Latest news with #Karen'sDiner
The Irish Sun
28-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Popular Dublin restaurant announces shock closure after just one year as fans ‘absolutely gutted'
A POPULAR restaurant in the capital has announced its shock closure after just one year in business, leaving fans "gutted". Karen's Gone Wild on 2 Karen's Gone Wild is closing this weekend They wrote on Instagram: "After a wild ride, we've decided it's time to shut our doors. "Karen's will officially close after Sunday, August 3rd - so if you've ever wanted to experience the madness (or come back for round two), now's your last chance. "Like many independent spots, we've felt the pressure - VAT at 13.5%, rising costs, tight margins, and so much more. "A huge thank you to everyone who supported us, shouted at us, laughed with us, and made this place what it was. MOST READ IN MONEY "It's been unreal. Once again thank you for being part of it - we hope to see you one last time before we turn off the lights." And a number of customers rushed to the comments to share their thoughts. One said: "Absolutely gutted." Another added: "Oh no, I am so sorry to hear this." Most read in Money A third wrote: "Makes me sad!" I'm gutted Karen's Diner is closing down - the food was delicious and yes, they swore at my kids but I don't care Karen's Diner first began trading in O'Connell Street in early 2024. It was later rebranded to Karen's Gone Wild after becoming an independent Irish business later that year. 'CAN'T WAIT' Meanwhile, a major US flagship clothing store is set to Urban Outfitters is officially opening a new shop on Patrick Street in The trendy American fashion and lifestyle chain is moving into 101 Patrick Street, the former home of Dorothy Perkins. This will be Urban Outfitters' second store in Ireland, following its long-running location in Dublin's Temple Bar. The new Cork shop comes after a full high-end refurbishment of the four-storey building since it was closed in 2019 - making the move hugely anticipated. Only two of the floors will be open to customers, with retail space expected on the ground and first levels. Earlier this year, planning permission for shop front changes and internal upgrades was submitted to Cork City Council ahead of the new store announcement. Drawings show plans for new signage, fitting rooms, stair balustrades and merchandising units. Now operating over 177 stores in the US and 33 in the UK, it first launched in 1970 and originally targeted students with a mix of clothing, music and homeware. Its first Irish store opened in Dublin in 2000, and Cork will mark its return to retail expansion in Ireland. Cork's new location will sell a mix of men's and women's And shoppers can expect to find brands like Nike, Fila, Adidas and Champion sitting alongside their own-label designs. Urban Outfitters joins a wave of new arrivals on Patrick Street in the past two years - including Mango, Flannels, Dune, Sea Salt Cornwall and The North Face. 2 Dublin City has lost another restaurant Credit: Getty
Extra.ie
28-07-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Viral restaurant sensation to close Dublin diner less than a year after opening
A city centre restaurant known for its cheeky service and viral concept has announced its permanent closure, citing financial pressures faced by many small businesses. Karen's Diner, which opened on Dublin's O'Connell Street in early 2024, was originally part of a global chain inspired by the viral 'Karen' meme – where waiters and waitresses playfully adopt rude personas and pretend to deal with difficult customers. In November 2024, the venue rebranded as Karen's Gone Wild, becoming an independently owned Irish restaurant. Karen's Diner on O'Connell Street in Dublin. Pic: Fran Veale Despite the local ownership and loyal customer base, the team confirmed via social media over the weekend that the business will close for good on Sunday, August 3. 'After a wild ride, we've decided it's time to shut our doors. Karen's will officially close after Sunday, August 3rd. 'So if you've ever wanted to experience the madness (or come back for round two), now's your last chance. Like many independent spots, we've felt the pressure — VAT at 13.5%, rising costs, tight margins, and so much more. 'A huge thank you to everyone who supported us, shouted at us, laughed with us, and made this place what it was. It's been unreal. Once again thank you for being part of it — we hope to see you one last time before we turn off the lights.' Karen's closure adds to a growing list of hospitality venues struggling to stay afloat in Ireland, as rising operational costs, VAT increases, and narrow profit margins continue to pressure small businesses across the country.
Scottish Sun
06-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Famous fast food chain to shut its LAST branch in UK after being ‘forced into liquidation' with £400k debt
THE LAST branch of a famous fast food chain is set to shut its doors after being "forced into liquidation" with £400k debt. The unique restaurant went viral back in 2022 with its performative staff being purposely rude to guests. 4 The unique restaurant were viral in 2022 Credit: Karen's Diner 4 The chain will now close its last restaurant at the end of this month Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd Karen's diner on White Lion Street in London's Islington will close at the end of June after trading for two years. It's the restaurant's last remaining venue in the UK and is regularly described as one of the most memorable and bizarre dining experiences in the capital. With their deliberately rude waiters, Karen's has racked up millions of views on TikTok with clips of them insulting customers. Their website describes it as an "absurdly fun experience" where you are "greeted and waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of stupid games". The unique eatery was inspired by the popular internet meme of "being a Karen". This meme references people who love to take their anger out on retail staff and people who typically work in customer service establishments. The closure of their last UK branch represents a wider shift for the company as it moves away from permanent venues altogether. They are now looking to establish pop-ups at venues throughout the South of England. But until then, Karen's will be serving up their trademark sass in Islington until the end of the month. A decision not to renew the site on White Lion Street was made earlier this year. The announcement from Karen's said they had "enjoyed being rude to thousands of its customers". But they cited an increase in fixed costs, including business rates, for the closure of its final London location. It comes as Viral Ventures UK Ltd, the parent company of Karen's Diner, was "forced into liquidation" last year after owing £400k to creditors. 4 Staff deliberately insult customers at Karens Credit: Instagram A spokesman for the brand said: "We want to thank the restaurant manager and all of his team for all of their hard work delivering great entertainment night after night. "People don't understand how hard it is to run both a restaurant and a theatre simultaneously, especially in such fierce trading conditions.' The eatery was launched in Sydney, Australia in 2021 and opened its first restaurants in the UK in 2022 with locations in Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. Launches in London's Islington, Barnet and Brighton followed in 2023 in a rapid expansion. The Sun reported that the chain was growing in popularity with Brits at the time. The Brighton site closed in March after police found traces of cocaine on a baby changing table. A man was also slammed for taking his daughter to Karen's Diner for her eighth birthday. He shared a snippet of the evening's events that left people divided with some thinking it was hilarious and others saying it was "appalling" and "disgusting" to take a young child there.
The Irish Sun
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Famous fast food chain to shut its LAST branch in UK after being ‘forced into liquidation' with £400k debt
THE LAST branch of a famous fast food chain is set to shut its doors after being "forced into liquidation" with £400k debt. The unique restaurant went viral back in 2022 with its performative staff being purposely rude to guests. Advertisement 4 The unique restaurant were viral in 2022 Credit: Karen's Diner 4 The chain will now close its last restaurant at the end of this month Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd Karen's diner on White Lion Street in London's Islington will close at the end of June after trading for two years. It's the restaurant's last remaining venue in the UK and is regularly described as one of the most memorable and bizarre dining experiences in the capital. With their deliberately rude waiters, Karen's has racked up millions of views on TikTok with clips of them insulting customers. Their website describes it as an "absurdly fun experience" where you are "greeted and waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of stupid games". Advertisement Read more News The unique eatery was inspired by the popular internet meme of " This meme references people who love to take their anger out on retail staff and people who typically work in customer service establishments. The closure of their last UK branch represents a wider shift for the company as it moves away from permanent venues altogether. They are now looking to establish pop-ups at venues throughout the South of England. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive But until then, Karen's will be serving up their trademark sass in Islington until the end of the month. A decision not to renew the site on White Lion Street was made earlier this year. The announcement from Karen's said they had "enjoyed being rude to thousands of its customers". But they cited an increase in fixed costs, including business rates, for the closure of its final London location. Advertisement It comes as Viral Ventures UK Ltd, the parent company of Karen's Diner, was 4 Staff deliberately insult customers at Karens Credit: Instagram A spokesman for the brand said: "We want to thank the restaurant manager and all of his team for all of their hard work delivering great entertainment night after night. "People don't understand how hard it is to run both a restaurant and a theatre simultaneously, especially in such fierce trading conditions.' Advertisement The eatery was launched in Sydney, Australia in 2021 and opened its first restaurants in the UK in 2022 with locations in Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. Launches in London's Islington, Barnet and Brighton followed in 2023 in a rapid expansion. The Sun reported that the chain was growing in popularity with Brits at the time. The Brighton site closed in March after police found traces of cocaine on a baby changing table. Advertisement He shared a snippet of the evening's events that left people divided with some thinking it was hilarious and others saying it was "appalling" and "disgusting" to take a young child there. 4 It's staff are regularly rude and insulting to customers Credit: Instagram
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Karen's Diner management admits money "owed" to worker
An ex-employee of theme restaurant Karen's Diner, which sells itself on the performance of rude service, has secured a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruling that she is due hundreds of euro in unpaid tips, in the third such decision against the chain. The worker, Carenin Rosa De Oliveira, quit her job at Karen's Diner on O'Connell Street in Dublin after going six months without receiving her share of the money, which she was meant to receive according to her ex-employer's tipping policy, she told the WRC. It seemed to her that the "non-payment of the monies owed was accumulating with no end in sight", she added. The worker's further evidence was that there was "a general unease among staff concerning the non-distribution of tips and gratuities and service charges". Her employer "knew that there was a problem, but kept putting off making any payment", she added. Roberta Urbon, of human resources consultancy Peninsula Business Services, appeared for the restaurant. Her submission was that the business "concedes there are some monies owed", the tribunal recorded. Adjudication officer Penelope McGrath wrote in her decision that the respondent had failed to provide evidence on how the money owed to Ms Rosa De Oliveira ought to be calculated and therefore had not "repudiated" the worker's claims. Ms McGrath noted the complainant had told her she "could not give an exact figure" and had "erred on the side of modesty" in bringing her claim for that reason. "I accept that the complainant, who gave very compelling evidence, is only looking for what she says ought to have been paid to her in the course of her employment," the adjudicator added. She upheld three separate complaints by Ms Rosa de Oliveira under the Payment of Wages Act, awarding her a total of €796 for the breaches. In decisions issued in March and April this year, the restaurant's management was directed to pay over €1,200 to two other staff on foot of similar complaints. It had not appeared before the tribunal in response to either of the previous claims. The decision published today in favour of Ms Rosa De Oliveira brings the total sum awarded to former staff of the restaurant to €2,014. The international theme restaurant chain, which is marketed an interactive dining experience with "rude service as part of the performance, opened its doors on O'Connell Street in Dublin in 2024. Another former employee, Maria Wilkinson, said in evidence to the tribunal that was told the service charge paid by customers would be "divided between all employees" and that she had expected that to be worth €1,000 to €2,000. However, she said she never got any share of that. The adjudicator in that case concluded that there were "significant tips" being generated by the restaurant but that "whatever became of the tips is not clear except to the extent that neither the complainant nor her co-workers received any of them". He awarded Ms Wilkinson €1,018.40, four weeks' wages, for a "breach of her rights" under the Payment of Wages Act. Sarah Butler, a member of floor staff who worked at the restaurant from January to March 2024, secured €200 in compensation for the non-payment of cash tips in her final week of employment. Ms Butler had also sought compensation for electronic tips she said were not paid to her going back to the start of last year, but that aspect of her complaint was ruled out of time.
