The pop-up restaurant is a TikTok famous novelty restaurant chain that garnered its cult status for the intentionally rude way its staff interacts with customers.
Described by the restaurant as “an interactive diner and an absurdly fun experience”. Karen’s Diner has amassed more than 800,000 followers on TikTok. This is in part due to their viral clips of service staff offering amusingly awful service to paying customers.
@karensdinerofficial Dealing with you filthy people every day is literally driving us to insanity 😤🤪🙃 #karensdiner #sydneykarens #karensoftiktok #karensdinerau ♬ original sound – hi I'm Benny
Karen’s Diner was initially launched last year in Sydney, Australia, by Viral Ventures Global. It’s named for the viral ‘Karen’ internet meme of aggressive complainants looking to speak to managers.
The chain’s menu consists of traditional diner meals such as burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings and a variety of fries. Think Eddie Rockets, but the schtick is they’re as intentionally rude to you as the “Eat and Get Out” sign.
The Caterer reports that Karen’s Diner is planning an expansion with a location in Dublin in the works as the brand looks to capitalise on its online notoriety. The Diner currently has two locations in the UK. It remains to be seen where and when Karen’s Diner will set up shop in our fair city.
Karen’s Diner has courted controversy on occasion, with staff taking rudeness too far.
Recently, the chain was forced to apologise to a family in Brisbane. A waiter allegedly called a teenage girl a “tart” and asked if she was on OnlyFans. Then went on to call a young boy a “c**t” and ask if the girl’s father was “a paedo.”
In its public apology for the incident, Karen’s Diner said: “As a venue, we are all about offering a fun experience for all patrons. We have strict guidelines in place for both staff and customers. So we were really disappointed to learn of this incident that occurred.”
Elsewhere on CHAR: How to Upgrade to BBQ Level Expert