The new owners of the legendary Boardy Barn property in Hampton Bays are reopening the space, and possibly bringing back another experience, Saturday nights at the Drift Inn, but all under a new name and with new owners.
The Drift Inn has long been a popular Saturday night summer destination that has had various homes over the years and The Boardy Barn was the place for daytime revelry in the Hamptons on Sundays under the big red and white tent outside of a barn-like structure on West Montauk Highway.
A post on Bar Stools Sports’ Instagram page announced the return of both hotspots, slated for Sunday, May 21, under the name Barnyard Beer Garden, though there is some discrepancy about the exact name, which on permit applications is called Bays Beer Garden.
Ryan Murphy, the Southampton Town Code Compliance & Emergency Management Administrator, confirmed that on Monday the town issued the property owners a public assembly permit, good from April to October 2023, running concurrently with their new seasonal liquor license.
“The public assembly permit gives them the ability to operate as a bar/restaurant with DJ music,” Murphy explained.
The Boardy Barn property was sold for $4 million in May of 2022 to Vozi Realty LLC. The Boardy Barn had been closed since the pandemic and one of the owners, Tony Galgano, died in 2021.
A post on the Boardy Barn’s Instagram page clarified that the founders retained the trademark and brand, despite the sale. “The new owners of the land leased the property to an operator, who will use a new name,” it continues. “The Boardy Barn isn’t affiliated with the new operator, though we wish them the best.”
The original Drift Inn on Dune Road was destroyed in 2002. Later, it took over Saturday nights at Neptune Beach Club, also on Dune Road, before Southampton Town made it a public facility in 2013. The Drift Inn then found a home at The Beach Bar on Foster Avenue in Hampton Bays.
“In the case of Bays Beer Garden, they will be selling alcohol, so one of the components of the paperwork needed to get the PA permit was the liquor license,” he said.
The liquor license was issued March 15 to Shawn Casey and John Lugano, according to information available through the New York State Liquor Authority.
Public assembly permits allow the business to operate for assembly in a space, specifically as a bar/restaurant with DJ music, Murphy said. In the State of New York, any structure having more than 50 occupants must receive a public assembly permit from the local authority having jurisdiction, he explained.
They also received a temporary public assembly permit that timed with their temporary liquor license on the day of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Hampton Bays last month.
“They had a temporary liquor license for the one day after the parade and now they have presented a seasonal license to get a seasonal PA permit from us,” Murphy said. “There are also inspections associated with getting a PA permit and education of staff along with some other requirements. The idea of the PA permit is really safety oriented that when you have an occupant load of 50 or more, the appropriate exits, safety equipment and staff knowledge of how to safely move people away from a hazard exists for the facility.”
The permit does not narrow down the days the business can operate, so it remains to be seen if the bar will be open more than just Saturday nights and Sundays.
“Just because the previous business model of the Boardy Barn was really just Sundays, the new owners/operators at that site may elect to pursue a different business model. I cannot speak to what their plans are,” Murphy explained.
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