After nearly six years of hosting late-night drink-ups and the jam-packed Halloweekends, one of the local bars Barnyard BBQ recently announced they are permanently closing on Feb. 28. This closure comes after months of negotiations with landlords over increasing rent prices, according to Barnyard owner Simon Kajtazi.
Barnyard, which is located on Fordham Road next to Arthur Avenue, is one of the major primary attractions for the Fordham University night life. Many students have expressed formative undergraduate experiences and memories attached to the bar. However, Kajtazi said the rent is simply too high for him to keep up with, forcing him to permanently close the doors to his establishment.
“Barnyard is closing down because our lease is going up and the rent is going up,” Kajtazi said. “The rent is going up; that is the whole case. The lease couldn’t be negotiated, so we just decided to end it.”
When Kajtazi had made this announcement on the Barnyard official Instagram page, many Fordham students were left wondering whether the closure would actually take place. Kajtazi had previously announced its closure in 2024, only to retract it and remain open for another two years. However, Kajtazi confirmed that he is closing his bar for good this time. He remarked that when he almost closed Barnyard two years ago, Fordham students were the ones who saved his business after he struggled with financial issues and a lack of customers at his bar.
“I made an announcement a couple of years ago, but thank God Fordham came through by supporting us,” he said. “And now, the lease is going up too much, and the rent is getting too high.”
Notably, Barnyard is not the first bar outside of Fordham’s gates shutting down for good within the last couple of years. At the end of the 2024-25 academic school year, Mugz, a popular cornerstone of Fordham’s nightlife scene, had closed permanently after over 20 years in business, largely due to increase in rent prices. Additionally, another Arthur Avenue nightlife staple Last Call closed last school year, though it temporarily reopened as “The Fish Bar” before closing again.
Kajtazii noted that he thinks his closure will considerably limit nearby locations where Fordham students can gather to enjoy a bar scene.
“Everybody knows that Barnyard is one of the best places — this is not me saying that, it’s from students saying it,” he said. “Once we close down, eventually, I don’t know where most of everybody is going to go … but I bet they are going to miss Barnyard.”
He added that the closure could impact the overall cost of going out for Fordham students, which he had drew from the complaints he had already heard from various students about the expenses of Fordham nightlife.
Regarding his plans after closing his bar, Kajtazi said there are many ambiguities, but that he has many ideas.
“Who knows? I’ve got a whole bunch of stuff on my mind,” he said. “I have a restaurant already on Williamsbridge Road … but you never know what the future holds. I like doing surprises.”
Fordham students reflected on Barnyard’s closure, citing the changes in the bar scene that they have seen during their time at Fordham. Grace McCarron, FCRH ’27, said she has noticed a profound shift in the bar scene in her two years at Fordham.
“I just think it’s exciting how the going out scene at Fordham has been evolving over the years because we lost Mugz last year and now apparently Barnyard is going too,” McCarron said. “There’s kind of just Clinton Hall and Howl now … but it’s just interesting to me how these neighborhood spots are disappearing … It’s kind of sad,” she continued.
Bella Marino, FCRH ’26, cited the bars that she has seen close throughout her time at Fordham and said that she is sad to learn about the bar’s closure.
“I think that the campus bars like Barnyard and also Mugz are a significant part of the culture that is attached to the university, and through my four years here, I’ve seen now at Last Call, Barnyard and Mugz,” she said. “Honestly, I feel grateful to be a part of the plethora of people that are experiencing it during their college time here, but I also feel sad.”
Kajtazi noted that he will miss the Fordham community when he closes his bar this weekend.
“We’re just going to miss everybody,” he said. “We hope everybody has fun.”
