Bar B Barn

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Bar B Barn owner, Tom McQueen, announced at the beginning of March that he had decided to close the West Island’s iconic restaurant after 44 years in business in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. After a week-long non stop line up, following the announcement, McQueen was forced to close earlier than planned as the restaurant ran out of ribs.

McQueen said that as an Irishman, he chose St. Patrick’s Day as the restaurant’s last day of operation to go out with a “bang”. Reservations filled up almost every table and time slot leading to St-Patrick’s day, but with pick up orders still available for one “last supper” just a few weeks before the Easter holidays, the restaurant’s inventory was cleaned out a week early.

Not all visitors could even make their full pilgrimage down the line up’s memory lane into the Barn as sentimental clients wanting a last visit were sent home each evening because not all could be served by closing hour.

Bar B Barn was founded by Manny Barnoff in 1967. The downtown location closed in 2020 after 53 years in business due to the financial effects of COVID-19 restrictions.

The West Island location had at least five employees who have been employed at the restaurant for 20 years or more. The family friendly atmosphere was always a hit in the West Island.

The iconic yellow barn sits on an ideal commercial corner lot, owned by the McQueen family on Sources Boulevard facing the Sources mega center. McQueen told said that he is not sure what the future of the lot and Barn holds. For the time being, it will remain a memorial edifice for multi-generational passersby. n