Karen's Diner, known for its rude service, not coming to Singapore yet
The excited chatter online that famous Australian chain Karen's Diner, which achieved Tik-Tok fame for its rude service, is coming to Singapore as a pop-up may be premature.
Replying to an e-mail query from The Straits Times on whether the reports are true, a spokesman for the diner says: "Not yet but keep an eye on bemorekaren.com where we announce where we are going to next."
The company's website lists 15 upcoming locations including Auckland, New York and Pittsburg. Singapore is not among them.
Karen's Diner, a retro-American eatery that started in Sydney last year, is known for its indifferent service, orders slammed on the table, and its declaration that it is "a place where you can complain until the cows come home because we literally don't care".
It has 12 outlets in Australia and the United Kingdom, in cities such as Melbourne, Perth and Manchester. The menu lists burgers with names like Cheesed Off Karen and The "I Want To See The Manager" Karen.
A Karen is a pejorative term for a white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond what is normal.
The diner, however, does set rules to make sure insulting customers does not get too far. Among them are: No racism, no sexism, no body image comments and also this injunction: "Do not touch our staff".
Talk that a Karen's Diner pop-up is coming to Singapore apparently arose from one part of its website that lists 86 cities, from Adelaide to York, under the eatery. Two Asian cities, Singapore and Hong Kong, are on the list. But clicking on most of the cities takes you to a similar page that says: "A pop-up dining experience is opening its doors this winter". The pop-up location remains a mystery, there is no starting date, only a stated May 2023 end date.
So it looks like Singaporeans will not be abused at a Karen's Diner here - at least not yet.
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