‘I WAS FORCED TO CHANNEL EVERY BIT OF INNER RAGE’
What’s it like to have to be rude to customers as part of your job? Stephanie Colderick went to find out at the new Karen’s Diner in Newport which promises great food but terrible service
NOW, not to blow my own trumpet, but I like to think I am a nice person and have been told by other people that I am a nice person. I am polite, kind and I am rarely rude.
So when I was tasked with being a “Karen” waitress at Karen’s Diner I was dubious, to say the least.
It is not really in my nature to be rude and I often avoid conflict at all costs so the idea of going to be a waitress at a place where the staff are deliberately rude I didn’t think would come naturally to me.
Karen’s Diner started in Australia and has made its way to Wales, with its first restaurant now open in Newport, and it promises bad service and great food.
The staff are brutal, they swear, insult you, chuck your menus on the floor and meet the stereotypical Karen image.
My time to become a Karen – a name that in recent years has become a widespread meme referencing a specific type of middle-class white woman, who exhibits behaviours that stem from privilege – was finally here.
I was forced to channel every bit of inner rage, rudeness and general annoyance at the world to become a Karen.
First of all, I was trained by a very lovely staff member, who although she was an amazing Karen to the customers, was really nice.
She talked me through the best insults, how to act deadpan and unbothered and everything else I needed to know about being a Karen.
The number one rule about being a
Karen is that you don’t care. You simply do not care. At all. About anything.
And actually it was surprisingly easy. It turns out that rage, anger and rudeness actually comes quite naturally and being rude to people is, and I can’t believe I am saying this, fun.
At the start, I struggled with getting the giggles and remaining in character and I was still nervous when I faced real customers.
But once you are in the moment you forget who you are and just become Karen.
The next thing I knew I was throwing menus, shouting at people and swearing, all without caring.
At the end of my short-lived Karen’s career, I very dramatically, and very swearily, announced to the whole restaurant I was quitting through a pink megaphone before storming out.
Once outside, in the fresh air, I thought, “Oh my god, did I really just do that?”
So the message I essentially learned during my experience is that the overall message is: “F*** you, f*** you and especially f*** YOU.”
Looking back at the videos, I can’t quite believe how rude I was – maybe I am not so nice after all?
Overall it was really fun to be a Karen and I have a lot of respect for the incredible staff who remain in character throughout their shift, ensuring that everyone who comes along has a great time.
Just an aside, there are plenty of Karens out there who are very nice, I even know a few myself!