By Nathan Duke
Bayside residents looking for a buck or two need look no further after Bell Boulevard’s Johnny Famous bar unleashed the borough’s only mechanical bull at its opening in October.
Tommy Tardie, co−owner of the Bayside bar at 40−05 Bell Blvd., said its bull was surrounded by soft, inflatable padding and that the machine’s operators will not let patrons ride if they are inebriated.
He said the bull has already drawn large crowds of people to the bar following the Oct. 31 grand opening.
“The incentive is for bragging rights,” he said. “People come in and challenge one another. It’s a big attraction and a lot of fun.”
But he said bull riders must first sign a waiver and that pregnant women and intoxicated patrons are not allowed to ride.
“We’re doing customers a favor by not letting them ride drunk,” he said. “We take it very seriously.”
The bull ride costs $5 for men, while all women ride for free. Some riders have been able to stay on the bull for several minutes, but every one of them eventually is tossed onto the cushioned padding surrounding the bull.
“People get anxious to get on,” he said. “So, since we control the bull, when we want someone off, we get them off.”
He said not all of the bar’s patrons necessarily come to ride the bull.
“Some people come and never get on the bull, but they love to watch it,” he said. “It’s like a big plasma television.”
Other customers stop by Johnny Famous to ride the bull on a weekly basis.
On weekend nights, the bar also features a DJ, who spins 1980s dance music, while women dancers dressed as cowboys and Indians dance on the bar, Tardie said. In keeping with the theme, Johnny Famous plays rodeo videos on its television screens.
Tardie said the furry, horned beast draws a diverse blend of borough residents to hold on for dear life.
“We have college students from Queensborough [Community] College, but also couples in their 30s who were recently wed,” he said. “It’s a nice mix of people.”
The city’s only other of its kind can be found at Johnny Utah’s bar in Manhattan, but that raging bull has already inspired a lawsuit from a Manhattan writer who claims he was injured after riding the bronco in May.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
