More diners are eating out alone

How Restaurants Are Catering to a Growing Number of Solo Diners

But are more diners eating out alone at diners?

No more Miss LonelyHeart!

I don't eat out anymore. Poor value and even the food quality is inferior. Takeout from reliable vendors.

I eat out alone quite a bit. I like to sit at the bar and often have interesting conversations with other people. I don't cook as much as I used to and often decide spur of the moment to just go out. Got used to it when I used to travel more for work. My stipulation is if the bar has a TV and it's on Fox I'll ask them to switch it.

Miss Lonelyhearts.

In old movies weren't guys in film noir always going out to eat alone at the counter of some drug store or small diner?

I eat solo all the time, for work or otherwise.

I don't get how people did it pre phones though. Would you just stare at other dinners until your food came?

I'm happy that people are more comfortable now, eating alone.

Why should anyone have to wait for someone else to join them, just to dine at a restaurant?

I say, if you want to eat somewhere and you don't have anyone to go with, then go it alone.

It's about time to remove the stigma of eating alone.

I only enjoy it in neighborhood restaurants where the owner and waitstaff know me. Bonus if it's a "popular" restaurant with distinct cuisine such as Italian, Mexican, Indian, or Middle-eastern. Middle-eastern staff give me the warmest welcome and the highest value re: food quality vs. price. I go to the ones that don't fake it and prepare fresh and from scratch their limited menu and I don't eat kebab.

Books R8.

$84 average before tax and tip? Are solo diners also ordering a bottle of wine with dinner?

Great comments from the video at R1:

[quote] @pushslice

[quote] Decades of business travel meant I had to get used to solo dining; and I grew to appreciate it! I definitely get to interact with the establishment and their product more intimately.

[quote] @antifugazi

[quote] I used to do this all the time, i had a girlfriend but chose her days off to go and have lunch on my own, so much cheaper and you can just relax and take your time.

[quote] @robinrothstein

[quote] I’ve been dining solo for years. It’s a pleasure. There are plenty of activities to hold your attention these days (phone, book, magazine, people-watching, enjoying the scenery) or it’s an opportunity to chat with interesting strangers from near or far. I’m in several social media solo travel groups. One has well over 600k members. It’s kind of a movement. Restaurants are wise to welcome solos with open arms!

[quote] @GinaGreenlee

[quote] "Over the years there was a time when there was no solo dining." That is an absurd statement. I'm 63 years old and have been dining solo for decades. There are libraries filled with books and articles about solo dining and solo travel. The travel industry has been catering to soloists for decades. Time Magazine, really?

[quote] @peachnecctar1658

[quote] i took myself out to dinner for the first time the other month (im 25) and it was so nice to just spend time with myself. lots of eyes and people wondering what im doing but i just dove into a book while waiting for my food

[quote] @misswaychannel9186

[quote] I enjoying my table for one, especially with my earphone watching Netflix on my phone. It's a self care thing as well

[quote] Are solo diners also ordering a bottle of wine with dinner?

Why not?

Is there something wrong with a solo diner ordering a bottle of wine?

I'm so tired of people trying to impose "rules" on other people.

Why, whash wrong with orderina bottle er two of wine wihtsh yer dinner?

...hic

R7 Yes, but we were supposed to think that they were embittered sad ne'er do wells. Also in those days the Blue Plate Special cost 25 cents.

R8. I used to read a book. Now I’ll either read a printed book or read a book on my tablet.

Would it be tacky to take leftover wine home? Maybe some states have weird laws about it. I couldn't drink four glasses.

One cocktail in a restaurant is priced at 20 dollars.

Appetizer= 10-15

Entree= 20-50

Sides-10-15

Dessert =10-30.

Non alcoholic beverage = 5-20 dollars.

No bottles of wine are involved with an 84 dollar meal.

Some restaurants charge for a bread and butter basket!.

[quote] $84 average before tax and tip?

It didn't say "before tax and tip."

It just said $84.

Incidentally, I went out of town for work last week. I had dinner at a local "nice" restaurant and paid $130 (before the tip).

All I had were King Crab legs, French Onion Soup, and a salad. Not even a drink. Just water.

Dining out isn't cheap any more.

Yeah, King Crab legs will do it...

I guess my appetite isn't so big. Portions are so big I can't get through an entree unless I've skipped lunch.

Ramen restaurants in Japan cater to solo introverts.

No human interaction. Order on a machine, sit in a cubicle with dividers, server delivers food from behind a screen. No chit chat.

I would love this.

My god, how hard is to make your own ramen at home?

One of the solo diners in this video said that she dines alone in the US and in Europe, but Europe is not as accommodating to singles.

Apparently, they don't want one person taking up an entire table.

That's really fucking rude.

Europe sucks. They have such an old fashioned mentality towards so many things.

You do know one can cork it and take it home R16? Just because a bottle is ordered doesn't mean they drink it all but even if they did why such a scolding prude? A bottle is about four glasses.

[quote]One cocktail in a restaurant is priced at 20 dollars.

Where? Gotta be NY or CA. In my city, that would be a very specialized cocktail needing rosewater, candied violets or some other exotic ingredient, in a 5 star restaurant.

R19, yes, in some states you can take it home. No one is throwing an overpriced bottle out. You spend $50-100 on a bottle that you get at Specs for 20.

You have to treat everyone decently as a waiter, but UGH when someone would want a table for 1 at 8pm on a packed Saturday night!

r24, are you stupid? The ramen at those authentic Japanese ramen restaurants is very involved. The broth alone is a very time-consuming process along with the various meats, types of noodles and many toppings. It's not Maruchan instant cup of noodles.

I have reactions to wine and liquor and restaurant food often gives me the trots, so I save a lot of money not eating out.

R30 God, what an asshole you must be.

My solo order.

I eat out solo all the time, but usually at the bar. If it’s slow i’ll take a table.

The omnipresence of smartphones as the constant companion has made it more socially acceptable.

Yeah, r34, specially since most likely half of the restaurant will be doing the same and not interacting.

I like and do travel alone sometimes, but the dining out is the part where i do miss other people. I do it, usually with a book, but still a little bit uncomfortable. It doesn’t prevent me from going though.

[quote][R30] God, what an asshole you must be.

More like an asshole calling someone else an asshole.

The only place I'd eat alone is fast food. But even then a big, bovine family will waddle in and sit right beside me- in a virtually empty restaurant.

r25 I ate alone every day in Paris and never had any problem. The tables there are so tiny it doesn't make much difference.

I eat alone when I travel. It’s easy in the states where you can sit ay a bar. In France and Italy, I will make lunch my main meal of the day. In London it’s dinner at a pub or bar. It does cost so much more to eat out. Pay raises and food costs have gone up everywhere.

Once in Las Vegas I treated myself to full dinner at Catch at the Aria. 3 courses, a cocktail and 2 glasses of wine, ending with an espresso. Almost $140. But I enjoyed the whole experience. I never spent that much on a meal, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and I could afford it.

If you spend a lot of time at home, it's a nice excuse to get out and be around other people. But I prefer getting takeout, so I can watch TV or a movie while I eat. I rarely cook for myself anymore. So when I get takeout, I usually order more than one entrée. That way, I have food for a couple of days.

Solo dining on the rise in NYC

[quote] Incidentally, I went out of town for work last week. I had dinner at a local "nice" restaurant and paid $130 (before the tip). All I had were King Crab legs, French Onion Soup, and a salad. Not even a drink. Just water.

"Nice" restaurant, king crab legs, French onion soup, and a salad. That's "all" you had. Not sure how $130 is shocking.

[quote] Once in Las Vegas I treated myself to full dinner at Catch at the Aria. 3 courses, a cocktail and 2 glasses of wine, ending with an espresso. Almost $140. But I enjoyed the whole experience. I never spent that much on a meal, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and I could afford it.

$140 sounds reasonable for all of that. Glad you enjoyed it.

R8, I'm single, and I will go out to eat at restaurant. I do not stare at my phone. I'll sit at the bar and people watch. And I like to meet and talk to other people, so I'll strike up a conversation with whoever is around me. People are friendly for the most part, but if they don't wish to engage in conversation, I'll leave them alone.

I think that dining solo is good when you want to appreciate your food.

When you're in a group, it's less about the food and more about conversation.

But when you're eating alone, you really get to taste and savor the food, and just appreciate that.

The one place that I feel comfortable eating alone: conveyor belt sushi places. I like more upscale sushi places, as well. But the conveyor belt places are ideal for single people (sitting at the bar).

I love eating alone at the bar, and I’ve been in a live-in relationship for a decade.

Here in Boston, there’ a trend of Japanese-style “listening bars,” where the bartender puts on a cool vinyl record and everyone else chills out and appreciates it over drinks. It’s really nice. People talk too much.

[quote] People talk too much

Haha.

Well said.

[quote]You have to treat everyone decently as a waiter, but UGH when someone would want a table for 1 at 8pm on a packed Saturday night!

And if you play your cards right, especially a sexy waiter paying a little extra attention to the solo gay guy, that solo diner at 8 pm on a Saturday night just might tip much more than the party of four which is running your ass ragged back and forth to the kitchen. I've been in the restaurant business and has seen this way too many times.

One of my straight sexy male friends loved having solo gay guys to wait on in the restaurant. The $ 50 tab would get a $50 tip all because he spent an extra few minutes at their table chatting with them. The party of two hetero couples, or four women who ran his ass ragged ? A $250 tab would get him a crisp $20 bill - if he was lucky.

Former restaurant worker, here.

These were the days before iPhones & cell phones, in general.

I was a newbie, so my section of tables was in the hinterlands (this restaurant had a lot of windows and a nice view).

Solo male diner - hostess put him in my section (Siberia, far from the windows).

He had a National Enquirer with him. (DL newspaper of record.)

He did order a bottle of white wine for himself. Not the most expensive bottle. I'd say maybe 60% up the price range (extensive wine list).

I wish I could remember what he ordered to eat, but it was probably some type of seafood.

He was very nice. I told him that my mom and I liked the Enquirer.

I don't remember him being a spectacular tipper, but the price of the wine brought up his tab quite a bit. So, it was a very good tip for a solo diner. (He tipped on the wine and the food.)

In sum: easy table to wait on. R49 is correct. Less work, less headache than a couple of couples.

I found a fun way to ease boredom. I go to the Golden Corral somewhere around the 1st of the month when everybody's gotten their SSI checks. I choose a table somewhat away from other diners but close enough that I can recognize if an altercation is getting ready to happen. The best are white trash birthday parties! Someone says the wrong thing to memaw and it's on!

I live in NYC and eat out alone all the time. I'll usually sit at the bar, look at my phone, go on the hook up apps, FB, Instagram, etc. and cruise around. I get into conversations with the people around me if they initiate them. I travel for work too and will do the same thing. The bartenders always like to talk if it's not too busy. It's a great way to wind down. Also, I tip really well. I highly recommend it. Who gives a shit what others think? Are they paying the bill for you?

Do you always go to the same places, R52?

Or do you try out different bars and restaurants?

[quote] You have to treat everyone decently as a waiter, but UGH when someone would want a table for 1 at 8pm on a packed Saturday night!

Why would a single person go to eat out by himself at a busy restaurant at 8 pm on a weekend?

That makes no sense.

[quote]Why would a single person go to eat out by himself at a busy restaurant at 8 pm on a weekend?

Why not ?

It's the same reason why couples go out at a busy restaurant at 8 pm on a weekend - to enjoy a meal out, support the local economy, and have a change of scenery from their own kitchen or dining room at home.

I have to say - I've noticed more and more couples over the past twenty years who dress up, go out to a nice restaurant, sit at a table for two and don't say a word to each other. Not one word. They don't even look at each other. (And these are couples of all races, all ages). The avoid eye contact by looking around the restaurant, staring at the table, or staring at the drink in their hand while waiting for their dinners . Then they focus on the plate in front of them.

So going out to eat with another cane be just as lonely as going out to eat by yourself. Keep that in mind, folks.

I was once waiting for a delayed friend at a busy Italian restaurant. For about 15 min. people kept stealing pitiful glances at me and side-eyeing. The waitress was chilly, as if she didn't believe me.

R56 Right then and there, with that kind of reception from the waitress, I would have deducted her tip by 5%. So if she deserved 20 at the end of the meal, I would have deducted 5 and given her 15%.

No need for judgment on her part - she's there to give you an enjoyable dining experience from the moment you sit down.

Lol at R56.

That's exactly how single diners are made to feel.

R36 Great comeback!

R57 That'll show 'er!

In my city, most people won't eat out alone.

They just order from Door Dash or something like that, so that they can have food from their favorite restaurant, and then they just eat at home alone.

right. it seems if you are under 35 you simply never ever cook, and just door dash every meal every day

I'm surprised at how mundane the Door Dash stuff is: Dunkin Donuts, Subway sandwich, oh well.

I've seen Door Dash even go into Vegas casinos to pick up food orders from restaurants in the hotel.

It's so bizarre how fucking lazy and anti-social people have become nowdays.

r8 You stare blankly into open space and pretend you aren't listening to (a) the middle-aged couple at the corner table bickering; (b) the couple on their first date trying unsuccessfully to sound witty and fun and seductive to each other; (c) the table of drunk businessmen trying to out-macho each other; (d) the older middle-aged couple who complain about every jot and tittle, including each other; (e) the infant twins shrieking and shoving the plates and cutlery around while their parents blithely ignore them; and/or (f), if you're well-situated, the staff whispering comments to each other about the clientele. Otherwise you flirt shyly or otherwise with the attractive waiters, who, as has been pointed out, know that flirting back gets them a bigger tip.

Inspired by this topic,I looked up an online menu of a trendy restaurant in Los Angeles.

This establishment charges 30 dollars for a shrimp cocktail.

The appetizer includes three large shrimp that are described by guests as fresh and tasty.

But... 10 dollars per shrimp?

R59 you were wrong. Get over it.

On weekend nights, I'm the concierge at an upscale apartment building in a very affluent neighborhood. The age range for this building's tenants is 25 - 95. You have to be very wealthy to live here (many young doctors, professors from an Ivy League school, judges, etc.) The rents here are ridiculous, but the kitchens are fully equipped with the newest appliances. Every two years, apartment kitchens get a 'makeover' and all appliances are replaced after five years (no matter the condition of them).

There's a Whole Foods and brand new Trader Joe's just blocks away from the building (five minute walk to each). Across the street from the building you can find: a diner (breakfast / lunch) , a Mexican restaurant, an Italian restaurant, pizza parlor, 2 Asian restaurants (one Thai, one Japanese), a gourmet deli, a seafood restaurant, an Irish pub (best corned beef ever), Starbucks, a French bakery, a noodle shop, a steakhouse, a Vegetarian restaurant, a wine bar and an American bistro. All different price ranges, and all different offerings. Most importantly - except the Starbucks - all locally owned, and in a family for many years. (These restaurants are mixed in with locally owned boutiques and small retailers - a really nice mix of retail).

All night on Saturday and Sunday, Door Dash and Uber Eats make their way into the lobby to deliver food. What are they delivering? Panera, Domino's, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Jersey Mike's, Panda Express. Whom are they delivering to ? The 25 - 50 year olds (both singles and couples in the building). Some of the older gay guys (over 70 years old).

Granted, I don't mind seeing the hot Latino guys in their shorts and muscle shirts delivering the food and asking - very politely - where the resident lives. Those guys are 'trainers' at the gym all day and do this as a side hustle to make extra money (so they tell me). They're polite and friendly. They take this side hustle seriously. One hot guy named Juliano told me he always picks up 'Mr. Jones' order and Mr. Blair's order when he sees them come up - he knows the guys are gay and is 'crushin' on him'. So when he delivers the small pizza to Jones' apartment, he gets a big smile from him and a $20 bill. He brings the KFC to Mr Blair (another old queen) and gets another $20. He leaves the building $40 richer by delivering a pizza and a chicken sandwich. He knows how to play the game (and both guys are wealthy older queens).

[quote]...and the average solo diner is spending about $84.

I never have a problem eating alone in a restaurant, and years of traveling alone or living alone I did it often.

The only thing that caught my eye was the price. I can have a nice meal and a glass of wine or two for €20 easily ($22); €30 ($33) for.something special and a lot of food. For €76 ($84), I could have a fantastic meal, with dessert and (house,) wine, in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

langoustine salad appetizer at l'Hôtel de ville de Crissier is USD 140.

Bresse (French) chicken with mushrooms is USD 250 for 2.

Stop complaining, upthread.

Like many others here, I would dine out at the bar all the time. I didn't have to travel for work as much, but I was often all over the city as I had to oversee a lot of locations. On a Thursday night, when I was a ways from home and finishing up around 6pm, heading over to nearby restaurant and pulling up to the bar for dinner and a beer was a perfect way to end the day. You get to sit out the traffic jams so by the time you head home, its quite fast.

R64? Paying money for that type of shit and then I hear cries of “INFLATION!!”

I love eating alone, since it affords me peace and quiet. However, invariably, no sooner do I start to eat, a frau and her annoying little spawn are seated next to me and all hell breaks loose.

You need to find a better diner