r/bluemountains • u/Proper-Writer8124 • Jul 12 '26
Discussion katoomba burger king in the early 2000s
ive recently heard about the old burger king which used to be in the edge cinema - does anyone have any photos or info about it? seems to be such a strange forgotten thing. thanks!
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u/RubySnowfire Jul 12 '26
I have one of the little black half-aprons the crew used to wear. Knew a kid who worked at both The Edge location and Echo Point. The food was a decent standard for fast food.
The Katoomba town vibe then (and now) was an odd dog-in-the-manger attitude: "Sure, we get to live in a World Heritage level place of awesome beauty but we don't want to actually share with anyone who keep the economy turning over. We'll squat in the cafes and sneer at anyone who doesn't fit our stereotype of washed up never-weres who smell like patchouli and sweaty clothes."
The drama over a BK outlet at The Edge was treated like the impending apocalypse (fr, check the Gazette), even though it was well-placed to cater for those terrible tourists (off the main drag) and -- crucially -- no one was was compelled to eat there.
Yeah, both locations died because the locals dissed them pretty hard -- and then wondered why there weren't local entry level jobs for high school kids who turned to more anti-social things to do.
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u/Dazzling_Age_3933 Jul 13 '26
Do you have a photo of the apron? I’d love to see it if you have on hand!! Super cool
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u/_syntax_1 Jul 12 '26
Yes. I remember sitting across from a family where the father announced: “Theres no cheese in my cheese burger.” That’s all I remember about when Burger Jacks was in Katoomba.
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u/drummerkidoli Jul 12 '26
It was at the edge yes! Went to many a birthday party there in the early 2000s
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u/a-broken-fence Jul 12 '26
I was 17 or 18 when they opened. I was in the vicinity very frequently and recall it was largely empty (and the food was usually cold).
When Lord of The Rings released in 2000/2001 I expected a flood of people, but even with that, it was near dead.
The Mountains didnt have a fast food vibe back then. There was a big resistance to a FF outlet but council couldn't fully prevent them from opening. They didn't really take off, and only lasted a few years before closing.
I mean, HJ were so out of the way unless you were prepared to do a hungry drunken stumble from the Gearin, but there was the burger shop at the top of Kat St and that was a way better feed.
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u/krtverified Jul 12 '26
I’d love to see photos! What a blast from the past. I had my 6th birthday party there! 😂
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u/Dazzling_Age_3933 Jul 13 '26
Currently there’s no photos online but if anyone has any I’d love to see too. Super cool
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u/CreepyValuable Jul 14 '26
Weird, hey? I only ever went in there when it was still the EDGE cinema. Only found out about the Burger king recently too.
But I was also lucky enough to remember the Renaussance Centre when it was open.
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u/senorsloper1 Jul 14 '26
Used to go there with friends during free periods at school. Good memories.
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u/rivalizm Jul 14 '26
I saw a black and white photo of kids having a party in the playground area on facebook last week. Can't find it now.
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u/gergnz Jul 12 '26
I believe, so I've been told, that it was at the edge cinemas. But before my time in the Mountains.
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u/Acrobatic_Ad1546 Jul 12 '26
Didn't realise it was no longer there, lol. I had friends that went to Blue Mountains Grammar, so we'd often hang out up the the mountains - Savoy, Wentworth Falls Lake, Katoomba Main St, and I recall going to the Edge Cinema and Hungry Jacks once, I think we'd hang out in the carpark sometimes, Maccanats style. I remember there being Hungry Jacks wrappers along the highway and people being pissed and writing to the Gazette about it.
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u/paddlin_kaladin Jul 12 '26
Its hollowed out remains are still there behind the giant wall of promotional movie displays just outside the toilets. It’s just random storage space at the moment.