Monti's Barbershop in Yaphank offering booze, other perks that raise the bar for customers

Patrons of Monti’s Barbershop in Yaphank for the most part know what to expect when they step inside the salon nestled in a small shopping strip off William Floyd Parkway.

Barbershop fixtures, from a barber’s pole spinning in the corner to mirrored stations and chairs lining the blue-gray paneled wall and sounds of buzzing clippers, serve as a backdrop at the shop where co-owners Anthony Montañez and Justin Raft give their all-male patrons a range of cuts.

Decorated with plush leather couches, chandeliers and seven large TVs tuned to different sports channel, the shop, evocative of a cigar lounge, is more than just a place to get coiffed. It’s also where patrons 21 and older can grab a complimentary drink from behind the white countertop “barberbar” stocked with beers, alcoholic seltzers and hard iced teas.

Montañez and Raft, who opened their Yaphank shop in May 2024, have applied for a license to sell liquor on its premises, they said. While their license is pending, according to State Liquor Authority records, Monti's offers complimentary drinks to patrons, a perk typically not available at other barbershops on Long Island.

“We wanted to have a bar where customers could grab a drink while they wait for their haircut,” Montañez said. “And because we have seven TVs around the shop with different sports playing, it makes it a little more welcoming.”

Businesses like Monti’s, which also offers a golf simulator where patrons can practice their swing, help “create a sense of value for customers,” said Stacey Finkelstein, a marketing professor at Stony Brook University’s College of Business.

Extras, which can range from a pool table to neck massage at some nail salons to a glass of wine or Champagne at some spas may be complimentary or at-cost, may not be a major driver of sales but can encourage consumers to revisit businesses more frequently, Finkelstein said.

At Monti’s, she said, “For the price of a haircut it becomes an experience.”

‘You’ve got the atmosphere’

Tyler Gomes, 31 of East Moriches, is a regular at Monti’s since Monti’s opened in Moriches in 2017. That store does not serve alcohol. He now frequents the store's second location in Yaphank.

As he sauntered into the Yaphank shop recently around noon for a modern mullet cut, he passed on a drink but said he appreciated the bar.

“It’s about the experience," Gomes said. "I’m not a drink at home kind of guy, so it’s nice to get out and watch the game out here and have a drink.”

At Monti’s, costs range from $35 for a regular cut to $95 for a “royal treatment” cut, which includes a hot towel shave and facial.

Raft said while prices might be higher at his shop, the quality of service and the environment is what customers are paying for.

“We have a little bit of a premium price but it’s for a reason. You come here and you’ve got the atmosphere,” Raft said. “Barbering is 50% the haircut and then 50% the conversation and the experience.”

“We wanted it to be classy, very elegant, very masculine and make it like a gentlemen’s lounge,” Montañez said. 

State rules, regulations

Barbers in New York, like all businesses, can apply for a liquor license from the state Liquor Authority and must comply with rules like refusing service to those under 21. 

The state allows complimentary drinks in establishments with a max capacity of under 20 occupants.

New York and California are among states that allow businesses to offer complimentary drinks without a license, although in New York maximum occupancy restrictions apply.

On-premise sale and consumption licenses in New York range from $960 to $4,352 depending on factors like location, type of business and length of the license, according to SLA pricing information.

Because the SLA does not list barbershops or salons as a separate category, data on the number of shops offering drinks is not available.

Total revenue for the barbershop service industry — a distinct subset of the overall male grooming industry — hit an estimated $5.8 billion in 2024, according to data from IBISWorld, a global business and market research firm. 

Maura Scali-Sheahan, CEO of the National Association of Barber Boards of America, a trade group that works with state barber licensing boards to promote professional standards, said she has heard of barbers offering alcohol but is not sure how widespread the practice is.

"Whether it's a real trend or not is debatable,” Scali-Sheahan said in an email. “It's popped up sporadically over the past decade."

But Scali-Sheahan said there are concerns about having alcohol in the mix.

“It depends on how it's handled and presented,” she said. “It may draw in certain customers, but as an organization, the Boards we serve are concerned with protecting the health and safety of the public as it relates to the practice of barbering."

Scali-Sheahan said it’s important that shops that want to sell or offer alcohol on-site ensure they follow both state liquor sales regulations as well as the professional standards and requirements of their state’s barber board.

Hole in one

In addition to the bar, Monti's features a golf simulator in the back that lets customers — or Montañez and Raft when the mood strikes — work on their swing before or after a trim. The duo rents out the simulator at $40 an hour. During the winter when normal golf courses are closed, the duo hosts a golf league with customers.

But Montañez’s passion for professional golf goes beyond simple fandom, he said.

Since 2018, Montañez has been asked to give trims to pro golfers, caddies and coaches through the PGA Tour at events like the U.S. Open and the USGA's Senior Open Championship.

“I’ve always loved golf and the fact that I was able to work with professional golfers and combine two of my passions,” has been a dream, Montañez said.

Between Monti’s sports focus, the decor and the on-site booze, Raft said their shop offers more than a fresh look.

“Why not get your haircut, get a drink, relax and unwind," Raft said. "What goes better with unwinding than a drink?”