Farewell to Eddy, Legendary Owner of Jakarta's OG Toast Joint 'Roti Bakar Eddy'
Jakarta. The original owner of Jakarta's popular toast joint Roti Bakar Eddy, Eddy Supardi, passed away on Wednesday (10/10) at the age of 67.
One of Eddy’s daughters, Risdianti, shared the sad news and posted photos of her late father on Instagram.
She wrote, "We belong to God and to Him we shall return... farewell, father."
Jakarta celebrities – many regulars at Roti Bakar Eddy – also expressed their condolences on social media, including former Indonesian swimmer Richard Sam Bera.
Richard tweeted on Thursday, "Rest in peace, Mr. Eddy," with the hashtag #RotiBakarEddy which trended on Twitter for a while.
RIP Pak Eddy.#RotiBakarEddy
— Richard Sam Bera (@richardbera) October 10, 2018
Roti Bakar Eddy's loyal customers have been sharing pictures of their favorite snacks from the joint and their memories of the place using the same hashtag since they learned of Eddy's passing.
Eddy moved to Jakarta from Solo in Central Java as a 15-year-old in 1966.selamat jalan pak Eddy...trima kasih krn telah menyediakan tempat saya nongkrong dulu. #rotibakareddy https://t.co/OvuHW14J4Z
— pemakan nasi (@acilbaonk) October 11, 2018
He opened his original tarpaulin-covered warung near the Al-Azhar Mosque in Blok M, South Jakarta, in the early 1970s.
Before opening Roti Bakar Eddy, he had tried his luck selling lontong sayur (rice cakes with vegetable curry) and bubur ayam (chicken porridge), but both businesses folded.
He struck gold with his idea for a simple roti bakar ("toast") joint, where customers can hang out and indulge in cheap midnight snacks of buttery, fluffy toasts with choose-your-own fillings – anything from strawberry jam to corned beef (topped with cheese, please).
Since then, generations of Jakarta kids have grown up with Roti Bakar Eddy, often the first stop for hungry clubbers wanting to satiate their midnight hunger pangs.
Just as when it began, the soft white bread served at Roti Bakar Eddy still does not contain preservatives.
The menu at the warung also has remained pretty much unchanged since it first opened.
Its classic meisjes (chocolate sprinkles) roti bakar topped with shredded cheddar cheese is still the best selling item on the menu.
Eddy said on the warung's website that keeping everything original is one of the keys to his success.
Eddy’s toast joint is now a successful chain with branches in Bintaro, Depok, Cibubur and Bogor.
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