Fast Eddys

Fast Eddys was an Australian fast-food and casual restaurant chain founded in Perth, Western Australia, in 1979 by Christopher and Con Somas. Its first venue opened at the west end of the Perth central business district, at the corner of Hay and Milligan streets. The business was distinctive in the Perth market because it operated around the clock, including on public holidays, at a time when relatively few restaurants offered comparable late-night or continuous service. The chain combined two related formats within its restaurants. A sit-down dining area provided table service, while a takeaway counter sold similar food in a faster and generally less expensive format. This hybrid model positioned Fast Eddys between a traditional café, a late-night diner and a quick-service restaurant. The interiors were part of the brand experience: locations used historic memorabilia, including old advertising signs and number plates, giving the restaurants a deliberately nostalgic and informal character. Its menu centred on burgers, hot dogs, steak-based items and breakfast food served throughout the day. The Eddy Burger was the signature offering, while other recognised menu items included the Cop-the-Lot Burger, the Steakburger and the Super Hotdog. The combination of familiar comfort food, extended opening hours and a central urban location made the brand particularly associated with Perth nightlife, shift workers, travellers and customers seeking food outside conventional restaurant hours. The original business was later sold by Christopher and Con Somas. During the following expansion phase, owners Ernie and Mark Galloway opened additional restaurants in Western Australia and developed a broader interstate network. By 2001, Fast Eddys had expanded beyond Western Australia into New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, with other locations also operating in Queensland. Western Australian sites included venues in Morley, Armadale, Cannington and Kalgoorlie, while the Melbourne restaurant operated on Bourke Street in the central business district. The expansion was not sustained. In 2002, Fast Eddys entered receivership. Most restaurants in the eastern states subsequently closed, while the remaining Western Australian restaurants were sold as franchises. The Melbourne site closed in February 2003. The Perth CBD restaurant at 454 Murray Street became the brand's final surviving venue and continued operating after the chain's wider contraction. In 2018, the property associated with that location was sold to a Chinese investor for A$4.8 million; the restaurant tenancy was reported to run to June 2019 with possible extension options. The venue nevertheless closed permanently in May 2019, ending approximately four decades of Fast Eddys trading in Perth. Fast Eddys is therefore remembered less as a surviving national chain than as a distinctive Western Australian restaurant institution. Its importance came from its 24-hour operating model, combination of dine-in and takeaway service, recognisable burger menu and strong association with Perth's late-night food culture. No operating Fast Eddys network or current corporate website is identified in the supplied reference material.

Fast Eddys began in 1979 when Christopher and Con Somas opened a restaurant at the western end of Perth's central business district, on the corner of Hay and Milligan streets. The concept was unusual for Perth at the time because the restaurant operated 24 hours a day, including public holidays. This continuous schedule became one of the brand's defining characteristics and helped establish Fast Eddys as a recognisable destination for late-night diners and customers outside conventional meal times. The restaurants used a dual-format operating model. Customers could eat in a table-service section or order comparable food from a takeaway area at a lower price and with quicker service. The menu was built around accessible diner and fast-food staples, including burgers, steakburgers, hot dogs and breakfast dishes available throughout the day. The flagship Eddy Burger was joined by products such as the Cop-the-Lot Burger, Steakburger and Super Hotdog. Restaurant interiors used historic advertising signs, number plates and other memorabilia, creating a nostalgic atmosphere that differentiated the chain from more standardized quick-service competitors. The original founders later sold the business. Ernie and Mark Galloway became associated with the next period of ownership and expansion, opening additional Western Australian locations. By the mid-1990s, the chain had moved from its original site to 454 Murray Street, where the principal Perth CBD restaurant remained until 2019. Other Western Australian locations included Morley, Armadale, Cannington and Kalgoorlie. Fast Eddys pursued expansion outside Western Australia in the late 1990s and around the beginning of the 2000s. By 2001, the business had entered New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, and it also had a presence in Queensland. The Melbourne restaurant operated at 32–38 Bourke Street in the Melbourne CBD. The expansion increased the brand's geographic reach but was followed by financial difficulties. In 2002, Fast Eddys was placed in receivership. Most of the restaurants in the eastern states closed, while the Western Australian sites were sold to franchisees. The Melbourne restaurant shut in February 2003. After the receivership and interstate retreat, the Perth CBD venue at 454 Murray Street remained the brand's principal surviving restaurant. It continued to trade as a local institution rather than as the centre of a large national network. Its long opening history, all-day breakfast, burger menu and memorabilia-filled interior kept it associated with Perth's late-night dining culture. In 2018, the property containing the remaining restaurant was sold to a Chinese investor for a reported A$4.8 million. Reports indicated that the restaurant's tenancy was due to expire in June 2019, with options to extend. The venue ultimately closed permanently in May 2019, ending roughly 41 years of Fast Eddys operation. The brand is consequently defunct, with no current operating network identified in the supplied sources. Its historical significance rests on its role as a Perth-born, around-the-clock restaurant chain that briefly attempted interstate growth before contracting back to its Western Australian roots.

• 2019

  Final restaurant closes

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  The last Fast Eddys restaurant in the Perth CBD closed in May after approximately 41 years in business.

• 2018

  Final venue property changes ownership

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  The property associated with the 454 Murray Street venue was sold to a Chinese investor for a reported A$4.8 million.

• 2003

  Melbourne location closes

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  The Bourke Street restaurant in Melbourne closed in February.

• 2002

  Receivership and franchise restructuring

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  The company entered receivership; most eastern-state restaurants closed and the Western Australian restaurants were sold as franchises.

• 2001

  Interstate expansion

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  Fast Eddys expanded beyond Western Australia into New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, with additional operations also reported in Queensland.

• 1990

  Perth CBD restaurant relocates

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  The main restaurant moved to 454 Murray Street in the early 1990s and remained there until its final closure.

• 1979

  Fast Eddys founded in Perth

  [1]Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org

  Christopher and Con Somas opened the first Fast Eddys restaurant at the western end of the Perth CBD, at Hay and Milligan streets.

A nostalgic, informal Australian diner and fast-food chain focused on burgers, hot dogs, breakfast and extended-hours dining, with a distinctive 24-hour Perth identity.

• Burger

  Eddy Burger

  The Eddy Burger was Fast Eddys' signature burger and one of the menu items most closely associated with the brand. It represented the chain's straightforward diner-style approach to fast food and was available through both the sit-down restaurant and takeaway service.

• Burger

  Cop-the-Lot Burger

  The Cop-the-Lot Burger was a larger, more heavily topped burger offered as part of Fast Eddys' substantial comfort-food menu. Its name and positioning reflected the chain's informal, playful diner identity.

• Burger

  Steakburger

  The Steakburger was one of the chain's core burger-oriented offerings, extending the menu beyond standard beef burgers with a steak-focused format. It was served within Fast Eddys' dine-in and takeaway model.

• Hot dog

  Super Hotdog

  The Super Hotdog was a named Fast Eddys menu item and part of the chain's broader range of quick, filling diner foods. It complemented the burger and breakfast categories that defined the brand's all-hours offer.

• Breakfast

  All-day breakfast

  Fast Eddys served breakfast items throughout the day, a particularly suitable offer for a restaurant open around the clock. The all-day breakfast menu helped reinforce the brand's role as a flexible late-night and early-morning dining venue.

• 2019

  Closure of the final Perth restaurantOther

  Background

  The 454 Murray Street tenancy was reported to be approaching its June 2019 expiry after the underlying property changed ownership in 2018.

  Action taken

  Fast Eddys closed its remaining Perth CBD restaurant in May 2019.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the brand's approximately 41-year operating history and left Fast Eddys as a defunct restaurant brand.

  Source

• 2002

  Retreat from interstate expansion after receivershipStrategy

  Background

  Following expansion into several eastern Australian states, Fast Eddys entered receivership and most of its eastern-state restaurants closed.

  Action taken

  The Western Australian restaurants were sold off as franchises while the chain substantially reduced its geographic footprint.

  Aftermath

  The Melbourne venue closed in 2003, and the Perth CBD restaurant became the final surviving Fast Eddys location.

  Source

1. 1Fast Eddysen.wikipedia.org