Things change quickly these days. New companies spring up overnight and can disappear just as quickly. Products and services that were revolutionary two years ago are quickly made obsolete if they don’t adapt. Customer and staff loyalty is a misty-eyed memory. We’re running on marbles.

But here’s the thing – the more things change, the more we gravitate towards authenticity, integrity, the favourite and the familiar.

Thankfully there are still a few things you can set your watch to (or maybe smart watch now) - your friends, your neighbourhood and your local Joylab establishments.

We’ve got over 20 of them, all standalone one-of-a-kind restaurants, bars and gastropubs that ‘welcome home’ their customers every day; and have been for the past 10 years.

We used to be called ‘Barworks’ - a collection of top-notch Auckland bars that quickly became local favourites. Over the years, we realized we weren’t in the business of running good bars - we were in the business of bringing people together for joy. We perfected the concoction of one part familiar, one part fresh - and to reflect who we are to the world more accurately; we renamed to ‘Joylab’.

For our Director and founding partner, John Hellebrekers, this was a natural progression for the business after a decade of being deeply embedded in Auckland’s communities. He learned from a very young age that the secret to hospitality was simple: a pure desire to make people happy. Since then, John has been recognized by Restaurant Association New Zealand in the Hall of Fame, and is a member of the national board for Hospitality New Zealand.

We remained focused on staying humble, working hard and looking after our own people so they can look after the friends and neighbours that cross our paths every day.

###“We wanted to challenge ourselves with a fresh approach to hospitality, and the time felt right to focus our attention on what we do best – bringing people together and rewarding them for connecting at over 20 neighbourhood locals”. - John Hellebrekers

Although there’s a new name, we’re still the same owners, business leaders and people that have been serving up the best of Auckland for the last 10 years - but now we can act as one unified beacon - a beacon for joy that you can feel confident in recommending to your mates, neighbours, family and colleagues.

We’re also unified by something new - the Joylab Rewards Club. You can now be rewarded for getting together for joy at all of our 20+ establishments across Auckland with one single account. For every $10 you spend, you’ll get $1 Joylab Reward Dollars back to redeem anywhere across our network. You’ll also get personalized offers, news and gig invites based on your favourite locations. You can learn more about our Rewards Club at https://joylab.co.nz/rewards

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and all of those who have stuck with us over the years, and raise a glass to a joyful future together.

Joylab. Joy is just around the corner.