Job descriptions that require employees to be actively rude to customers are as rare as they come. To add, I wouldn’t look for one – although I appreciate this would be a dream to some (if not many).
The thought of being unpleasant to people isn’t something I would get a kick out of. I even find myself cringing from guilt when I forget to wave at drivers that have given way to me or when my Ps and Qs don’t roll off the tongue.
So when the opportunity to be transformed into a Karen for a Karen’s Diner On Tour event in Aberdeen presented itself to me, I had doubts.
Not only is being rude not in my nature, but I have also never worked in hospitality. Written about the industry, yes, but serving restaurant goers, no.
However, those doubts were met with equal amounts of intrigue.
What is Karen’s Diner?
While videos from Karen’s Diner events worldwide have bombarded my social media pages for months now, particularly TikTok, I understand the concept may be unfamiliar to some.
In a nutshell, Karen’s Diner is a restaurant chain that describes itself as a “unique, interactive dining experience”. Staff are expected to put on an abrasive persona and comically ridicule customers.
Starting out in Australia, it has restaurants in England and Wales but has yet to open an official site north of the border.
Training
Prior to training, I had so many questions.
What is the uniform? What can and can’t I say? Can customers be rude back? What if things get out of hand?
It’s important to point out that there are house rules, which were outlined to me by Paul Levin, head of media/PR for Karen’s Diner outside of Australia – AKA one of my Karen’s Diner gurus.
We set up a phone call and my queries were answered.
He highlighted a number of important things, but the one that stuck out is that I simply had to “not care about anything” – easier said than done.
“A Karen is purely somebody that just can’t be bothered and couldn’t give a damn,” Paul said. “You keep ‘I don’t care’ in your head all the time.
“The key to playing the role is to speak very slowly, never ever smile and be ‘starey’. It’s all very slow with a lot of stares.
“If you’re going to swear which is part of the brand I guess, only swear to accentuate something.”
@karlasinclair Karen’s Diner On Tour at the Palm Court Hotel in Aberdeen 📍 The Palm Court Hotel is playing host to several Karen’s Diner pop-ups this weekend with tickets priced at £40 per person. Each customer will get two courses and three drinks tokens, and the chance to take part in party games. The pop-up will also return to the hotel at the end of June! #fyp #foodtiktok #scotlandfood #foryoupage #scotlandtiktok #karensdiner #karensoftiktok #karensgonewild #aberdeen
Training session complete, which I learned a lot from, I also spent a fair bit of time listing some plausible insults of my own until the day arrived. Were they great? No.
I rocked up to the Palm Court Hotel on Seafield Road at 4.30pm yesterday for some additional training ahead of being handed my apron. Scrap that, it was thrown at me in stereotypical Karen style.
Saying that, the team was super friendly and intrigued about what I was up to.
The (fake) Karens love it
The hotel hosted two pop-up Karen’s Diner sittings last night from 5.30pm to 7.30pm and 8.30pm to 10.30pm.
Held in one of the function rooms, the decor – including checked tablecloths and neon lights – was lots of fun. But of course, the main event was the Karens. It’s impossible to miss them in their Barbie pink aprons.
We had some time to kill before the unwanted guests arrived. I spoke with some of the team, all of whom were dawning inappropriate or comical name tags. My name tag was on the inappropriate side, so isn’t suitable to include in this piece…
Anyway, the team spoke of the highs and lows of being a Karen but, to be perfectly honest, they made it clear there are far more highs.
“I love it, it’s given me the chance to see so many places in the UK,” said one of the Karens named ‘Side Eye’.
While they admitted their working hours are long, you wouldn’t have been able to tell. Each Karen was raring to go and couldn’t wait to hurl abuse at innocent customers.
I, on the other hand, was petrified.
‘I have never felt so overwhelmed’
Each Karen has their own designated tables to look after. There were eight tables in the room with around 12 seats.
Karen’s On Tour doesn’t run a standard restaurant service. Guests at each sitting arrive roughly all at once, so when the function room doors opened a stampede of couples and groups flooded in.
I have never felt so overwhelmed, whereas the Karens were thriving off of it.
Straight away you could see regret in people’s eyes as the name-calling and swearing started off the bat. Kids were told to shut up while adults were snubbed at the door and glared at as if they were rats.
Some people weren’t feeling it. However, the vast majority were in hysterics and some (particularly the youngsters) were giving it back to them. There were a fair few who rarely put down their middle fingers.
Tickets cost £40 per person. I couldn’t believe how busy the venue was considering all of these people had splashed their hard-earned money to be ridiculed.
The service was very prompt with food and drinks making their way from the bar and kitchen right away.
In an attempt to hear what diners were saying about the event so far, I was met with terrified glances. Wearing the apron gave you so much power. With that, I dished out some food, drinks, and dirty looks.
A lot of the guests seemed to be loving it and it made for a great (albeit very unique) atmosphere, along with the interactive games that took place during the sitting.
Could I be a Karen?
I took so many things away from this experience but all in all, I am no Karen. I am certainly not witty enough and simply don’t have the ability to be rude to people. Any time I attempted it, I either failed miserably or felt awful.
Thick skin is also a must. While the Karens dish out plenty of horrible remarks, they get it back. Trust me.
I have so much respect for anyone that works in a Karen’s Diner or as part of the Karen’s On Tour team. The group I met was an extremely talented and committed bunch and most importantly, they love what they do.
The Karen’s Diner pop-up at Palm Court Hotel is hosting more sittings today and tomorrow – 11am to 1pm, 1.30pm to 3.30pm, 4pm to 6pm, and 6.30pm to 8.30pm on both days.
The sitting times will be the same when the pop-up returns from Friday June 30 to Sunday July 2.
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