Shared Restaurant Seating: The Reason Nine in Ten of Gen Z Enjoy This Trend
Term: Shared seating arrangements.
Look: Lengthy, awkward and back in fashion.
Communal Dining is Back? Oh no. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the Cafeteria
What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? Gen Z, apparently. According to data from the dining booking company Resy, "90% of young adult patrons say they enjoy shared seating, versus just six in ten of older generations".
I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today
Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a major trend during the second world war, in fact – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, backed by Winston Churchill.
It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, What's the Appeal Today?
It’s an alien concept for you, admittedly, but communal tables can be enjoyable! As the Resy CEO notes: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!"
The Enjoyment From An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation About Their Therapy Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”
Or sitting beside a fitness enthusiast chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a social media user filming you accidentally in their video while eating a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. It’s the same impulse driving the popularity of youth running groups, group hikes and art nights: they’re craving offline social connection.
I Prefer Dining in a Solo Ramen Stall They Have in Tokyo.
This may not appeal to you, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, according to an Oxfam survey published in June). A recent American study , one-third of men aged between 18 to 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the previous seven days. Isn’t it a good thing they’re going out and breaking bread with strangers?
Perhaps. 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. Additionally the Resy survey points out another advantage: one in seven 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 "meet-cute".
I Hate That Pun Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
My work here is done.
Do say: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."
Don’t say: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."
