succeed and grow, but also help everybody out,” Johanson said.
The Barnyard, which opened for St. Patrick’s Day this year and had its first Sunday Fun-Day on May 21, has already been involved in two fundraisers and will be taking part in future charity efforts, including holiday toy and food drives, the owners said.
While the current focus is Friday happy hour and the weekend, Johanson projects a full-week schedule by late August heading into September, with plans “to go as deep into the football season as possible.”
In the early evening on Friday, locals of all ages crowded up The Barnyard, enjoying conversation, cold drinks, and a live acoustic set. Picnic tables were set up under the tent, golf was on two TVs, there was the stand for $2 hotdogs, and kids climbed the old cow statue in the game area.
Noting a wooden plank where a leg should’ve been on the cow, someone said:
“She probably came here on too many Sundays!”
If you go
First, follow on Instagram for the latest updates. The Barnyard Hampton Bays is located at 270 W. Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays. Typically the doors open at 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturday nights, and the traditional Sunday Fun-Day parties run from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., however special events and holidays might see different hours and promotions. Select happy hour events run in the afternoons.
