An Aussie entrepreneur has launched a number of restaurants called Karen’s Diner, with the concept of bad service, rude staff and ‘Karen’ like managers.
The name references the recent ‘Karen’ phenomenon; a word that’s being used to describe women who are entitled and rude. Urban Dictionary describes a ‘Karen’ as, “a pejorative name associated with uptight, middle-class, do-gooder types of white women.”
The first ‘Karen’s Diner’ opened in Sydney just over a year ago, and it is regularly booked out months in advance. There are now six of the diners open in Australia, with a seventh opening in Perth this August. Customers can expect to be berated by the staff, experience terrible service and even be asked to clean their own table.
Videos of the staff behaving badly have blown up social media and racked up hundreds of comments. One user posted a video videoing the diner with her mum, without telling her the concept of Karen’s Diner.
@christinapodolyan Omg recommend this to everyone with a European parent I CANT @Karen’s Diner #karensdiner #fyp #rip ♬ Sneaky Snitch – Kevin MacLeod
Karen’s Diner co-founder Aden Levin explained the inspiration behind the restaurant idea.
“The infamous Karen meme was going viral at the same time as our staff were having to enforce vaccine passports and other restrictions, which meant they were on the receiving end of a lot of unnecessary ‘Karen’ behaviour from customers,” Levin told Perth Now.
“We understood that people were just frustrated with lockdowns, but it did make us think about a concept where we could flip the hospitality mantra and create a diner where staff could be rude to the customers and get paid for it.
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“Karen’s Diner is a fully immersive dining experience which is more than just walking in and getting sassed by your waiter — it’s a fun experience where customers take part in games, challenges and lots of different things while dining.”
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