The Grounds restaurant, pictured here in 2017, is closing down. Photo / Michael Craig

MKR judge-founded eatery to close after nearly a decade

Author: Cherie Howie,
Publish Date: Thu, 28 May 2026, 7:11am

A restaurant started by high-profile restaurateur and former My Kitchen Rules New Zealand judge Ben Bayly is to close.

The Grounds Eatery in the West Auckland suburb of Henderson will shut its doors at the end of the month, its owners announced on social media.

“Closing this chapter is emotional, but we leave with full hearts and so much pride in what we built together. From the bottom of our hearts – thank you for 10 beautiful years," they wrote.

The Grounds owner Rachel Johns didn’t want to comment when contacted by the Herald.

Johns took over ownership of the restaurant from Bayly in December 2023, according to her biography on the restaurant’s website.

The restaurant will close its doors in a few days' time.

The married mum of three had worked at The Grounds since it opened in 2016, first as a barista and later as a duty manager, before becoming the owner.

The owners were “beyond grateful” to every customer and supporter, and their “amazing staff, past and present”, they wrote in Monday’s social media post announcing it was “time ... for us to say goodbye”.

“What started as a restaurant became so much more – a place filled with laughter, celebrations, friendships, late nights, busy mornings, loyal customers, and unforgettable memories.”

Ben Bayly owns several restaurants in Auckland and Central Otago.

Bayly, whose TV appearances also include MasterChef New Zealand, Hangi Pitmasters, A New Zealand Food Story and The Restaurant that Makes Mistakes, couldn’t be contacted for comment.

The celebrity chef owns Auckland restaurants Ahi and Origine as well as AOSTA, Little Aosta and the Blue Door Bar in Arrowtown, and The Bathhouse on the shores of Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu, according to his website.