End of an era as Qantas pilots’ favourite restaurant closes after 100 years

Every family has them. Recipes that are a carefully guarded secret, lovingly handed down from one generation to the next. Their value to a family is immeasurable. Which is why it requires a very special relationship to share them with an outsider, let alone an entire airline.

When Wing Seong Fatty’s closed its doors for the final time this week after more than 100 years, the small Singaporean restaurant bequeathed to Qantas the secret recipes for two of its hallowed dishes, speaking volumes about the connection they shared.

The closure of Fatty’s is a significant moment for thousands of Qantas crew, who had dined there during a working layover. The relationship between the unassuming eatery and the representatives of a global airline was born during World War II, when the owner and his son would smuggle food parcels to Australian and British Prisoners of War.

Many of those POWs became commercial pilots, and thanked Fatty’s with their loyal patronage post-war. Eating at Fatty’s became a pilgrimage forged into company folklore with every subsequent crew passing through Singapore for decades to follow.

This loyalty in many ways contributed to the restaurant’s end. The ongoing success of the business meant third-generation owners, brothers Skinny and Kelvin, were able to send their children to university, where they developed careers away from the red-awninged establishment, wedged between an electronics shop and a convenience store. Now in their 70s, Skinny and Kelvin decided it was time for Fatty’s to close.

The decision was no doubt an emotional one for the family, but almost as much so for Qantas staff. Since the announcement, wave after wave have visited to dine either on layovers, or on personal leave, just to say thank you and goodbye.

Among them, were some extra special visitors. Members of the airline’s flight operations team including chief pilot Captain Dick Tobiano, travelled to Singapore to make a farewell presentation to Skinny and Kelvin, thanking them and their families for what they have provided to the countless Qantas crew who have sat at their tables over the past 80 years.

It may have bemused the brothers, who were always known better for their food than any friendly interest in their customers. But then, the return gesture: two of their most coveted and closely held recipes were handed over. One was for the Fatty’s spring rolls which are chunky, bursting with delicious fillings and are worth travelling the world for. The other was for a swirling clay hotpot drooling pilots dubbed nuclear chicken.

For a limited period, Qantas first and business class lounge customers travelling through Singapore will now be able to taste both and contemplate the special story behind them. Those recipes aren’t shared with just anyone. My own attempt resulted in a screenshot from Kelvin’s phone, all in Cantonese. An AI translator suggested 200 grams of “clothes” be added to the curry paste. I’m jealous that the Qantas chefs now know what that secret ingredient really is.

I was only granted the screenshot because of my own small connection with Fatty’s, having first written the story of the restaurant’s history with Qantas in 2022. Fast forward to 2026, and that article prevented Fatty’s from closing its doors quietly. With parts of it reproduced in local newspaper The Straits Times, it whipped up a frenzy among Singaporeans, many of whom had never dined at Fatty’s before. They rushed to discover what had been hiding in plain sight for more than a century.

Queues formed at lunch and dinner for the first time, and the phone was running hot. Staff were madly trying to keep track of a formal booking sheet, while an exasperated Kelvin explained, they hadn’t needed “Reserved” signs in 100 years. Qantas crew swanning in for their usual table were suddenly asked if they had a booking. “Sorry, what?”

Seventy-something Skinny, meantime, still wearing a COVID mask, was having to limbo under influencer selfie sticks. “Not very busy, so we decide to close, then everyone come!” he exclaimed in his limited English, delivering an eye-roll as he shuffled off to another table.

It was hard not to feel sorry for these lovely old restaurateurs trying to keep up with the craziness of this unanticipated final spike in interest. Yet throughout the surge, Qantas crew did still get some special consideration. In those final few weeks, Kelvin was seen placing a bottle opener on the table, pointing to the fridge and saying: “help yourself, we will sort out the bill later”.

And the food was as good as ever.

Captain Tobiano said Fatty’s held a special place in the hearts of many pilots and crew. “For generations of Qantas pilots, Fatty’s has been far more than a restaurant. It’s been part of our shared experience, a place where crew from different bases and fleets come together to share at the same table. We’re grateful to the Au family and on behalf of Qantas we wish them a well-earned retirement.”

Fatty’s was more than a restaurant. It was a family, which for decades showed kindness and compassion to people in need. For the generations of airline workers it fed, it became a place of normality in a job that is far from normal. The familiar setting, smells, tastes and hospitality remained a magnet for Qantas crew until the last meals were served.

On behalf of all my fellow crew, thank you Fatty, Skinny and Kelvin and your families, for providing us with food, friendship and laughter. We will miss you.

Mark Hofmeyer is a Qantas captain.