Karen's Diner was an Australian chain of theme restaurants. The restaurant is known for advertising a deliberately unpleasant dining experience, and staff were instructed to insult customers throughout their meal. The restaurant's name came from the internet slang term Karen, used to describe an older white woman perceived as entitled or excessively demanding.
History
The chain was established in 2021 in Sydney by Aden Levin and James Farrell.[1] It was a theme restaurant based around the concept of an unpleasant dining experience where customers pay for employees to insult them.[2] The restaurant was originally planned to be a six-month pop-up restaurant at World Square.[3] The restaurant's concept initially drew a mixed response, raising concerns about whether the environment of mutual insults would expose employees to abuse by customers.[4]