Karen’s review: Sydney restaurant misses the point with rudeness

Pop-up diner Karen’s pays its staff to deliberately be rude to its customers — but does the gimmick work? Here’s what we think.

This column may be in a minority here, but here at The Mouth we’ve never had a big problem with Karens.

Oh sure, there are bad Karens — racist Karens, mask Karens, that sort of thing.

But at the heart of the Karen phenomenon, which was gaining altitude even before the pandemic, is a refusal to settle for less.

Even if not always pleasantly delivered, at the heart of the Karen’s “can I speak to your manager” catchphrase is a refusal to settle for less.

Pop-up diner Karen’s serves burgers by deliberately rude and unprofessional staff.

Of course, because the stereotypical Karen is a white, middle-aged and middle class woman with an inverted bob hairdo, she is easily mocked as a creature of entitlement and — God forbid — “privilege”.

Perhaps in an attempt to rectify this, some clever types have opened a new diner in World Square called — yes — Karen’s. And the idea is simple: We’ll be Karens to you, and you give it straight back.

Physically, it’s pretty much a ‘50s themed American diner.

Pop-up restaurant Karen’s is a ‘50s themed American diner in World Square.

The food is actually pretty good, particularly the loaded fries and buffalo wings (but where’s our blue cheese sauce? Is there a manager we can speak to? Honestly!)

There are some nice thick shakes and cocktails that make ideal weekend hangover luncheon food, particularly if one spent eight hours the previous day consuming prawn toasts and spring rolls and icy Tsingtaos (tune in next week to learn more).

But does the gimmick work? Well ... up to a point. Because the diner has confused Karenism for simple rudeness, the thing sort of misses the point: it’s not about lowering standards, but raising them.

Karen’s rude and unprofessional staff. Picture: Supplied

And since your average Karen has had 40-plus years to get properly bitter about the state of the world, hiring a bunch of uni students — as Karen’s has done — whose primary experience of bullying is online, puts them at a distinct disadvantage when they meet the real thing.

One of our party at a recent lunch was a middle-aged gent with a finely-honed and frankly hilarious bitchy patter who was able to demolish our waiter’s attempts at Karening in two or three (mostly unprintable) exchanges.

The diner is staffed by people Karens would most likely complain about. Picture: Supplied

Karen’s serves burgers, shakes, loaded fries and buffalo wings. Picture: Supplied

It was like an antler competition between moose or deer in which the old buck comprehensively won.

And therein lies the problem with Karen’s. It’s not staffed by Karens, but the people Karens would most likely complain about. If this restaurant is to truly succeed, it needs to go trawling the suburbs for the most Alpha Karens it can find.

Until then, the Mouth will still swing by for some wings and attitude when we are in that part of town. But we want to see a manager about that blue cheese.