Since moving back to his childhood stomping ground of Scarborough a few years back, Jack Wakefield has made it his mission to give the suburb the things he wished the neighbourhood had when he was growing up.

In 2022, the hospitality veteran – who co-owns lauded Brisbane City laneway caffeine spot Anytime Coffee – opened Good Company a short bagel toss from Scarborough Marina, instantly elevating the standard of the seaside suburb’s cafe scene. Jack recently sold Good Company to new owners in preparation for his next venture, Landing Bakery – a bold new dispensary of pastries, breads and savouries, set to open on Landsborough Avenue in August.

Jack’s not doing it alone, though. This time he’s recruited fellow Anytime co-owner Tom Cooney in the endeavour, with the duo looking to push the peninsula’s evolution further.

“I grew up out here and my whole life I’ve been thinking of things that Scarborough doesn’t have that I would have loved while growing up here,” says Jack. “Good Company was the first step of that process – creating a place to have good cooked-to-order breakfast and good coffee.

“Scarborough has always had a huge gap for a bakery and who better to come help me do a bakery than Tom Cooney himself.”

In addition to his stake in Anytime Coffee, Tom is also one of the operators behind one of Brisbane’s best bakeries, Riser Bread in Toowong, which is widely known for its country-style sourdoughs, stellar sandwiches and ever-shifting assortment of inventive pastries.

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“I think it was very enticing for me to be part of something that’s out in the suburbs and a bit more like on the frontier,” says Tom of Jack’s business pitch. “It was the same thing with Riser – bringing something to that side of town that it just didn’t really have.

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“I know how hard Jack works on making something beautiful, delicious and a great place to be – I know that the two of us can put together something that is both exciting and a little bit innovative, but always welcoming.”

Construction is underway on Landing Bakery’s home at the base of new apartment development The Oscar, just across from Scarborough Beach. Jack and Tom have enlisted the talents of architect Matthew James Reynolds as well as Clare Kennedy and the crew from cross-disciplinary design and fabrication studio Five Mile Radius to help design and manufacture the interior.

“They’re building everything by hand, from the back wall to the counters, retail shelf and all of our furniture – it’s all custom made from scratch,” says Jack.

“They use recycled materials, they’re incredibly ethical and wonderful,” adds Tom.

Expect a space that balances refinement with rustic elements, while also celebrating simple detailing and the beauty of imperfection. Landing will feature an aesthetic inspired by Scarborough’s coastal position and the peninsula’s famous red cliffs, with repurposed materials such as pigmented sand, concrete and plastics creating an inviting space boasting warmth and texture. There will be inside seating and a scattering of furniture on the footpath, though Jack and Tom envision Landing Bakery being used as a pit stop for those looking to enjoy some time near the waterfront.

“The idea is that people will be able to grab something, go down to the beach and hang out,” Tom tells us. “But also we wanted to make sure that if you dine in, it’s a great experience. We’ve got a good amount of dining space, especially when the wind and the rain comes in. There’s going to be space to just hang out, because the beach is not beautiful 365 days a year.”

When it comes to Landing Bakery’s range, guests can expect a seasonally shifting range that shares a little bit of DNA with its distant cousin, Riser. That said, Landing Bakery will offer a unique selection of pastries, its own style of sourdough (plus a number of other loaves), focaccias, a different range of sandwiches, plus sausage rolls and pies.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a separate DNA entirely, because my taste and Jack’s overlap a lot,” says Tom. “There are things that we will do here that don’t happen at Riser or things that we might focus on a bit more, but I think there’s going to be a bit of overlap in the offering.”

On the coffee front, Landing Bakery will serve its own blend roasted by Vox Roasters, as well as specialty drinks like ceremonial-grade matcha and house sodas.

“Our house blend is going to be really important to us,” says Tom. “We really want it to be chocolatey, rich and really versatile for all different milk types. It’ll be a place where you get a really, really great flat white and then if you want something special, it’ll also be available for you.”

“We’ll definitely be doing all of the drinks made from scratch at this venue, like all house-made cold brew and filter,” adds Jack. “We’re going to have an xBloom (a single-serve filter machine) on the counter to do automated pour-overs for the customers as well.”

When Landing Bakery opens, it will be the latest in a procession of new arrivals – including the likes of Flour & Chocolate, Scarborough Harbour Brewing Co., Arcade Wine, Boney’s Deli and Si Baby – that are turning the peninsula and its surrounding suburbs into a hospitality hub in its own right. Joining these ranks is an exciting prospect for Jack and Tom, who are eager to carve out their own lane and give Scarborough locals a place that’s elevated, yet approachable.

“The biggest thing for us is that it’s a welcoming experience for customers, both in terms of how the hospitality is executed and also what happens with the food when people are eating it,” says Tom. “Nothing is going to be challenging but it’s all going to be delicious.”

Landing Bakery is targeting an early-to-mid August opening date. Stay keep your eyes peeled for updates.