You'll be left wishing you'd never asked to speak to the manager.
A 'Karen' for those that missed the memo is a pejorative term for an angry middle-aged woman that takes issue with just about anything.
Generally stereotyped as a Gen X football mum with a blonde bob who has nothing better to do but speak to the manager at customer complaints for hours, the term is not an endearing one, but rather one that's used in a derogative way to describe someone that uses their privilege to get what they want.
We all know a Karen, and when they're in charge- well it doesn't always end well.
Now, it's time to put the Karen in your life in the driving seat and knock them down a peg or two.
All you need to do is sit them down with the 'Karen of all Karens' at this unique dining experience in Sheffield. The Karen Diner is a pop-up venture like no other: expect rude service, singing waiters and many appearances from the manager herself: the Karen.
Image: Hidden
The hilarious concept promises great food paired with terrible, almost laughable service, so it's bound to be an unforgettable experience. Karen's Diner has described the pop-up experience as "a place where you can complain until the cows come home because we literally don't care" and it sounds far too intriguing to miss.
Even the menu is full of Karen-esque names like 'Karen's Got Beef': a beef burger with overnight slow-cooked smokey BBQ beef brisket with bacon, coleslaw, caramelised onions and honey glazed barbecue sauce and the 'Karen's Bit on the Side': the loaded fries menu.
There's every American Diner classic to choose from: besides the burgers and fries, guests can choose from chicken wings (named 'Karen's Bingo Wings') and sweet treats like Karen's waffle or churros and ice cream.
The drinks menu is just as hilarious: we can't wait to try 'The CEO Karen', a combination of white rum, dark chocolate ice cream and Nutella, or the 'I've been waiting ten minutes for some service' shooters with Kahlua and Baileys.
The hilarious concept promises great food paired with terrible, almost laughable service, so it's bound to be an unforgettable experience. Sheffield will be the first in the UK to experience this unique dinner, after the pop-up had success in the likes of Brisbane and Sydney, where Karen was applauded down under.
The concept repels anything that we'd usually use to find out about it too: it describes itself as an "anti-Google review diner, a place where having 100k on Instagram gets you a naughty sticker rather than a free meal".
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024.
We are so, so back.
It's been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a small selection of UK gigs for later in the year including a homecoming gig at the O2 Academy on Friday 6 November.
The dates follow the band’s first show of the year at the 6Music Festival this Friday across The Pennines in Manchester.
After Leeds, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on Friday 13 November before making their way down south to the O2 Academy in Brixton on Thursday 26 November.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album Where’s My Utopia? with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August 2024.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy. It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have remained active, whether writing Where’s My Utopia’s follow-up on scratching the itch to get back on stage, heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives, which was preceded by an intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to the Autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait.
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday 27 March. Sign up here.
Estimated to be worth around £45 million, the Grade II-listed structure renovations won't begin for a little while just yet, but it is set to increase the capacity of the space by more than 50%.
Announced on Tuesday, 24 March, the major refurb will be partly funded by public money and topped up by the private sector and "philanthropic partners".
The UK government and Sheffield City Council will be pumping in approximately £35m, with a further £10m being added through the investment mentioned above.
Soon to allow the theatre to scale up or down in size, the hope is that the new 'in the round' format will enable the Crucible to serve its arts and sporting audiences for decades to come, as well as opening the big Northern stage up to new opportunities.
Due to start in the summer of 2028, it's still unclear as to the exact completion date, but the plans are in support of confirmation that the annual snooker tournament will stay put.
A fresh agreement with the WSC will see them stay in Sheff until at least 2045, with the Crucible's number of seats set to jump from just under 1,000 to 1,480.
It's also said there is an option in the deal to extend the contract until 2050, and as one of the biggest competitive events that comes to the city year in and year out, you would expect them to push hard for the Council and partners to push hard for this, too.
Credit: Bread and Butter PR (supplied)
Dan Walker, Chair of Sheffield Theatres Trust, said in a statement: "The Crucible is a wonderful theatre with a brilliant reputation, and the positive impact of this investment will be seen for years to come.
"As a proud resident of Sheffield, I know the importance of snooker to our city, but this isn’t only good news for Sheffield: this is amazing news for the north of England and the whole of the UK."
If all goes to plan, the overhaul should take around 18 months, with productions being hosted in the Lyceium and the newest room, the Montgomery.
All the while, the Sheffield Theatres will continue to present new work both domestically and around the globe over this period, with more details coming this autumn 2026.
Sophie Smith -
10th February 2022 
