Going strong on its 5th year, New York-style sandwich bar, corporate caterer, and Perth cafe Joey Zaza’s got cool new things for all ‘ya bosses to look forward to. But first, here’s a quick throwback to ‘ya past 5 years with us!
We got some special mentions here and there, and neat trivia only Joey Zaza’s super-bosses would know.
5 Years Ago, A Quiet Place
While all of ‘ya out here now making birthday noise, 5 years ago, Joey Zaza’s was a lot quieter.
The old storefront.
Outdoor seating, noontime sun, and nothing but the sound of leaves.
Less foot traffic, too… which probably had something to do with some global life-changing historical event that made al fresco munching ‘ya seating of choice in the CBD.
Still, it was a small space. We wanted more ground in the kitchen to get faster at serving up all ‘ya bosses our home-cooked brekkies and lunches: Slow-roasted meats and family recipes that remind ‘ya of home.
And, we wanted to give more space for ‘ya to get together with colleagues. We’re in P-Town’s big CBD. We wanted to get ‘ya a bit of you time before ‘ya go back to the hustle and bustle of work life…. All with some wide, sweet cafe space.
Not So Fast
Fate had other plans. Just like Mike Corleone**, we were tested to see if we could keep the** family business alive… one epic challenge after another.
(Spoiler: We pulled through and made it to ‘ya bosses. It’s why we’re celebrating our 5th birthday now. Woot woot!)
But we did get 3 big tests the Joey Zaza’s team had to pass.
Joey Zaza’s Marketing Challenge: Passed
Marketing: Every one of ‘ya bosses was new.
Joey Zaza’s was still fresh meat when March 2020 happened.
We had no regulars, the Perth office workers we originally planned on selling our epic sangas to started working from home, nobody had a coffee routine.
Our estimated foot traffic was thrown off.
But we made it. And we started from the ground up. One epic lunch sandwich at a time.
Joey Zaza’s Staffing Problem: Passed
Staffing: No one enters Western Australia.
When we were looking for people to work on the ground, our staffing options got slashed by the 2020 lockdowns.
Turnover was high, too. It took a while for us to find team members who were both experienced and treated the biz as their own.
Yet–thanks to some loyal crew members we’ll mention in a bit–we made it again!
Joey Zaza’s Operations Hiccups: Passed
Ask any Western Australia food business operating back in 2020 to 2021. This was our trial by fire.
Operations: Sales were hard to guess.
We walked on a tightrope trying to balance ordering enough ingredients and having enough of us on any given day.
Even with all the post-2020 unpredictable foot traffic, we had to make sure we didn’t order too much or too little. And didn’t go undermanned or overmanned. ‘Ya can imagine what that was like.
One Friday, everyone’s working from home. The next Friday, groups of city workers flock onsite and come in for lunch all at once at 12pm! It was a crazy time for us all.
Still. We pulled through!
New Year’s Renovations
Five years later, we expanded our Perth cafe and sandwich bar in January 2025.
Chill and Connect in Our New Lobby
We got a longer counter for longer lines and taller cups of coffee.
Yes, that 16oz coffee cup we tested is here to stay. We heard your feedback, so we changed our cup sizes to small (8oz), medium (12oz) and large (16oz)!
From stacking our catering boxes like Jenga towers in the same space as our stocks of coffee, we got enough space for the team to actually play Jenga.
Of course, this also means we now have more indoor seating options fit for a Perth cafe. Coffee, brekkie or lunch, chill away, bosses!
Excitement On-The-Ground
All in all, we’re really happy about our new, bigger space.
We got plans to launch community-focused fun stuff right from the cafe, too. Stay tuned for Humans of Joey Zaza’s, Overheard at Joey Zaza’s, and Joey Zaza’s Freedom Wall.
The Crew That Manned The Ship
Wait, so how did we get from being a pandemic baby cruising through major unpredictable times in food business history, to being a full-fledged 5-year old booming Perth cafe and sandwich bar?
Okay. Remember when we combed through the fields of Western Australia for that one square kilometer that had the perfect crew member?
Things really made a turn for staffing when Jess joined the team. (Hi, Jess!)
According to Michelle, our Co-owner and Chief-Marketer fondly known as ZaZa, Jess joined Joey Zaza’s in November 2022 and is still going strong as we approach our 5th birthday.
ZaZa even said Jess’s awesome loyalty meant that Joey and ZaZa has had more time for the kids. Way to go, Jess!
Thanks to Jeny Rai (rai.foodie) for the pic!
Apart from that, another outstanding crew member that helped stir things around was Geo. (Hi, G!)
G is ‘ya mean Joey Zaza’s barista. And by mean, we mean awesome. Have ‘ya seen Geo’s panda art? We got creamy coffee thanks to those mad texturing skills.
The next time ‘ya bosses get that lunch sanga and coffee fix, be sure to ask for G’s signature panda.
This 5-year old New York-style sandwich bar and Perth cafe is here catering today thanks to our loyal crew members. They’ve been getting ‘ya names for years, time to know theirs.
Thanks for being awesome, guys!
When Is Joey Zaza’s Birthday, Exactly?
Joey Zaza’s was born on February 28 and celebrates their birthday week-long in March. Joey Zaza’s is a pandemic baby and is celebrating their 5th birthday this year.
(Joey Zaza’s, not to be confused with Joey Zasa. Say hi if ‘ya watched The Godfather, though.)
Yup, ‘ya Perth cafe, catering, and sandwich bar was here years back, and we’re not going away anytime soon!
Joey Zaza’s Plans for 2025
We’re still brewing up Joey Zaza’s 2025 plans.
We got a bigger venue to explore bringing ‘ya that Joey Zaza’s cafe experience:
- More indoor seating thanks to the building bosses
- The same reliable Perth catering services
- A new TripAdvisor page
- More ways to interact with us on social (we’re now on Threads)
- Fun stuff like Humans of Joey Zaza’s, Overheard at Joey Zaza’s, and Joey Zaza’s Freedom Wall.
- And of course, the same awesome staff and the same epic boss sandwiches.
We survived a crazy time 5 years ago. Now, we’re here to stay. And we’re glad to have ‘ya with us!
Stay tuned for our 5th birthday line up coming very soon. Be the first to know by signing up to our loyalty program and get ready for awesome perks!
