A year of good food and great community

Staff from The Gaff, including owner Ryan Dill-Russell, second from right

In just over a year The Gaff has quickly become a popular dining spot for locals, further enhancing the area’s reputation for great cafes and eateries.

Owner Ryan Dill-Russell says even though the business is relatively new, they already feel part of the community.

“Māngere Bridge has welcomed us with open arms, we love being here and we're having a lot of fun with this venue,” he says.

Dill-Russell has an extensive background in the hospitality industry, but he says this venture was “definitely something different”.

“My history was around developing corporate cafes … so being a suburban community based clientele in the heart of Māngere Bridge was what appealed to me.

“[But] my expectations for this project have been totally exceeded because it's way more personal, we've got all our regulars and everyone feels a part of it and we really feel like we have this personal touch with all our customers.”

He says the name “Gaff” comes from the British slang term for house and was inspired by the site itself.

“We thought it was fitting, given it was an old historic villa that we were trying to preserve and keep its bones and do it justice.”

Dill-Russell says he’s been particularly impressed how locals already have a sense of ownership of the cafe and bistro.

“People bring us all sorts of suggestions so we can implement them,” he says.

“Like the kids play area we designed out the front was through feedback from the community.”

And the Gaff is now finding ways to give back.

“Being the nature of a community-based business, we're trying to get involved as much as we can.

“So we've been giving away vouchers where we can with raffles for the schools and stuff like that.

“Obviously we're a small business so we can't invest in everything, but we're trying to be as involved as we can.”

Head to thegaff.co.nz for more info about opening times and menu specials.