Fern bar

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 "fussy" plants, as well as such decor as fake Tiffany lamps. The phrase came into common use in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

History

Bartenders at Eddie Rickenbackers, one of the last of the fern bars. Note Tiffany lamps and tire of motorcycle hanging from ceiling

An early establishment that many consider the world's first fern bar,^[1] not to mention the birthplace of the lemon drop martini, was Henry Africa's in San Francisco, California.^[2][3] The bar was started in 1970 at Broadway and Van Ness Streets by out-of-work veteran Norman Hobday, who by his own account "took the opium-den atmosphere out of the saloons" in favor of "antique lamps and Grandma's living-room furniture." By some accounts Hobday copied the concept from another restaurant, Perry's,^[4] which opened several months earlier and was made famous as a singles "meet market" by Armistead Maupin's novel, Tales of the City.^[5]

Hobday closed the establishment in 1986,^[6] and opened up another eclectic fern bar the next year, Eddie Rickenbacker's, where he displays dozens of vintage motorcycles, a half-million dollar collection of Tiffany lamps, old model trains, and antique guns, and where, until his death on February 25, 2011, he spent his days napping in front of a television with his cat on a recliner chair.^[2][7]

Description

Typical drinks served included wine spritzers, Lemon drop martinis, frozen daiquirís, Harvey Wallbangers, and piña coladas. Franchises sometimes labeled "fern bars" include T.G.I. Friday's,^[8] Bennigan's, and Houlihan's.

Fern bars were a gathering place for well-dressed "upscale" young men and women, initially during the sexual revolution of the 1970s and later the yuppie era of the 1980s. Frequenters were pejoratively felt to be more interested in seeing each other and being seen than in simply drinking and talking, as might be expected in a more typical dive bar.

References

1. ^ "California restaurants: a rich history of innovation and excitement.". Los Angeles Business Journal. 2004-11-01. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3460406/California-restaurants-a-rich-history.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Bart Madson (2007-02-08). "Forty Cycles of Yesteryear". Moto USA. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/321/1451/Motorcycle-Article/Forty-Cycles-of-Yesteryear.aspx. 
3. ^ Karola Saekel (2005-09-07). "Culinary Pioneers:From Acme bread to Zuni Cafe, the Bay Area has shaped how America eats". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/07/FDGPVEF5U11.DTL. 
4. ^ Michael Bauer (2009-02-22). "Perry's classic vibe now on the Embarcadero". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/22/FD5K15Q65K.DTL&type=food. 
5. ^ Adair Lara (2004-08-08). "What's your sign, baby? / 35 years later, Perry's is still a hot spot for the city's swingin' fern bar crowd". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/08/LVGF781KII1.DTL&hw=adair+lara&sn=019&sc=467. 
6. ^ "'Original' Fern Bar Closes in San Francisco". Washington Post. 1986-08-24. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/126637852.html?dids=126637852:126637852&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=AUG+24%2C+1986&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=%27Original%27+Fern+Bar+Closes+in+San+Francisco&pqatl=google. 
7. ^ Ephraim Schwartz (2002-08-01). "Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker's: a conversation with a Saloon Keeper.". Rider. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-2102297_ITM. 
8. ^ Chen, Susannah (November 29, 2010). "Is the Fern Bar Poised For a Comeback?". yumsugar. http://www.yumsugar.com/Cocktail-Historian-Martin-Cate-Explores-Fern-Bar-1970s-12311384.