9 minute read
Joy Bar Turkish-themed bar shakes things up in Eastbourne.
TURKISH DELIGHT
Valuable outside space and Instagram-worthy cocktails are helping the Turkish-themed Joy Bar shake things up in Eastbourne.
THE LOWDOWN
JOY BAR
Outlet Joy Bar, Eastbourne Format Cocktail and shisha bar Established 2020 Caterer Omur Yoldas Staff 14 Opening hours: 12 noon-2am Time as a caterer: 20 years
The value of outdoor eating and entertainment spaces to catering establishments has soared in recent years given both the ups and downs of Covid-19 restrictions and some fantastic summer weather. One venue that has certainly reaped the benefits of its large and beautifully appointed outdoor seating area is Eastbourne’s aptly-named Joy Bar.
Owned by Turkish-born caterer Omur Yoldas and managed with the help of manager Ellie Shephard, the bar and its Turkish-inspired garden is helping to spread joy and conviviality across the seaside town.
Omur had been looking for “the right site” in which to open his first bar for several years while he was working as duty manager at Wetherspoons Cornfield Garage in Eastbourne. Then, in late 2018 he finally found a site that was the perfect place to turn his dream into reality.
“I had a very specific set of boxes that I knew the site needed to tick,” Omur says. “It needed to have a garden, it needed a prime town centre location and it needed a late-night licence until 2am.
“However, getting a site like that really was like finding a needle in a haystack so I almost couldn’t believe my luck when I came across this site, which at the time was called Bolton’s Bar.”
The site is in the heart of the town, right by the shopping centre and other nightclubs and bars; Umar could see the potential straight away. “Crucially, unlike a lot of the other bars and clubs in the area, this site
had a large garden area although at that point it was pretty uninspiring!” he admits.
“The garden was so important as my vision was always to create a Turkish-inspired venue that could offer guests a real taste of the Middle East with shisha and hookahs, delicious cocktails and of course a beautiful, lush setting in which to drink it all in. There was, and still is, absolutely nothing else like that in Eastbourne and sites are like gold dust.”
Omur ran the site as Bolton’s Bar until early 2020, when, just ahead of the fi rst national lockdown, he oversaw a total refurbishment of the garden area to achieve his Turkish dream. “The garden was given a complete makeover, we ripped almost everything up, put down new fl ooring and improved the fl ow,” he explains. “We used lots of authentic Turkish materials including tiles to construct an outdoor bar area and used lots of artifi cial plants and fl owers to give it a really lush feel.
“We also fi tted a retractable roof which was a huge investment, but we wanted the space to be comfortable and usable all year round so it was well worth the money, especially given the unpredictable British weather.”
But the weather wasn’t the only unpredictable factor to hit the UK shortly after the venue, which Omur had re-named as Joy Bar, reopened to reveal its fresh new look.
“Just a matter of weeks after re-opening we were forced to close again which was tough but thankfully, due to the garden
OMUR'S SPECIALS BOARD
GET OUT
Make the most of any outdoor space you have. At Joy Bar we have created an oasis in the middle of the town using our large outdoor space.
MIX IT UP
Cocktails are a big trend at the moment, especially gin-based ones. They draw customers from near and far.
PICTURE PERFECT
Invest in adding Instagram-worthy features for guests to picture themselves with. It is certainly working for us!
Omur on Social Media
“We had Instagram in mind the whole time when planning out the garden refurbishment and the drinks menu; we wanted to create a place where guests wanted to be seen.” 40 diff erent fl avours of gin
makeover, we were perfectly set up for when restrictions eased and guests were allowed to return to socialising outdoors,” Omur says.
“The garden at that time was such a jewel, it was like a magnet and while so many other venues in the local area were still closed due to the restrictions, we were one of the lucky ones able to resume trade and we were booming.
“The garden has seating for 100 people while the inside can take a further 400 so when the restrictions were eased fully, the business just took off,” he says.
“As a venue we are entirely wet-led, we don’t serve any food. It’s all about the drinks and by drinks, we mean cocktails. That’s what we are famous for. We have a vast selection of different types of cocktails from classics to internationals, frozen cocktails, tropical ones which we serve in fruits, and we also create our own.”
Many of Omur’s cocktails feature an innovative technique which creates an edible smoke bubble on the top, adding to the theatre of the experience.
“The Cloud 9 is our best-seller, it looks absolutely amazing with its big smoke bubble on the top and creates a real buzz,” smiles Omur. “Guests love these types of innovative cocktails, the bubbles create an awesome visual effect that is perfectly suited to Instagram.
“Being Instagram-friendly is so important these days. Social media has played and continues to play a big role in our success. We had Instagram in mind the whole time when it came to planning out the garden refurbishment and the drinks menu. We wanted to create a place where guests wanted to be seen.”
And the Instagram-friendly approach doesn’t stop at smoke rings and impactful furniture. “For large tables we also serve the cocktails in ‘trees’ which again are perfect social media bait,” says Omur.
“The ‘trees’ are special metal stands which hold up to nine cocktails, when they are brought to a table, they create such theatre that the guests can’t resist snapping pictures of themselves with them.
“We also hire out the outdoor garden for special parties and events and we’re becoming increasingly well-known for that, which is great.”
On Friday and Saturday nights the bar always has a DJ on too, so it certainly feels like a party even if there isn’t a private event on.
To add another Turkish twist, Joy Bar also offers shisha. “The outdoor seating area offers shisha which is another key draw. So many of our features have been inspired by my heritage and travels around the world but also by my travels to different bars.
“One of my favourite pastimes is visiting different bars in different cities and seeing how they do things differently and the types of innovations they are trialling. It’s a fantastic way to get inspiration and there are some incredible bars in this country doing truly cuttingedge things.” When it comes to drinks, gin continues to lead the way, says Omur.
“Gin-based drinks are a huge seller and we have more than 40 different types of gin behind our bar, the vast majority bought through Booker. In fact, almost all our drinks and cocktail ingredients come from Booker. No one else can really compete with the prices, the range, or the service which is also very good.”
To make sure he has access to the widest possible range of products, Omur makes use of Booker’s Direct Delivered service.
“The direct delivery range is really broad and allows us to get almost everything that we need from there and have one big delivery a week,” he explains.
“If we ever need something special we can easily source that from the big Brighton branch but I also like to visit my local Eastbourne branch to top up at least once or twice a week.
“We also have a great relationship with the team at Booker. I’m constantly impressed with how helpful they are. It’s a good
SHAKING THINGS UP
JOY BAR
INNOVATIVE COCKTAILS
Joy Bar’s innovative cocktail formulas and show-stopping techniques have helped to make it a hot destination for Instagram-loving guests. The bar’s menu includes an eye-watering selection including classic mixes which it calls Icons, plus Frozen varieties, Mocktails and a unique range of ‘Joy’s Own’ creations. Many of the Joy’s Own cocktails employ innovative cocktailmaking techniques such as smoke bubbles to add crowdpleasing visual and sensory touches. A number of the creations also feature popular dessert and cake flavours such as Strawberry Shortcake, Candyfloss and Cookies & Cream.
feeling to know that you have the support of an organisation like that, especially in the current climate.”
But for 2022, the climate for Joy Bar is looking pretty hot. “I’ve just bought the freehold for the site so I no longer have to worry about rent which is a big relief,” laughs Omur.
“We are also planning a mini-makeover of the bar’s interior just ahead of the peak summer season to make it even more ‘Instagrammable’. We currently have just under 4,000 followers on Instagram and that’s climbing week on week.”
Plans for a second Joy Bar in Brighton are also afoot. “The hunt for our second site is also on but, as with this one, finding that perfect site is proving to be a challenge,” admits Omur. “It needs to tick all the right boxes, which once again will be location, garden and late-night licence. “Getting any council to grant a new latenight licence is almost impossible, so we need to find a site with an existing one. Those three things are mandatory. The rest we can build.”
In the meantime, Omur is anticipating a brilliant year filled with many busy nights and not much sleep! He concludes: “Working in this industry does require some extraordinarily long hours but it’s a passion, a way of life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
