Meet our Partners: Tom from Good Ways Deli

Market Lane Coffee: Can you tell us about your background in hospitality?

Tom Pye: I’ve mostly worked in cafés and wholesale, particularly in specialty coffee, with a bit of experience in restaurants and bars over the years.
 

And you spent time working in hospitality overseas?

Yes, I’ve worked in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, so across three countries.

Did each of those countries have a distinct hospitality culture? Were there key things you took away from your time working in each place?

Definitely. In London, I opened Origin Coffee Roasters’ first retail location. Now, they’ve got five in London, one in Bristol, one in Edinburgh, and a few in Cornwall. That experience was invaluable – it gave me insight into opening a business, without the financial risk. It gave me a perspective that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I was involved in everything, from picking the location to the fit-out and opening, and even the day-to-day trade. That hands-on experience was huge.

My time in New Zealand was a little different – it really shaped my approach to hospitality. The focus there was on the experience beyond just the coffee. Coffee is important, of course, but it’s also about the connections it fosters. People meet friends for coffee, go for walks with a coffee – it’s more than just a drink. That idea really stuck with me. I think there’s a real warmth and generosity in the service there. There’s no pretentiousness at all; it’s just part of the standard.

London was interesting because people were really open to drinking filter coffee; it was way easier to sell than in Australia. Since the UK has more of a tea-drinking culture, there wasn’t that ingrained espresso habit, so people were more willing to try filter coffee. 

How did the idea for Good Ways Deli come about?

COVID…the time for great ideas, or at least big changes. My ex-business partner, Jordan, and I originally had plans for a much bigger café with a strong dine-in focus. But when the pandemic hit, we had to rethink everything. We wanted a model where the product would taste great, whether dining in or taking away, without having to adjust it too much. And we also needed something that could pivot seamlessly to take-away in case of another lockdown. So, we landed on sandwiches and Aussie bakery-style classics that feel familiar but are updated in a thoughtful way. Everyone has a memory of a sandwich – whether it’s a school packed lunch, a picnic, or even a servo sandwich. There’s nostalgia there, and we wanted to tap into that. Food that people can relate to and happily eat every day.

What can people expect when they walk into Good Ways?

At its core, Good Ways is built on warm, generous hospitality. Every customer is important, and we want them to feel that.

We also wanted to do something a bit different. As far as I know, no other sandwich shop bakes its own bread. It’s definitely a labour of love, but it makes a huge difference. We could have made things easier for ourselves, but we wanted to create something that really stands out.

When we opened, the whole deli sandwich craze was just starting. Now, it feels like a new one is opening every week. But we’re in it for the long haul – we’re focused on making something special and meaningful.

Can you tell us about the Australian native ingredients you showcase on your menu?

Sure. This is something that’s really important to us, and something we want to keep exploring. The key thing for us is that we use these ingredients in a way that isn’t tokenistic; they need to bring something to the product.

For example, in our wattleseed sourdough loaf, the wattleseed adds a lovely nutty, roasty flavour to the bread, so it has a real purpose. We use Davidson’s plum jam in our lamingtons – it has this amazing sourness that cuts through the sweetness of the chocolate and coconut. We also use Warrigal greens, a native spinach, in our ricotta rolls. We get that delivered fresh each week.

We only source these ingredients from First Nations-owned businesses. That’s really important to us because it ensures the money is going back into First Nations communities.

And then, of course, there’s kangaroo. We worked with LP’s Quality Meats to create a kangaroo mortadella, and we use it in our sandwiches and sausage rolls.

London was interesting because people were really open to drinking filter coffee; it was way easier to sell than in Australia. Since the UK has more of a tea-drinking culture, there wasn’t that ingrained espresso habit, so people were more willing to try filter coffee. 

What's your favourite thing on the menu right now?

That’s tough! I’d say the curry kangaroo and pork sausage roll with curry sauce. Kangaroo is a great protein, it’s really lean, so we add pork fat for richness. The fragrant curry sauce just takes it to another level.

For something sweet, I’d have to go with the vanilla slice. We only do it on weekends, and it’s definitely a best-seller.

And is there a recent coffee that's stood out to you?

I’m a big fan of Colombian coffees, and the Market Lane’s Las Piñas was exceptional this season – juicy, fruity, with great body. Just super drinkable. Our customers really enjoyed it, too. Colombian coffees have this great balance. They bring the acidity, the fruit, and the body all together. 

Can you tell us about a stand-out, or memorable moment from Good Ways over the years?

In March 2022, we did a flood relief bake sale for the Northern Rivers. We rallied fellow hospitality businesses to donate products, and all the funds raised went to flood relief efforts. The response was unbelievable. We could have sold out three times over. It was incredible to see the support from both the hospitality community and our local community. It really reinforced how tight-knit hospitality can be when people come together. We’d love to do something similar again for another cause.

And anything else coming down the pipeline for Good Ways?

No grand plans…yet! But at some point, we’d love to open a third shop, maybe with more of a bakery focus. We also want to make some improvements to Redfern, maybe add more seating and create a bit more of a space for people to linger. Right now, we’re just focusing on quality and consistency. Baking is always a moving target, so we’re always refining things.