"Reservation for one, please." Once viewed as a stigma, single dining is increasing, mirroring a socioeconomic shift as more people live alone than ever before. For restaurants, the shift is an opportunity to focus on the dining experience. And for solo diners, the world is your oyster when it comes to dining. Just give the waitstaff a little time to catch up.
The ingredients are there to tell the story. More Americans are living alone numbering a record 30%, with more either marrying later or not getting hitched at all. Those data points highlight the underlying reason why solo dining is on the rise. More importantly, people are breaking out of old stigma shells and feeling comfortable about dining alone.
The flavors are complicated. The other reason has to do with our stressful lives. People simply want to unwind, unplug and decompress. Dining alone provides just that with no pressure to ask a date mundane questions (e.g. What do you do for fun?) or get away from the office (e.g. Where's that TPS reports?). In many ways, going solo provides an oasis from the otherwise plethora of demands that we're bombarded with.
Souffle or flan? With the pressure removed, many are discovering the art of making connections, which can be liberating in and of itself. For restaurants, the opportunity comes in providing more dining areas that offers a little more privacy rather than relegating solo diners to the bar. And more importantly, a renewed focus on the dining experience is important, which means everything from resizing menu portions for the individual customers to more engagement from the wait staff.
We're a constantly changing culture. That single dining is becoming more common shouldn't surprise us. It's part of broader socioeconomic changes to come https://lnkd.in/gxdvtnfz #restaurant #society #culture #dining #experience #reservations #business
Senior Strategic Account Manager iHeartMedia / 2022 Marblehead Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year
2moCongrats to you and your Restaura team!!