“A Date Night for Yourself”: Generation Z and Millennials Enjoy the Joys of Eating Alone | Restaurants

People who ate alone may have previously received curious, pitying looks from staff and fellow diners.

However, new figures show that this stigma is gradually changing. One is company, two is a crowd, it seems.

Take travel writer Alice Bradley.

She was often alone while eating – ordering room service or lounging in the corner of a restaurant.

But after the coronavirus pandemic, she made a “perspective change”: She committed to doing more things alone, starting with eating solo.

Every few months, Bradley dresses up and goes out to dinner.

She is one of a growing number of people who are choosing to dine alone.

According to experts, it is Generation Z and Millennials who are driving the trend. According to OpenTable, the online reservation service provider, dining alone in the UK has increased by 14% compared to last year. In London, reservations for single tables have increased by 10% compared to last year, and in Manchester they have increased by 23%.

“The pandemic was kind of a wake-up call that I just needed to get out there and enjoy the freedoms and the joy in the little things,” Bradley says. “Life is too short not to attend nice dinners, even if no one can come.”

Most recently, she treated herself to a meal at Ivy in Marylebone Village – “a self-care date night”.

Charlie Casey, the account director of Egg Soldiers, a hospitality consulting firm, says the influx of solo travelers is partly due to changing perceptions. “Gone are the days when a solo traveler was stigmatized for being on the wrong end of a stand-up date, and there were no negative connotations associated with it. Millennials and Generation Z have paved the way for the empowerment and confidence that comes with eating alone.”

Self-care also plays a big role, he says. “Some time to unwind, reflect and have a well-deserved moment to yourself is a much-needed exercise, and what better way to do that.”

Bradley is relatively new to eating out alone, but 62-year-old Trisha has more than four decades of experience at it. She goes out for dinner at least once a month to one of her favorite restaurants in Greater Manchester, where she lives.

Sometimes it's for convenience – after a hard day at work, she wants a nice, simple dinner. Or it could be that she's craving something she wouldn't cook at home. “I'm a good cook, but there are some things you just can't cook when you're alone because there are too many ingredients and too many bells and whistles,” she says.

“I usually eat earlier in the evening, around 6.30pm, which is usually quite quiet in a restaurant.

“I never thought it was strange. I think a lot of people maybe just don't do it because they think it's more important than going somewhere alone and eating something.”

James Rusk, owner of the Butchershop restaurant in Glasgow and the Spanish Butcher in Glasgow and Edinburgh, says Britain is catching up with a practice that has been common in New York and some parts of Europe for decades.

“In the last 15 years since the (steakhouses) opened, the increase has been exponential,” he says. “Post-Covid it’s definitely increased… it’s just part of the mix now.

“It's not like Saturday night where everyone eats dinner alone, but most nights, even during rush hour, you'll definitely eat one, two or three,” says Rusk.

And restaurants are starting to adapt to this trend. “By incorporating digital innovations like digital menus, seamless payments and personalized recommendations,” they can “enhance the solo dining experience,” says Trish Caddy, associate director of foodservice at Mintel, a market research firm.

For Rusk, creating an enjoyable dining experience is a top priority. “It's also about observing where you place people who are alone. It's not about putting them in the middle of a room, but hopefully giving them a view. We think: “Is the menu accessible?” Is it just for sharing, or is it the type of menu where you can enjoy dishes alone? Are the music, the atmosphere and the lights OK?'”

Are solo travelers a problem for the restaurant? “Absolutely not. Come alone, come with four people, come with 20 people. As long as you come and have fun and enjoy what we do, we’re always happy to welcome anyone who wants to come.”

Grace Dent on solo dining

I eat alone all the time. Sometimes I find it really liberating and a pleasure, and other days I'm afraid of it. The first time I tried to eat alone in London was in Soho in 2001, and within seven minutes I was being offered money for sex. Going into places and demanding to take up space when people think you're single takes a bit of nerve, but there's nothing wrong with feeling bad about it, and you can get over it.

I fall out of places. Anywhere there is sit-up bar food, benches by the windows or sides, small booths or rows of tables for two is perfect. Don't get up between seven and half past seven and point to a table in a prime position. I simply ask if they have any free time, point to what I want, then turn my back to everyone, order the food, put on headphones and scroll through WhatsApp.

I wouldn't spend three hours cooking through eleven courses with a napkin around my neck because that's no fun. But it's really fun to sneak into places for a few plates.

Good places know how to behave towards singles. They don't let you sit. You get served faster than everyone else, not because they push you out, but simply because they notice you. I notice that employees come and talk to me.

When I started doing this, I started doing a lot of things on my own, like going to the movies and the theater. It was encouraging.