The hottest trend at restaurants: A table for one

Some people prefer dining solo because it’s convenient, with no cooking or cleaning up at home. Others are actively seeking out solo meals as a way to try new restaurants.

In the 1984 rom-com “The Lonely Guy,” a crowded restaurant goes silent when Steve Martin tells the host he wants a table for dinner alone. A spotlight shines on him as he walks awkwardly to his seat. Too embarrassed to acknowledge he’s having dinner out by himself, Martin pretends to be a restaurant critic and pulls out a notebook when his order arrives. But the stigma of single dining has faded as more people live alone than ever before. Today, more people are making reservations for one. On restaurant booking platform OpenTable, online reservations for parties of one at sit-down restaurants increased 8% for the 12 months ending on May 31, compared with the same time the year prior. An online survey of 2,000 consumers in June commissioned by OpenTable found that 60% of respondents had dined alone in the past year, including 68% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents. Some people prefer dining solo because it’s convenient, with no cooking or cleaning up at home. Others are actively seeking out solo meals as a way to try new restaurants. Millennials and Gen Z are driving the growth of solo dining, according to surveys, restaurant owners and industry observers. Social media has made it easier for people to find restaurants well-suited for a meal alone, and demographic trends have bolstered the trend. The growth of fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle and Sweetgreen, which cater to solo workday lunches and convenient dinners, has also made it easier for some people to feel comfortable taking the next step and sitting down at a table or bar for lunch or dinner, experts say.