The New Pier Diner

With Summer Bay’ss newly rebuilt Pier Diner appearing on Australian screens for the first time on Wednesday 24th February, BTTB can bring you an exclusive sneak preview of the new look.

This is the 2nd big revamp that the Pier Diner has had in as many years. When the building first opened its doors in 2008, following the demise of the Beachside Diner, it was split into two sections – the Pier Diner and The Den. Whilst the The Den acted as a drop in centre for the youth of the bay, the Pier Diner was geared towards the older market – becoming more of a restaurant than a hangout

When The Den succumbed to financial difficulty, the Diner moved into that portion of the building bringing back an informal modern vibe to it. However many fans on our forum were unsure about the changes, stating that it seemed far too much like a set.

Now with the show taking a new direction for 2010, with the makeover of several Summer Bay locations over the past few months, it was decided to destroy the interior of the diner by fire and start afresh.

The new set
represents a completely different feel for the diner. Taking influence from its real life counterpart in the Barrenjoey Boathouse at Palm Beach, the Pier Diner now incorporates a caf̩ with a hint of deli shop Рwith various items such as chutneys, tea caddies and olive oils for sale.

The set is now four walled, meaning that every corner of the diner can be utltised for shots from various angles. With the addition of a central pillar; shots taken through windows; a clear view through the dining area over the counter to the kitchen; and natural lighting, the set now has far more realism and depth. The dining area feels intimate and casual, with wooden flooring and furniture working nicely with the mainly neutral walls. Wooden screening partitions the dining area from the orange rear wall where the toilets are located.

The kitchen, which seems slightly larger than its predecessor, also has a splash of colour with green and orange panels above the work surfaces. To the right of the kitchen is the reasonably sized storeroom, which viewers will see a lot of in this week’ss episodes with Leah barricading herself in there during a panic attack.

Again taking advantage of its real life counterpart in Palm Beach, the layout has been rotated to be far more consistent with the exterior location (and a mirror image of the real ife interior layout) – with 2 sets of doors leading straight through from the road to the pier.

Whilst the change may take time to get used to for some, we are sure that the new Pier Diner will prove popular with most fans. Share your thoughts with other fans on our forum