Latest news with #KarensDiner
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Karen's Diner where staff are intentionally rude to customers to close its last UK restaurant after chain battled drug scandal
The final UK Karen's Diner restaurant where staff are intentionally rude to customers will close its doors at the end of this month. London 's Islington location will shut following two years of trading after bosses decided against renewing the franchise's lease. The restaurant, which has welcomed numerous famous faces, including Kate Garraway, Denise Van Outen, and Coleen Rooney, is known for its staff being rude to customers, with some clips going viral of staff going 'too far'. One grandmother was left mortified last year after her waitress called her a 'silly b****' - while a father visiting an Australian branch of the restaurant was called a 'peado' in front of his 14-year-old daughter. Karen's Diner, inspired by the internet trend of calling someone who always complains or gets angry at hospitality staff a 'Karen', said the upcoming closure resulted from 'the additional burden' of increased fixed costs, The Caterer reported. The news comes after the restaurant's parent company, Viral Ventures UK, went into liquidation in September last year. At the time, Viral Ventures UK reportedly owed over £400,000 to creditors, according to its accounts recorded to Companies House via Restaurant News Online. The pending closure follows numerous Karen's Diner controversies, including when far-right commentator Katie Hopkins hosted a guest appearance at the chain's Prestwich branch last March, which led to anti-racist protests outside the restaurant. That same month, Karen's Diner in Brighton Marina closed its doors after high traces of drugs were found on the premises. The diner chain ceased trading at the franchise after a high reading of cocaine was found on a baby changing table following a police investigation. In addition to the significant traces of drugs found, including MDMA, heroin, and ketamine, Sussex Police also discovered that the restaurant had broken licensing and safety rules. Police investigated the branch after a customer filed a complaint regarding a joke made about a child, according to The Argus. The force later requested that Brighton and Hove City Council review the licence amid safeguarding concerns. The branch opted to cease trading one day before a formal hearing in front of a panel of three councillors was set to take place. Police entered the premises during a licensing check on 2 February, 2024, and found traces of cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and ketamine in the toilets, on the kitchen pass, reception area, and on a customer table. Sergeant Vince Lam was present during the investigation and told The Argus: 'There are some very high readings and most alarmingly a (very high reading) for cocaine on the baby-changing table. 'During changing, the baby's fingers could contact the surface where drugs have been consumed and (they could) then place their fingers in their mouth causing possible harm.' High readings indicate that a surface has come into contact with 'bulk amounts' of a drug. Low readings suggest cross-contamination, background contamination or greatly degraded historic contamination. In addition to the high readings located on the baby's changing table, police found low readings of cocaine at the reception desk, bar card machine, a customer table and in the men's toilets. Low readings for heroin were found on the kitchen serving counter and the ladies toilet hand dryer. A medium reading for heroin was found in the ladies restroom bin alongside a medium reading for ecstasy. The ladies restroom also had a low reading for ketamine. In addition to the high presence of drugs found at the location, the force also discovered that the franchise was breaching its licence. At the time of the investigation, staff were unable to find the CCTV hard drive. Police travelled back to the Brighton Marina the following day, only to find that the system had been removed. The force then spoke to the premise's licence holder the next day, but he was also unaware of the hard drive's location. The designated premise's supervisor, who is responsible for alcohol sales at the restaurant, was also flagged in the report for not being present at the restaurant often enough. A representative from Karen's Diner told MailOnline at the time: 'Having investigated and studied the findings of Brighton and Hove Licensing Unit, we have decided to terminate our Franchise agreement with the Brighton operators. 'As from Monday the 4th of March, Karen's Diner will no longer trade on The Marina. 'Our restaurants are intended to offer outrageously funny experiences, and never to cause offence. 'Clearly the restaurant has operated outside of our guidelines and this is unacceptable. 'We take this opportunity of thanking the thousands of people that have been brave enough to visit and we share their disappointment as we announce this closure.' Karen's Diner launched in Sydney, Australia, in 2021 before opening branches in the UK. The chain's website described it as 'an interactive diner and an absurdly fun experience' - you get waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of 'stupid games.' Now, Karen's Diner is reportedly diverting attention away from brick-and-mortar restaurants and towards pop-up events.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Viral fast food restaurant to shut its last branch in UK after going into liquidation with £400k debt
The last branch of a well-loved fast food chain will finally close it's doors after it was revealed it owed £400,000 to creditors. Karen's Diner went viral in 2022 for its purposefully rude staff and terrible service with branches popping up all over the UK. But it was revealed last year that the Australian parent company had been forced in to liquidation with sites across Britain quietly closing up shop. The bizarre business will now focus on hosting pop-ups in the south of England after its final site permanently closes at the end of June. The unique restaurant was first opened two years ago and prided itself on swearing at customers, rude staff and silly games. The chain's website described it as 'an interactive diner and an absurdly fun experience' - you get waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of 'stupid games.' But it seems the appetite for the odd experience has now gone despite Karen's Diners across the UK experiencing viral fame. The managers of the final branch in London told The Sun the decision not to renew the contract for the premises was made earlier this year because of increased costs and business rates. A spokesman for the brand told the publication: '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 concept was based on the 'being a Karen' meme which referred to middle-aged women who were considered too demanding. The first restaurant opened in Sydney, Australia in 2021 and UK branches landed in Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham in 2022. The following year branches in London's Islington, Barnet and Brighton opened. And it seemed like the business was booming with an e xpansion in to the hotel industry last year. The eatery partnered with the Hadley Hotel in Barnet, North London to give guests the 'worst hotel stay' they'll ever have. The Hotel have said: 'If you thought Karen's Diner is bad, you've seen nothing yet. 'Welcome to Karen's Hotel - possibly the worst hotel stay you'll ever encounter. Get ready for an absurdly fun experience. 'At Karen's hotel and diner experience, you will be greeted by rude hotel staff and waiters and taken to a room where you never know what you will find.' YouTuber Eddie Hall documented his 'awful' stay at the hotel for his followers in January 2024, which he called the 'craziest overnight challenge he has done'. On arrival at the check-in desk Eddie, who went with his son were greeted by a rude staff member who told them to carry their own bags to the room. But things went from bad to worse when they found a two hotel employees in their room lying on the bed watching the TV and using their bathroom. Throughout the night Eddie claimed their door beeped non-stop, meaning they struggled to get any sleep and their pillows were filled with tissue and Styrofoam. There was no toilet rolls or towels, and there was only a second-hand bar of soap for the guest to use. Prices started at £179 for the package for two people, and it includes an overnight stay at the hotel and a meal at Karen's Diner, as well as a breakfast the next morning.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The 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 4 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 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. 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. 4
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Karen's Diner ordered to pay former employee unpaid tips
An ex-employee of theme restaurant Karen's Diner 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 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, Dublin in 2024. The worker, Carenin Rosa De Oliveira, quit her job at Karen's Diner 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. READ MORE 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. [ Karen's Diner: 'Sit down and shut up!' one waiter shouts as I eat my flavourless burger Opens in new window ] 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 on Tuesday in favour of Ms Rosa De Oliveira brings the total sum awarded to former staff of the restaurant to €2,014. 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.
