I went to a 'Karen' diner, where being rude and disrespectful is elevated to an art form, and got completely roasted by the staff

Mia JankowiczJul 23, 2022, 15:46 IST

Left: The author in Karen's Diner. Right: A Karen's Diner waitress yells at the authorInsider

I went to Karen's Diner in Sheffield, England, which promises "great burgers and very rude service."
It absolutely fulfilled that brief.

Karen's Diner is an Australian chain of burger restaurants where the staff are guaranteed to be insulting — and the customer is invited to channel their inner "Karen" and be rude back. They've opened two in the UK, so I tried out the Sheffield branch.

A general view of Karen's Diner without customers.Insider

Karen's Diner is an Australian chain of burger restaurants where the staff are guaranteed to be insulting — and the customer is invited to channel their inner "Karen" and be rude back. They've opened two in the UK, so I tried out the Sheffield branch.

The two UK diners are in the northern English cities of Manchester and Sheffield.

Karen's diner has opened in Manchester and Sheffield.Google Maps/Sheffield

Karen's Diner Sheffield is right next to the railway station and a short walk from some popular gardens and art galleries. The diner itself is on a distinctly unmemorable main road, and our route to get there from a big parking lot was a bit less salubrious.

The outside of Karen's Diner.Insider

Karen's Diner Sheffield is right next to the railway station and a short walk from some popular gardens and art galleries. The diner itself is on a distinctly unmemorable main road, and our route to get there from a big parking lot was a bit less salubrious.

We got a warm welcome on arrival.

The maître d' at Karen's Diner.Insider

As we walked in, the vibe was upbeat and borderline chaotic. An MC was loudly roasting a diner's fashion sense.

A customer getting insulted at Karen's Diner.Insider

A Karen led us toward our table, which was past the bar and directly by the open kitchen. The interiors leaned heavily into a fun, neon-chrome-and-checkerboard classic diner style.

Being led to our table.Insider

A Karen led us toward our table, which was past the bar and directly by the open kitchen. The interiors leaned heavily into a fun, neon-chrome-and-checkerboard classic diner style.

They tossed some menus in the general direction of the table and walked off.

Karen's Diner menus.Insider

The crowd was mainly groups of young people, who were chatting over the sound of cheesy 80s music and loud profanities.

A view of the bar, open kitchen, and tables at Karen's Diner.Insider

The dirty menus were a bit offputting and I'm not sure that was a deliberate part of the vibe.

A splat of something stuck onto the menu.Insider

For cocktails, we had a Tropical Karen and a Sour Karen, which came with a sherbet candy. One of the waiters stole that and ate it in front of us while we just watched.

Two cocktails at Karen's Diner.Insider

We ordered the Karen's American cousin beefburger, the Royale Karen chicken burger, and a side of beer-battered onion rings. Everything was dumped unceremoniously on the table in plastic baskets with a choice of fries.

Two burgers and a portion of onion rings at Karen's diner.Insider

We ordered the Karen's American cousin beefburger, the Royale Karen chicken burger, and a side of beer-battered onion rings. Everything was dumped unceremoniously on the table in plastic baskets with a choice of fries.

My friend said her beef burger was among the best she's had. The beef was cooked just right — slightly pink inside — and she enjoyed the big crisp chunks of lettuce hearts that added crunch.

My friend loved her Karen's diner burger.Insider

My friend said her beef burger was among the best she's had. The beef was cooked just right — slightly pink inside — and she enjoyed the big crisp chunks of lettuce hearts that added crunch.

It's a distinctly messy experience. Juicy tomatoes, piles of sauce, and a generous amount of avocado in the chicken burger had me seeking out napkins (and then getting yelled at by the staff).

My messy Karen's Diner chicken burger.Insider

It's a distinctly messy experience. Juicy tomatoes, piles of sauce, and a generous amount of avocado in the chicken burger had me seeking out napkins (and then getting yelled at by the staff).

The onion rings were a highlight.

The author eating onion rings at Karen's diner.Insider

We didn't taste dessert, but the offerings looked sticky and basic, in a good way. This was "Karen's marvelous churro surprise," and was loaded with Nutella, ice cream, and assorted toppings.

A dessert at Karen's Diner.Insider

We didn't taste dessert, but the offerings looked sticky and basic, in a good way. This was "Karen's marvelous churro surprise," and was loaded with Nutella, ice cream, and assorted toppings.

A lot of people had their phones out to take pictures and videos, and it seemed pretty clear that a big part of the appeal is to help you feed the social-media content monster. I wondered if the novelty might wear off after repeat visits.

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The staff kept up a running stream of snark, insults, and petty harassment which, I quickly realized, is far harder than it looks. You have to be pretty creative to roast someone entertainingly for an entire evening.

My friend looking at a waiter at Karen's diner.Insider

The staff kept up a running stream of snark, insults, and petty harassment which, I quickly realized, is far harder than it looks. You have to be pretty creative to roast someone entertainingly for an entire evening.

Do not, under any circumstances, get in their way.

Front-of-house staff yelling at Karen's Diner.Insider

We completely failed to offer even a hint of pushback. My friend turned into an outrageous flirt. I spent most of my time giggling or apologizing.

The author's friend loving the waiters at Karen's diner.Insider

The MC declared she was "bored now" and hauled me up to take a spin on the Wheel of Misfortune, which assigns party games like charades, but the main point is to humiliate you in front of strangers.

The wheel of misfortune at Karen's Diner.Insider

The MC declared she was "bored now" and hauled me up to take a spin on the Wheel of Misfortune, which assigns party games like charades, but the main point is to humiliate you in front of strangers.

I asked what the comedy horn next to the retro telephone was for and learned that it was for honking at my face.

A comedy horn at Karen's Diner.Insider

They gave me a takeout box for my leftovers. They told us to leave a "massive tip, in cash," before telling us to fuck off and get out.

A takeout box containing my leftover onion rings, with "poo sample" scrawled on it.Insider

All in all, Karen's Diner Sheffield was decidedly trashy and super fun, and I'd recommend it for a bachelorette party, or to get the party started before a big night out — if not for a romantic date or a deep conversation. The staff have massively committed to being awful, and I respect that. I have to. I'm terrified of them.

Karen's Diner Sheffield as we left.Insider

All in all, Karen's Diner Sheffield was decidedly trashy and super fun, and I'd recommend it for a bachelorette party, or to get the party started before a big night out — if not for a romantic date or a deep conversation. The staff have massively committed to being awful, and I respect that. I have to. I'm terrified of them.

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I went to a 'Karen' diner, where being rude and disrespectful is elevated to an art form, and got completely roasted by the staff

Karen's Diner is an Australian chain of burger restaurants where the staff are guaranteed to be insulting — and the customer is invited to channel their inner "Karen" and be rude back. They've opened two in the UK, so I tried out the Sheffield branch.

The two UK diners are in the northern English cities of Manchester and Sheffield.

Karen's Diner Sheffield is right next to the railway station and a short walk from some popular gardens and art galleries. The diner itself is on a distinctly unmemorable main road, and our route to get there from a big parking lot was a bit less salubrious.

We got a warm welcome on arrival.

As we walked in, the vibe was upbeat and borderline chaotic. An MC was loudly roasting a diner's fashion sense.

A Karen led us toward our table, which was past the bar and directly by the open kitchen. The interiors leaned heavily into a fun, neon-chrome-and-checkerboard classic diner style.

They tossed some menus in the general direction of the table and walked off.

The crowd was mainly groups of young people, who were chatting over the sound of cheesy 80s music and loud profanities.

The dirty menus were a bit offputting and I'm not sure that was a deliberate part of the vibe.

For cocktails, we had a Tropical Karen and a Sour Karen, which came with a sherbet candy. One of the waiters stole that and ate it in front of us while we just watched.

We ordered the Karen's American cousin beefburger, the Royale Karen chicken burger, and a side of beer-battered onion rings. Everything was dumped unceremoniously on the table in plastic baskets with a choice of fries.

My friend said her beef burger was among the best she's had. The beef was cooked just right — slightly pink inside — and she enjoyed the big crisp chunks of lettuce hearts that added crunch.

It's a distinctly messy experience. Juicy tomatoes, piles of sauce, and a generous amount of avocado in the chicken burger had me seeking out napkins (and then getting yelled at by the staff).

The onion rings were a highlight.

We didn't taste dessert, but the offerings looked sticky and basic, in a good way. This was "Karen's marvelous churro surprise," and was loaded with Nutella, ice cream, and assorted toppings.

A lot of people had their phones out to take pictures and videos, and it seemed pretty clear that a big part of the appeal is to help you feed the social-media content monster. I wondered if the novelty might wear off after repeat visits.

The staff kept up a running stream of snark, insults, and petty harassment which, I quickly realized, is far harder than it looks. You have to be pretty creative to roast someone entertainingly for an entire evening.

Do not, under any circumstances, get in their way.

We completely failed to offer even a hint of pushback. My friend turned into an outrageous flirt. I spent most of my time giggling or apologizing.

The MC declared she was "bored now" and hauled me up to take a spin on the Wheel of Misfortune, which assigns party games like charades, but the main point is to humiliate you in front of strangers.

I asked what the comedy horn next to the retro telephone was for and learned that it was for honking at my face.

They gave me a takeout box for my leftovers. They told us to leave a "massive tip, in cash," before telling us to fuck off and get out.