'Table for one': Solo dining on the rise as restaurants prepare for the new norm

Solo dining was once met with a few pitiful looks with fellow diners, perhaps, wondering whether you'd been stood up or simply had no companions.

Well now, it's all the rage – and rightfully so, as more and more people continue to break the stigma.

Research from the popular reservation app OpenTable found that more than half (52 per cent) of US consumers plan on dining solo this year, with millennials and Gen Z ready to lead the trend. In fact, the majority of the younger generations (68 per cent) have already done so.

Many factors are driving the surge, including an increase in single households, a desire for more 'me time,' and business travel.

The assumption is that solo diners want to be left alone, but that's not always the case. A quarter of the study said they'd be open to inviting fellow solo diners to their table and striking up conversations with people around them and staff.

The trend isn't just restricted to the US either, with restaurants around the UK flooded with table for one requests.

One in six Brits haven't shied away from eating alone, and Google Trends reports a staggering 260 per cent increase in searches since 2019.

Will Sutton, co-owner of Erst, a natural wine bar and restaurant in Manchester, has witnessed the surge in solo diners first-hand. He emphasised that solo diners are important to him – and the hospitality industry as a whole.

For him, it shows they are "doing something right," in that customers feel comfortable enough to dine alone in the establishment and have chosen "to spend those precious hours of peace with us."

Like most bars and restaurants, there are plenty of seating options available to suit the solo diner for a well-deserved break.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.