A diner that takes its name from an internet meme?
Got it in one. Karen’s Diner is an Australian-born chain that requires its staff to be rude to its customers. The idea – it seems – is that customers will be forced to channel their inner ‘Karen’ – a pejorative stereotype of a white, 1970s-born woman who is prone to asking for the manager - to navigate the experience.
And people go there why?
That’s a good question. But the brand’s success on social media - most notably TikTok - and the speed at which it is rolling out suggests a fair few people are willing to give it a go. Karen’s Diner was founded in Sydney last year and has launched a further six sites in Australia by way of a franchise model. Following a few London pop-ups, Karen’s Diners have set up shop in Sheffield city centre and - bizarrely - three miles outside Manchester city centre in the Bury suburb of Prestwich. A further site in Birmingham’s Grand Central will open early next month and a fair few others are said to be in the works.
How rude are we talking?
Pretty rude. Diners can expect insults, sarcastic comments, and a general lack of corporation throughout. Things are dialled up a few notches in the evening too, with the group ‘strongly recommending’ that minors do not attend past 6pm on weekdays and 5pm on weekends. Customers are encouraged to give as good as they get because Karen’s Diner is “a place where you can complain until the cows come home because we literally don’t care”.
Is anything off limits?
Karen’s Diner has some house rules but they appear to be for diners rather than the staff. They include no racism, no sexism, no homophobic comments, no body image comments and - just like Hooters - no touching.
So those rules don’t apply to the staff?
Unclear, one would certainly hope so. Paul Levin, the man charged with overseeing the group’s UK and Europe rollout, says the aim is to be “rude and funny” rather than abusive. Diners are routinely sworn at - even kids, we hear - and are requested to wear chef’s hats with demeaning slogans including “I noshed Boris”.
Wow.
That’s nothing. At the more extreme end of the scale, an employee at Karen’s Diner Brisbane recently landed the group in hot water by (allegedly) asking a 14-year-old girl if she was filming for her OnlyFans before calling her dad a paedo and pretending to “wank himself off and jizz on the table”.
I think I might have lost my appetite…
Don't worry. The menu isn't much to write home about. Like the interiors, the food is said to take its cues from the diners of New York but the menu is far tighter than that might suggest, offering little more than burgers and fried chicken. Priced from £12, burgers include The Basic Karen, The Fiery Karen and Vegan Karen (see what they’ve done there?). Beef burgers are all made with wagyu, although the price point would suggest otherwise.
Let me guess, the cocktails are all Karens too
They are indeed. Options include The Nutty Karen, The Passionate Karen and The Sour Karen. There are also shooters - anyone remember them? - including “The Music Is Too Loud”, an amalgam of peach schnapps, Baileys and grenadine.
Classy stuff. I think I’ll stick with Wong Kei…
We normally wouldn’t comment, but we’re assuming those behind Karen’s Diner are a thick-skinned bunch. It’s a hard pass for us, the place sounds hideous. We’d also question the brand’s aggressive rollout strategy. Sure, people might go in once for a laugh and a few likes on social, but can a restaurant like Karen’s Diner ever hope to build the sort of following that makes a casual dining business a viable proposition in the long term? We suspect not.
