The fern bar is undoubtedly part of our cultural past, a time when the differences between men and women, and their tastes, could be scribbled on a cocktail napkin with a line dividing them. But what exactly is a fern bar, and how did it come to be? Fern bar is an American slang term for an upscale or preppy (or yuppie) bar or tavern catering to singles, usually decorated with ferns or other greenery, as well as such decor as fake Tiffany lamps.
Eddie Rickenbackers fern bar in San Francisco with Tiffany lamps and motorcycle tire on ceiling (c. 1980)
Origins: T.G.I. Friday's and Henry Africa's
One of the first fern bars was the original T.G.I. Friday's on the corner of 63rd Street and First Avenue in a neighborhood on the Upper East Side of New York City, where many young single adults lived at the time. The founder, Alan Stillman, borrowed several thousand dollars from his mother, leased a saloon and remodeled it, converting the ambience to one that he thought might be attractive to young single women.
From there, the trend headed to California, to what West Coast partisans would otherwise credit as the first of the fern bars: Henry Africa’s, founded by the kind of guy who renamed himself after his bar, or vice versa. His bar, Henry Africa’s in San Francisco, was considered by most to be the first Fern Bar. Norman Hobday - his name is mentioned in Tony Abou-Ganim’s book as a legendary cocktail figure.
Hobday was an esoteric character. He wore safari suits and was a larger-than-life figure. He had the idea to do this bar, more like your grandmother’s sitting room vs. a dark, dungeon-y space. It’s widely thought that he invented the Lemon Drop. He was something of a crazed character. He invented a chain, went out of business, came back later, started another.
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The Appeal and the Drinks
Fern bars were gathering places for well-dressed "upscale" young men and women, initially during the sexual revolution of the 1970s and later the yuppie era of the 1980s.
Episode 483: Girl...I Want to Take You to a Fern Bar
Martin Cate: The event started as a conversation between me and Jeff Berry, we were talking about this forgotten and despised era in history. We’ll be talking about what made these places popular, what was their appeal, their draw. The cocktails - universally hated now, these ice cream, syrupy drinks. But people were crazy about them.
Typical fern bar interior with Tiffany lamps and greenery.
Decline and Possible Revival
Fern bars were frequently talked of disparagingly as singles bars where individuals would go to hit on men or women for sexual hookups. The saloon, the pub, the sports bar, the speakeasy, Hooters: most of the past couple centuries’ worth of drinking establishments were created with the male customer in mind. Fern bars were the exception.
Will the fern bar ever have its revival? Will we ever see trendy bars created to look like the Regal Beagle, Jack Tripper's swinging hangout in the 1970s sitcom Three's Company? I mean, why not? We've already lived through the speakeasy revival.
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If you’re looking for ferns with your drinks, try the Nightingale, the newish bar on Kearny Street with a bevy of ferns, plus Pink Squirrels and Harvey Wallbangers, though a notable lack of Tiffany-style lamps. They’re doing curbside service most days now.
Its closure, then, marks the end of an era in absentia: the fern bars of the late 1960s and 1970s. Without an aggressive to-go plan/épicerie setup/digital pivot, the Royal Oak, which opened in 1975, has been shuttered during the pandemic. It’s on sale for $8.5 million. For the former Royal Oak, we look forward to new energy, and new ideas, once we’re past all this mishegas, and whatever plant-centric vibes its new owners want to throw at us - just for the privilege of drinking, once more, in each other’s company. (Suggestion: moss.
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