Shared Restaurant Seating: The Reason 90% of Gen Z Like This Trend
Term: Communal tables.
Look: Long, awkward and making a comeback.
The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the School Canteen
What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? The younger generation, apparently. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they enjoy communal tables, compared with just 60% of boomers".
I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today
Communal eating in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the WWII, actually – there were about 2,500 of them, backed by Winston Churchill.
It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, What's the Appeal Today?
This might seem strange to you, I know, but communal tables can be enjoyable! As Pablo Rivero explains: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"
The “Fun” of Having Dinner Interrupted by A Loud Conversation About Their Therapy Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”
Or being squeezed next to a fitness enthusiast eating chicken to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer capturing you in the background of their reel while eating a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most online generation, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. This same desire behind the rise of young people’s running clubs, group hikes and art nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions.
I’d Rather Eat in a Solo Ramen Stall They Have in Tokyo.
This may not appeal to you, but many youths feel isolated (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam survey published in June). A recent American study a third of males aged between 18 and 23 reported they hadn’t seen anyone outside their household in the past week. Isn’t it a good thing they’re getting out and sharing meals with new people?
I Suppose. Research Shows People Who Eat Socially More Often Feel Happier
Conversing with new people is beneficial, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy data highlights an additional benefit: 14% of survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a shared meal event. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this gives them a shot at a unplanned "meat-cute".
I Hate That Pun Nearly as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
Mission accomplished.
Do say: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."
Don’t say: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."
