Divisive dining trend is making a comeback and it's all thanks to Gen Z
Gen Z and Baby Boomers differ in so many ways, including how they deal with confrontation, address their career goals, and their attitude toward drinking alcohol - but it doesn’t stop there.
New research compiled by online reservation service company Resy has found that even their restaurant choices are opposite.
In the past, eateries across the globe have been favoured for their intimacy, offering the pleasing prospect of not catching a stranger’s eye while slurping down soup or biting into an oversized, cheesy pizza slice.
But it seems as if the tide is changing, with Gen Z apparently skirting over solo experiences.
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Instead, they are choosing to eat in communal dining spaces, where they are making friends and sparking romantic interest, according to a new study.
Collective eating may currently be favoured by the brightest, ingenious restaurants cooking up mind-blowing morsels, but it’s not exactly a new concept.
In fact, eating together and sharing food dates right back to ancient Rome, according to experts.
However, it has darted both in and out of fashion over the years. After its resurgence in both the 1980s and the 2000s, it’s now back in business.
According to Resy, a jaw-dropping 90 percent of surveyed Generation Z diners (aged between 13 and 28) said they enjoyed munching at communal tables.
Data suggests that one in three diners have made a new friend while pigging out at community tables, while one in seven have even managed to score a date.
New York City restaurateur Steve Wong told ABC that Gen Z’s craving for connection is probably because younger people are more ‘open to variety and discovery’ than their older counterparts.
"Sharing food is one of the best ways to enjoy good company, especially at the kind of thoughtful restaurants this city does so well," he added.
Surprisingly, only 60 percent of Baby Boomers said that they liked banqueting on Insta-worthy long tables- showing a clear difference between the two generations.
Speaking out on why she believes Gen Z gravitates towards communal dining more than Boomers do, Ashley Mitchell, vice president of marketing for East Coast Wings + Grill and Sammy's Sliders, told Business Insider it was because they need ‘experiences’.
"They grew up online, but they're intentionally seeking real-world connection, and restaurants have become that gathering space again. For them, sharing a table isn't just practical seating — it's part of the social experience,” she argued.
Pablo Rivero, CEO of Resy and Tock and Senior Vice President of Global Dining at American Express, told the outlet that the ‘fun’ of dining out in groups is that you’ll ‘never know who you’ll be seated next to’.
While eating at communal tables has been big in 2025, there are some other potential trends on the horizon for 2026.
These include spectacular tableside presentations making a comeback, Cambodian, Lao, and Hmong cuisines receiving their flowers, and listening bars popping up for audiophiles.
Another prediction for 2026 is that wine bars will become the go-to food haven, and that fish dips will be plastered across American appetiser menus sooner rather than later.
You can read the full 2025 Resy Retrospective here.
Ella Scott