Karen's Diner, an Australian-Based Chain That 'Hates Good Service,' Is Coming to the U.S. Again The Australia- based chain has one U.S. location in St. Louis and is set to bring its "great burgers and very rude service" to Chicago residents this week as a pop-up.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

picture alliance | Getty Images
Sydney, Australia. A waiter grabs the microphone at Karen's Diner and exposes customers in various trivia games.

Karen's Diner is an unconventional chain for the restaurant business: it guarantees rude servers and bad service.

Dubbed an "interactive diner," the Australian-based restaurant leans into the Karen trope of "being a Karen" to its bad dining experience and amplifies it, making the rudeness and forced games part of the fun. The waiters are ruthless, with one customer recalling the server asking: "Do you want me to wipe your arse for you as well?" when he "dared" to ask for ketchup and mayo.

However, there are some rules to the guaranteed rudeness and remarks: no racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no body image comments, and no ableist comments.

The chain has nearly two dozen locations across seven countries from Singapore to Canada. Now, after opening its first U.S. location in St. Louis last year, it's opening a pop-up in Chicago this week.

Related: This Company Will Hire a 'Karen' to Complain For You So You Don't Have To

Chicago Media Takeout stated it's a similar experience to Chicago's own Ed Debevic's and Wiener's Circle — two restaurants that also pride themselves on providing an experience of poor service with snarky servers — on purpose.

The outlet's Instagram shows a waitress at Karen's Diner tersely dropping the food on the table, and giving the customer a middle finger before taking a bite of their food and walking away.

While the cafe has generally good reviews on the guaranteed "decidedly trashy and super fun" experience, the social media response was uninterested at best.

"No idea what the fun part about this is. It's not appealing at all," one user commented.

"Why would someone go to a place like this?" another wrote.

However, Karen's knows it isn't for everyone, and the chain is upfront about the experience, stating that diners should expect "madness," per the company's website.

"Can't complain, You don't go for the food, you go for the experience and knowing this will happen," one user wrote on the post.

If your name is actually Karen, the diner will give you a free drink — just don't ask to speak to the manager.

Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

Her Business Is Solving the $12 Billion 'Porch Pirate' Problem — Here's How a $300 Product Can Keep Your Packages Safe

Melissa Kieling and her son Brennan Naylor co-founded hyve Security to save customers headaches and retailers money.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Over 1,300 Google Employees Have Signed a New Petition Asking For Job Security

Google laid off thousands of employees in the past two years, which has left some employees feeling insecure about keeping their jobs.

Business News

'I Hate Bureaucracy': Leaked Internal Amazon Document Reveals How the Tech Giant Is Cutting Down on Middle Management

Amazon could soon let go of thousands of managers, resulting in savings of up to $3.6 billion.

Side Hustle

This 29-Year-Old Quit Working 12-Hour Overnight Shifts Because Her Side Hustle Brings In Up to $8,000 a Month: 'It Makes Me Happy'

Breanna Meertins picked up a fun hobby in her free time — then learned about an opportunity that would change everything.