Karen (slang) – internet meme describing an obnoxious and entitled, middle-aged white woman, exhibiting excessively demanding behaviour.

Karen’s Diner is just what is sounds like – a themed restaurant based on the Karen meme. It is most known for its awful service and rude staff, and its Dublin branch opened on O’Connell Street earlier this year.

Karen’s service includes awkward games and personal insults. To give you examples of what that means, I’ve been ridiculed via a megaphone for being a vegetarian, while my friend was called out for video recording and chosen to spin the wheel which ended up with her singing in Karen-oke. They did pick out an Abba song for her though which she ended up nailing! Meanwhile, another customer had to do a lap around the place, pretending to be a monkey. They also gave out paper hats to some other people, having written something on it, such as ‘I’m a brat’.

None of the activities we experienced during our visit were in any way over the top in my opinion. It was good, if sometimes misjudged or miss landed, banter. There are several house rules we had to follow, but so did the staff members to keep things in line, so the experience was exactly what I signed up for. A lot of people will not enjoy this experience though, and that’s alright too.

Having covered the Karen part, let’s move on to the gastronomy section.

First off, booking is essential, it is for 1 hour, and it carried with it a fee, which then gets deducted from your final bill on the day. Both the setting and the menu are based on the ‘American Diner’ concept, with burgers as the primary option on the menu.

Note: There is a minimum spend of 20 euro per person required.

It is a bit outrageous but easy to get past with their high prices. On one side, I get it, because otherwise people would come in to participate in the immersive experience having bought the cheapest item, but 20 euro for a diner burger is a bit mad. I liked my veggie one but not enough to pay that money for it again, whereas my friend was not impressed with her meat option.

The entire experience depends on who you are as a person. I feel like only someone who’s able to take a joke about themselves will enjoy this event. I personally did. It is innovative, but I will not be going back to Karen’s Diner. Experiencing it once is enough.