Clock stops for Perth’s iconic 24-hour diner Fast Eddys
Perth's first 24-hour diner is calling it a day after over four decades with the site being snapped by a Chinese investor for $4.8 million.
Opening in 1978 in in Perth's west end, Fast Eddys was sold by founders Chris and Con Somas in 1996 whereupon it became a chain with several franchises opening across Western Australia.
In 2001 the company expanded interstate into New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria and was also planning to expand into South-East Asia.
Speaking to the ABC, former employee Gina Sanderson said it was “very much an end of an era”.
"It was the only place you could go, everything else was shut, which made it an incredibly interesting place to work," she said.
"It could be kids that had just come back from their school ball, people that had gone to concerts, truck drivers.
"It could be drug addicts and prostitutes, people that had been working in nightclubs and finishing at 4:00 in the morning."
However, increased competition and a diluted brand took its toll on the restaurant, she said.
"Later after it got franchised out, I think it lost its charm.”
Sheridan Randall, 15th May 2019
