The offensive Karen’s Diner restaurant is famed for the in-your-face attitude of its waiting staff, and when it made a quick stop in Romford from June 8 to 9, I had to check it out! Hosted at Juke Box LDN, this unique dining experience invited brave guests to ‘enjoy’ food and drinks served with a generous side of insults.
The two-hour experience features interactive games where participants spin a wheel to determine their fate. As soon as we entered the bar-turned-diner, we were met by the ultimate Karen manager, who immediately scolded us to our table.
The OG Karens, from the first UK branch in Sheffield, served drinks while roasting customers. However, not everything is allowed – Karen’s Diner follows a strict rule book which prohibits racist, homophobic and body shaming insults, for instance. Although crude jokes about your genitalia are not off limits. Among the pictures on the Karen’s On Tour Facebook page is an elderly woman wearing a hat with the message ‘fossil flaps’ written on it.
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Most guests were given these personalised, hilariously insulting hats. Mine called me an ‘attention seeking beggy b***h’. Soon, the games began, with chosen participants spinning a wheel and completing activities while enduring more criticism. One guest struggled to finish the lyrics to challenging songs, while others were made to strut a catwalk in costumes chosen by the Karens.
The most fun moment was when a grandmother was tasked with making everyone in the room stand up and dance with her. She nearly won a free round of drinks for her table, but unfortunately, two people didn’t join in, and they got roasted for it.
Even birthday celebrations were not safe from insults. Those celebrating were called to the front and serenaded ‘Happy Birthday, F*** Off’ by the entire restaurant. At least they each got a birthday cake!
Food was provided by NUGS, a local nuggets restaurant that sits next to Juke Box, which offered a variety of options from chicken to BBQ nuggets, with fries or tater tots as sides. I chose the vegetarian option, cauliflower wings, and fries, but they weren’t as good as the insults from the Karens.
Karen’s Diner’s 48-hour visit was part of their ‘Roast of Britain’ tour, which is taking them to cities across the UK until September. Although the weekend has passed, the owner of Juke Box told us that Karen’s Diner will return to Romford later this year. So stay tuned for updates.
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