Ever wanted to be insulted while you tuck into a burger? Well, prepare for insults to fly as the UK's 'rudest restaurant' prepares to go on tour.
Karen's Diner, the dining concept where staff are purposely rude, has opened sites in cities including Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham, and is now taking its sassy comebacks and withering commentary on the road.
This summer, the pop-up experience - known for its 'rude waiters and terrible service' - will be hitting up cities including Newcastle, Edinburgh, Bristol and Portsmouth, plus many more. Promising the "full and authentic Karen experience", tickets include `bottomless pizza' or burgers and prosecco as part of a 90-minute party.
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People can pay for the privileged of being insulted, with tickets starting at £39, and the tour has also teased longer-term pop-ups or to stay for longer if people "show up in force". The dining experience will see guests "greeted and waited upon by rude waiters who in return are expecting you to give it full Karen".
The dining concept, which originated in Australia, either fills customers with delight or dread, as staff are purposely rude, unhelpful or dismissive. It's described as "a place where you can complain until the cows come home because we literally don't care".
It has gone viral on social media in recent years, with clips generating 1.8 billion TikTok views and 1.4 million social media followers. Many have posted shocking videos of their experiences at the restaurant - with some people even bringing their grandparents along without any prior warning of what to expect.
That is exactly what happened to 73-year-old grandma Barbara from Blackburn, who visited the Prestwich branch last October. The interactive dining experience opened in the town last year, though Barbara didn't get the memo before she was taken by her daughter Jo Billington-Game.
In a TikTok video, which has was viewed more than 14 million times, Barbara was visibly gobsmacked when the restaurant host greets her by saying: "What d'you want grandma". After turning to her family, she quickly responded: "I'd like you to speak nicely".
After a bit more back-and-forth, an incredulous Barbara asked: "bloody hell, who booked this?" much to the amusement of her family. Her daughter said that Barbara eventually started having fun and that members of staff had to keep going to the back to laugh.
However, just last month at the Manchester branch, staff chucked out a family for breaking one of its house rules. Jack Keith, 17, and his family visited the Manchester branch in March, but were ordered to leave for body shaming a member of staff.
Footage, which went viral, shows an in-character waitress hear Jack calling her a ‘wh**e’ under his breath. Following a sassy exchange, the conversation quickly turned sour when she asked him his age and he quipped back 'how old are you, you fat sl*g?'.
The angry waitress immediately told another member of staff before returning to the table to tell them they were being kicked out. The family had to pay the £25 drinks bill and leave due to the house rules about ‘no body shaming’.
Many may not realise, but there's a handful of rules customers have to abide by when dining at Karen's. "In order to maintain a shred of sanity" the restaurant has set out some basic rules, to keep "both staff and customers as safe as possible".
The rules listed on the website include; "No racist, sexist, homophobic or ableist comments or slurs will be tolerated. No body shaming. No sexual harassment. Keep your food and drink on your tables, don't throw them, it's not fun."
Tickets for the series of pop-ups start from £39.99 and include a burger or pizza and bottomless prosecco, select sprits, mixers and soft drinks for a full 90 minutes. More details can be found on the Karen's Diner website.
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