Jody’s Club Forest Celebrates 50 Years of Food, Family and Community
For 50 years, Jody’s Club Forest has been a staple of Forest Avenue. It is a tribute to its founder, a gathering place for generations of Staten Islanders, and a business deeply connected to West Brighton.
The story begins with Jody Haggerty, a young schoolteacher who taught fifth grade at Blessed Sacrament School. His real passion, however, was the bar business, which he had worked in from a young age.
At just 27, Jody decided it was time to make that dream a reality. An opportunity emerged when local businessman Jumbo Smith decided to sell Jumbo’s Club Forest. The transition came with one simple suggestion: change the name from Jumbo’s to Jody’s.
“My dad always said he wanted to ‘own his own joint’,” said his son, Terence Haggerty, who now owns and operates the restaurant. “At 27 years old, he decided it was time.” With significant support from his wife and her family, including her father, an Irish immigrant who became a successful bar owner in Manhattan, Jody took the leap. On June 1, 1976, Jody’s Club Forest was born.
The original Jody’s was strictly a bar, with no kitchen and no food menu. Even so, it quickly became one of Forest Avenue’s busiest gathering places, requiring several bartenders on an ordinary Wednesday night. The area was already known for its nightlife and had even earned the nickname “Peter Pan Alley,” a reference to patrons who grew older but never seemed to grow up.
Jody’s stood out in a crowded field. The business faced an existential challenge in 1985 when a major fire destroyed the original structure, but it was quickly rebuilt, creating the building that remains part of the restaurant today.
Food arrived gradually in the late 1980s, beginning with lunch and sandwiches. Around 1990, Jody’s brother, Farrell, expanded the kitchen to include dinner. Today, Jody’s is known as much for its food as its bar, with favorites including its burgers and cheesesteaks.
“It’s amazing how far we’ve come,” Haggerty said. “We started as a neighborhood bar, and now we have a full menu, a larger dining room and space for all kinds of celebrations.”
One of the biggest transformations came when the family acquired the neighboring dry-cleaning property in 2014 and completed an expansion the following year. Before then, customers regularly waited as long as two hours for a table. The additional space allowed Jody’s to host birthday parties, communions, repasses, sports teams and other family gatherings.
Preserving the character of the original establishment was central to the project. “The biggest thing during the expansion was making sure we didn’t lose the original Jody’s,” Haggerty said. “You can look toward the bar and still feel like you’re in the same place. Then you turn around and see how much it’s grown.”
Growing up just around the corner, Terence was told from childhood that he would someday take over. “From the time I was a kid, it was ingrained in my head that I’d take over.”
He attended St. John’s University, despite wanting to leave school and work at the restaurant full time. His mother insisted he finish his degree, a decision he remains grateful for. After the deaths of both parents, carrying on the business took on even greater meaning. “Carrying this on means the absolute world to me,” Haggerty said. “I always tell people that I’m just here keeping an eye on the place for my parents. This business meant the world to them, and they made it mean the world to me.”
That responsibility extends beyond the restaurant. Jody’s has long been a place where neighbors celebrate milestones and reconnect with old friends. Customers regularly share stories about meeting their spouses there. Others first visited with friends at the bar and now return with their own children for dinner. “This business is about building friendships and being part of the community,” said Terence.
During the annual Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Jody’s occupies a particularly special place. Located near the starting point, it is the first bar and restaurant marchers pass along the route. For West Brighton residents, parade day is woven into the neighborhood’s identity through traditions, reunions and celebrations spanning generations. Jody’s has also been home to traditions of its own, including the well-remembered March Madness pool. Although it ended roughly 20 years ago, customers still return to share stories about the role Jody played in creating a tradition that became part of West Brighton history.
After five decades, the future remains rooted in the same principles that helped Jody’s endure: serve a great product, show people that you care and remain part of the community. “We made it to 50 years,” Haggerty said. “Now we’ll keep taking it one year at a time.”
Jody passed away just a few months before the restaurant’s 40th anniversary, a milestone he had been eager to reach. Yet his presence remains unmistakable. “Every time the phone rings, we say his name,” Haggerty reflected. “Every night, the sign lights up with his name on it. In that way, he’s still here.” After 50 years, Jody’s is still there.