Karen's Diner owners close Trafford Centre restaurant after less than a year

A restaurant in the Trafford Centre has shut down less than a year after it first opened.

Broadway Diner, a musical-inspired restaurant where waiters broke into show tunes from musicals like Chicago and the Lion King, has closed its doors after opening in November last year.

Housed in the centre’s White House-esque building known as The Orangery, which was previously home to restaurant chain Frankie & Benny's and bars like Kro, Tiggi's and Mantos, the concept of Broadway Diner came from Viral Ventures, the same group behind Karen’s Diner.

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The venue served an American-style menu featuring the likes of chicken and waffles, burgers, Hoagie subs, and milkshakes, whilst servers would regularly perform musical numbers either on the restaurant's centre-stage, on a grand piano, or directly in front of diners at their table.

Earlier this week, Viral Ventures announced it had shut down the Prestwich venue of Karen’s Diner, which featured ‘rude’ servers, after two years as it reshuffles the concept into a pop-up venture that will tour the country.

A spokesperson for the company has confirmed with the Manchester Evening News that Broadway Diner will now follow the same fate and focus on pop-up tours going forward. In fact, in the weeks leading to the closure of the Karen’s Diner restaurant, the Prestwich venue was also being used for Broadway Diner events, with the Trafford Centre restaurant closed.

A number of Broadway Diner events, including shows themed on Taylor Swift, Mamma Mia and Hamilton tributes, had all been due to take place at the Karen’s Diner on Bury New Road over the next few months. The company said it was now looking to find a new home for these shows.

In a statement, Viral Ventures said: “As it stands the initial licence agreement has come to an end and our Head Office wants the UK operation to concentrate on “Pop up” events rather than restaurants.

“In the current climate reluctantly we can understand their decision. When the [Karen’s Diner] business opened in Prestwich, critics said that it was “far too far out the way” and we want to thank the 100,000+ customers that have proved them wrong.

“The Group is undergoing a reconstruction which will see the brand appearing in its pop up form all over Britain. We are currently working on finding a new home to honour our Manchester bookings and our Admin team look to inform everyone of the next steps at the earliest possible opportunity.”

A spokesperson for the Trafford Centre added: “The Broadway was on a temporary lease and has now sadly closed. We'll share details for that space in due course.”

When the venue first opened, it had hoped to become a 'hub' for local singers and musicians to build up their career whilst earning a regular income. It is hoped the pop-up aspect of Broadway Diner will do the same.