WATCH | Jozi's first no alcohol bar: How going booze-free saved several livelihoods during lockdown

The team at Mesh Club have opened an alcohol-free bar on Rosebank’s trendiest strip, the Keyes Art Mile. The new space is cleverly named Niks Bar, which is a play on the popular members’ club’s in-house Mix Bar, as well as a nod to the fact that no booze will be served - niks is Afrikaans for “nothing”.

Niks Bar on Rosebank's trendiest strip is Jozi's first nonalcoholic watering hole. This business was inspired out of a desire to help bartenders and mixologists who have been hard-hit by the crisis facing the hospitality industry as a result of lockdown restrictions.

The team at Mesh Club (just upstairs to Niks) came up with this unique idea, which wasn't born out of Mesh's lockdown struggles as much as wanting to help those who are struggling.

Niks Bar is giving them the opportunity to work shifts and take home tips as well as a share of the profits.

“This is a non-profit operation aimed at preserving the livelihoods of out-of-work bartenders,” says bar manager Tanealé van der Merwe.

The project aims to offer a unique and entertaining bar experience adapted to the times.



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