ST. LOUIS – Karen’s Diner is a one-of-a-kind pop-up dining experience serving up burgers, floats, fries and a big dose of rudeness in St. Louis.
The theme is based on the popular “Karen” meme on social media. The restaurant’s site says Karen’s is an interactive diner where you can expect good food, will be greeted and waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of games.
On a rainy Tuesday night in December, the restaurant, which is by reservation only, was buzzing with a few dozen guests. There are 18 locations world-wide, mainly in Australia and England, but the St. Louis location is the only one in America.
A small, glowing, neon sign marks the entrance. Guests walk into a waiting room where you meet your first Karen who unenthusiastically greets you. You can hear commotion behind a double door as you are forced to read the house rules which include no racist, sexist or homophobic comments, throwing food or body shaming.
As you enter through the doors, there’s a 50s diner vibe and a stage that will feature guests taking part in a variety of silly, and perhaps embarrassing, activities.
The waitresses are prompt to come to your table, but it doesn’t take long for them to dish out insults. If you take time deciding which drink, meal or side to order off the menu, you are opening yourself up to comments.
All the burgers and cocktails have Karen in their name. The choices include food named "The Basic Karen" burger, "The 'I Want To See The Manager' Karen" burger and a chicken sandwich called "Deep Fried Karen." There are also drinks like "Spicy Karen" that include tequila, "The 90s Karen" that is a spiked Coke float and "The Sour Karen" with amaretto, bourbon and lemon juice.
Karen’s Diner says it will cater to vegetarians and vegans but don’t expect Karen to be happy about it. The wait staff will announce to the entire restaurant that someone is ordering a vegan item off the menu.
The manager, the biggest Karen of them all, told Spectrum News the St. Louis location, previously Lemmons, also hosted other pop-up dining experiences like The Alice. The group behind the pop-ups looked at other U.S. towns for Karen’s Diner, and St. Louis was the only one to give it a try.
The restaurant opened up in mid-November and guests are allotted 70 minutes at a table. The manager says she’s waited on guests from as far away as Atlanta.
You may find yourself nervous to ask for napkins, straws or a special request, but while Karen’s says you will get “awful service,” the wait staff does deliver, maybe with a roll of the eyes and a flip of the bird, but it’s all part of the experience.
You can learn more about Karen’s Diner and learn how to book a table here.