A restaurant where staff are trained to insult customers has announced an opening date for its first Welsh restaurant. Karen's Diner, known for its "bad service," is set to open in Newport's Friars Walk Shopping Centre, having gained in popularity since first opening in Sydney, Australia in 2021.
The chain, which has the motto “great burgers and very rude service”, opened in early 2022 in Birmingham, Sheffield, and Manchester. It was announced in December that the diner had chosen Newport for its first ever Welsh site and last week revealed it was looking for staff at its new Welsh branch.
The restaurant, which originally went viral on TikTok for its rude staff whose job is to ensure no customer gets 'service with a smile', will be opening its doors in Newport on Friday, February 17.
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At Karen’s Diner customers can eat burgers to their heart’s content while being waited on by the rude staff who chuck the menus at diners’ feet and force customers to play a variety of games. The diner is knows for its "kick-ass" burgers, wings, fries and other classic diner favourites.
The restaurant’s name is very deliberate with the reference to Karen, which is now a well-known slang term for an entitled or demanding woman. But if your name is actually Karen, you get a free drink - just don't ask for the manager.
Although the dining experience is to be as rude as you like while at the diner, there are some house rules the must be followed; no racist, sexist, homophobic or ableist comments, no body shaming, no sexual harassment, vandalism or throwing food.
Simon Pullen, centre director at Friars Walk, said: "We’re delighted to be welcoming Karen’s Diner to Wales. Our restaurant quarter in Usk Plaza offers a wide range of restaurants, with high street favourites sitting alongside unique independents, and Karen’s Diner is sure to attract a great deal of attention with its unique, fun dining experience!"
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