Plenty to love at Bay of Plenty’s Fife Lane

OneMusic sat down with Bay locals Kat and Ryan Dippie to chat about their recent awards and how music helps them create a seamless entertaining dining experience at Fife Lane.

Bay of Plenty’s recent Restaurant Association Hospitality Awards saw the Bay restaurant Fife Lane shine through as the winners of the OneMusic Outstanding Ambience and Design award, topping off the evening with the supreme title for the region.

The pair opened the contemporary steakhouse in 2019, championing great food, service and stylish ambience in Mount Maunganui, with the aim of creating a space they themselves and the locals would love to dine at.

“Kat and I had always dreamed of opening up a restaurant of this calibre,” says Ryan.

Living in this lovely area we wanted to create a type of space that Tauranga / Mount Maunganui needs… and needs more of.

Fife Lane isn’t Kat and Ryan’s first dip into hospitality and their recent awards are testament to their experience, having spent 12 years as business owners and even longer time as experienced contributors to the hospitality industry.  

As deserving winners of the OneMusic Outstanding Ambience and Design award, the couple agree that a seamless dining experience should start from the moment you walk in. By acquiring their licence through OneMusic, the couple say that music has played an integral role in the overall experience of the space.

We always had clear a idea of how we wanted the look and feel of the restaurant to be, right from the get-go.

When painting a picture of a typical night at Fife Lane, the couple illustrate how diners get to embrace the delicious smell of the food cooking on the unique Mibrasa grill, appreciate a stylish dining fit out while watching the open kitchen, and enjoy the great music, which ties the experience all together. 

“If you’re sitting down to dine with us for two hours, we absolutely need to provide a five star experience the whole time,” says Ryan. 

Speaking about their OneMusic award, the beach town restaurant owners say that their go-to is playing music from beloved Kiwi artists like LAB and Six60 which has upped their award-winning dining experience for the Mount locals.

The couple agree that it is the simple things that can differentiate you from others – the subtleties of what music plays on a stormy Tuesday night compared to a sunny Saturday afternoon can help create a seamless experience.

Over the last three years of operations, the couple say that looking after their staff has also remained at the forefront of their business, especially through the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“The staff are my best mates!” says Ryan, proudly recalling that their head chef was a groomsman at the couple’s wedding 10 years ago. “We’re working together with a fantastic group, that are really invested and excited to see the business moving forward in the coming years.”

You’ll find Kat, Ryan and their team at Fife Lane located at 512 Maunganui Road, Tauranga, five days a week.

Learn more about the music licences we have available for your business here.