Solo dining may be 'growing trend' but some restaurants aren't happy
Dining alone used to be frowned upon, but more and more people are plucking up the courage to take themselves out for dinner.
While solo dating or self-love is on the rise, many restaurants aren't happy about this development.
Times are difficult and many places see it as a wasted table for two if only one person is seated there, or the perception that one person won't spend as much or be as lucrative.
According to CNN, one reporter was turned away from multiple restaurants when she tried to dine on her own, and there's even a word for it: solomangarephobic.
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It has also been reported that some restaurants in Seoul had started to put up signs saying that single diners were not permitted unless they ordered enough food for two, or came along as a pair with a friend or spouse.
The sign read: “We don’t serve loneliness.”
Ouch! Some solo diners reported waiting in the queue to see if any other diners would take pity on them and let them join their party.
The Independent reports that one in six of Brits actually enjoy dining alone as a treat, and a 4 per cent increase in bookings for tables for one.
Even Nigella Lawson loves it, writing in her book Cook, Eat, Repeat, that eating alone is a 'solo ceremony for the senses'.
For many people, dining solo is a move of confidence and independence, not loneliness, but for restaurants who seat very few people, missing even one potential order if a single diner takes up a table for two could cost them a lot.
It seems to be becoming more common around the world, with restaurants in Barcelona also telling solo diners they weren't welcome.
Euronews reported that tapas bars and popular venues in the most touristy areas were lying and telling would-be solo attendees that they were full, or that there was no space on the terrace.
One unlucky local told them: “At the first terrace I got a table, a waiter quickly arrived and told me it was reserved. It wasn't. As soon as I got up, a group of guiris (foreigners) who were behind me sat down,” he said.
Another told him he would have just 20 minutes to eat his meal and the last restaurant he tried directly told him that the terrace was just for groups."
A restaurant in Liverpool also said they wouldn't serve solo diners, and turned one woman away during what they claimed was a busy period.
The restaurant, on Bold Street, put up a sign warning: : "Due to limited space, we regret that there are the following restrictions: no prams, no single tables, no takeaways. We sincerely apologise for these measures."
One unhappy diner was turned away, despite her claiming it was 'no busier than before' when she had dined solo on three other occasions, according to Manchester Evening News.
The annoyed customer said: "What is annoying is that I've been there on three separate occasions alone and they've let me in and shown some discernment. If somebody is getting to that point in their life where they have to eat alone for whatever reason what are they supposed to do?"
A representative from the restaurant hit back, saying 'the waiters have recognised her and when it is quiet have given her a table as she is a regular.'
Metro reports that one double-Michelin starred restaurant in London charges £350 for a tasting menu per table, whether it's one diner or two, leaving single diners feeling 'ripped off', while another introduced a minimum spend for solo diners.
It's an unfortunate trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
Topics: News, Restaurants and bars
Jen Thomas