Flash Eats opens in Civic

Posted on 12 July, 2019

“Permanent food truck” Flash Eats is set to bring life to Civic’s Bible Lane, pumping out fresh burgers, fried chicken, fries and drinks.

Bible Lane’s “Permanent food truck” Flash Eats is giving away 500 free burgers from 12 pm to 3 pm (or until they run out) on Wednesday 24 July to celebrate their opening tomorrow.

When it comes to Canberra’s food culture, monster burgers are the new macarons. It seems like everybody’s keen to get a slice of the double-beef-triple-bacon-mac ‘n’ cheese-patty-jalapeño-popper-more-sauce-please stacked market.

But what if all you really want is a tasty burger you can hold in one hand—and you want it fast? Well, that’s where new “fresh fast food” purveyor Flash Eats comes in.

Perhaps best described as a “permanent food truck”, the hole-in-the-wall operation is set to bring life to Bible Lane in the CBD, pumping out fresh burgers, fried chicken, fries and drinks.

Photography: 5 Foot Photography

According to co-owner Nick Parkinson, the latest venture of the team behind Hopscotch and Young and Frisky will focus on providing “high volume execution” of food that’s sourced locally and cooked fresh to order. And when he says “high volume”, he’s not kidding.

“We have the ability to cook up to 80 burgers in five minutes, and potentially 50 serves of chicken in 10 minutes.

“The burgers are cooked and then slid down into a food chute along with the fried chicken, and our staff at the front will be throwing them out as quickly as the orders come in.”

From a single beef patty with cheese and pickles (think a McDonald’s Cheeseburger, only better—I’ve done the hard yards and taste-tested it) to a complete vegan burger, the Flash Eats menu covers all the burger basics. And it’s wallet-friendly.

“Our price point is much lower than our competitors. We’re aiming for $10 for a single stack burger and then for a double stack burger it’s $12,” says Nick.

But if you’re after one of those monster versions from the first paragraph, you might be disappointed. Nick says that, rather than buns bursting with all the trimmings, Flash Eats is aiming for the “every minute of the day burger, where you can have one between lunch, after lunch if you’re feeling a bit peckish…it’s not something that’s going to make you bloated or lethargic.”

Flash Eats’ arrival isn’t just good news for your stomach. It also breathes new life into an old loading dock in a central area of the city, “revitalising an unused space, an unused area, in a cool way.”

The previously dingy laneway has been transformed with a riot of primary colours and graphic art, leading the eye towards burger heaven.

“Putting a high volume fast food area into a spot that was not so much used in the past, but passed by many pedestrians every day, really livens up the CBD,” says Nick.

Once opened, it will be slinging burgers and more from 11 am to 11 pm, Sunday to Wednesday and 11 am to 2 pm Thursday to Saturday (and potentially until 4 am in the summer months). It may well be the new Bin Hotdog for those of us old enough to remember them.

the essentials

What: Flash Eats
Where: Bible Lane, Canberra City (between AKIBA and 50 Bunda Street)
When: Opens Thursday 25 July. Opening hours 11 am to 11 pm, Sunday to Wednesday and 11 am til 2 pm Thursday to Saturday.
Web: facebook.com/FlashEats

Photography: 5 Foot Photography