Karen’s Diner, the restaurant chain where customers pay for staff to insult them, has confirmed the future of its UK sites after shutting down three of its original restaurants this week.
Karen’s Diners in Surfers Paradise, Perth, and Melbourne have all shut their doors after being placed into voluntary liquidation, with the company writing on Facebook: “Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and Karen can’t stay forever! Today marks the closing of some of our Australian pop-up stores.”
The closure of the original sites down under has left some wondering about the fate of the UK restaurants, including Manchester’s closest – Karen’s Diner over in Prestwich, Bury.
Speaking to The Manc, bosses behind the UK and European Operations Team confirmed that the UK sites were unaffected by the Australian closures.
A representative from the UK and European Operations Team said that the company managing the recently-closed Australian sites is just one of nine subsidiaries within the Viral Ventures Holdings Group in Australia.
“We understand that these short term leases were due to expire and poor management within this company led to this inevitable conclusion,” they said.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
“We accept that Karen haters and Zelus worshippers will look to jump on an opportunity to question the longevity of dinings most outrageous brand. They will be disappointed.”
The principal group in Australia continues to be rude to all in Sydney’s capital city and the never ending demand globally is ensuring that growth worldwide continues, they added.
“It’s hard to understand the problems that have needed to be dealt with on the other side of the world”, said Paul Levin, part of the UK and European Operations Team.
“However, our UK businesses operate autonomously and despite challenging conditions, we are delighted to report continuous steady growth.”
The UK and European Operations Team also revealed that they have got their sights set on some new openings here, with a Brighton opening planned for August followed by expansion into Ireland and the Netherlands.
“On Sunday 13th August our next restaurant will be opening on the promenade in Brighton’s Marina. Our next mission then is to be rude to the whole of Ireland and our ‘Experience’ will be landing in both Northern and the Republic of Ireland during October.
“Karens On Tour continues to visit numerous cities in The UK and we open in The Netherlands this Autumn.
“Our millions of social media followers can rest assured that our mission to serve great food whilst being rude to the whole world ,remains firmly on track”.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Georgina Pellant -
14th July 2023 
