Cult burger restaurant’s shock closure

A cult burger restaurant which has run for years west of Sydney is shutting down for good after the shock death of the family business’ patriarch.

Penrith’s Downtown Brooklyn on Sunday revealed the popular eatery would stop trading on December 22 following the death of “Big Poppa” last week.

The High St burger joint - which first opened as Big Poppa’s Burger Bar on Penrith’s High St in 2016 - has run for eight years.

In a touching statement, the owners paid tribute to Big Poppa as the “heart and soul” of Downtown Brooklyn.

“He may have delivered your food during the Covid days, greeted you with a warm smile as you walked in, seated you at your table, or shared one of his legendary chinwags while you waited,” the business owners said.

“His kindness, humor, and larger-than-life personality touched everyone who walked through our doors.”

In their statement, the owners said they had made the “incredibly tough” decision to stop trading in a week - announcing they would close for December 20 for Big Poppa’s funeral, then shut for good two days later.

“To our amazing burger lovers: thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” their statement continued.

“Your support has meant everything to us, and you’ve been the reason we’ve kept going, even during the toughest times.

“You’re more than customers to us—you’re part of our DB family.”

The burger joint has been a popular staple in Penrith for years, but has also courted controversy.

In early 2021, the restaurant accused activists against Australia Day of being “influencers” who latch onto “trending issues for the clout and likes”.

Owner Chris O’Shea eventually backed down after a fierce online backlash while apologising in a video posted to their social media.

“To the entire Indigenous community that has been offended … please take this as my sincerest apologies as to how the post was construed,” Mr O’Shea posted.

“I will cop the hate, cop the flack, and cop the damages that will still continue as most will say this is back pedalling.

“This was never meant to be a hateful or racist post.”