The last branch of a well-loved fast food chain will finally close its doors after it was revealed it owed £400,000 to creditors.
Karen’s Diner went viral in 2022 for its purposefully rude staff and terrible service with branches popping up all over the UK.
But it was revealed last year that the n parent company had been forced in to liquidation with sites across Britain quietly closing up shop.
The bizarre business will now focus on hosting pop-ups in the south of England after its final site permanently closes at the end of June.
The unique restaurant was first opened two years ago and prided itself on swearing at customers, rude staff and silly games.
The chain’s website described it as ‘an interactive diner and an absurdly fun experience’ – you get waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of ‘stupid games.’
But it seems the appetite for the odd experience has now gone despite Karen’s Diners across the UK experiencing viral fame.
The managers of the final branch in London told The Sun the decision not to renew the contract for the premises was made earlier this year because of increased costs and business rates.
A spokesman for the brand told the publication: ‘We want to thank the restaurant manager and all of his team for all of their hard work delivering great entertainment night after night.
‘People don’t understand how hard it is to run both a restaurant and a theatre simultaneously, especially in such fierce trading conditions.’
The concept was based on the ‘being a Karen’ meme which referred to middle-aged women who were considered too demanding.
The first restaurant opened in Sydney, in 2021 and UK branches landed in Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham in 2022.
The following year branches in London’s Islington, Barnet and Brighton opened.
And it seemed like the business was booming with an expansion in to the hotel industry last year.
The eatery partnered with the Hadley Hotel in Barnet, North London to give guests the ‘worst hotel stay’ they’ll ever have.
The Hotel have said: ‘If you thought Karen’s Diner is bad, you’ve seen nothing yet.
‘Welcome to Karen’s Hotel – possibly the worst hotel stay you’ll ever encounter. Get ready for an absurdly fun experience.
‘At Karen’s hotel and diner experience, you will be greeted by rude hotel staff and waiters and taken to a room where you never know what you will find.’
YouTuber Eddie Hall documented his ‘awful’ stay at the hotel for his followers in January 2024, which he called the ‘craziest overnight challenge he has done’.
On arrival at the check-in desk Eddie, who went with his son were greeted by a rude staff member who told them to carry their own bags to the room.
But things went from bad to worse when they found a two hotel employees in their room lying on the bed watching the TV and using their bathroom.
Throughout the night Eddie claimed their door beeped non-stop, meaning they struggled to get any sleep and their pillows were filled with tissue and Styrofoam.
There was no toilet rolls or towels, and there was only a second-hand bar of soap for the guest to use.
Prices started at £179 for the package for two people, and it includes an overnight stay at the hotel and a meal at Karen’s Diner, as well as a breakfast the next morning.