Shared Dining Seating: The Reason Nine in Ten of Gen Z Like Them
Name: Communal seating arrangements.
Look: Lengthy, awkward and making a comeback.
The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the Cafeteria
Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? The younger generation, apparently. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "90% of young adult patrons say they like communal tables, versus just 60% of older generations".
A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining About the Youth of Today
Group dining in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a big thing during the WWII, actually – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, supported by Winston Churchill.
It Was Logical During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?
This might seem strange to you, I know, but shared dining can be enjoyable! As the Resy CEO explains: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"
The “Fun” of An Interrupted Meal by Someone Explaining Loudly That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”
Or sitting beside a fitness enthusiast eating chicken to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer capturing you in the background of their reel as they massacre a salad? You have to remember: 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. It’s the same impulse behind the rise of youth running groups, hiking outings and crafting nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions.
I Prefer Dining in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo.
You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, as per an Oxfam survey published in June). In a 2023 US report a third of males aged between 18 and 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the past week. Isn’t it a good thing they’re going out and breaking bread with strangers?
I Suppose. Studies Indicate People Who Eat Socially More Often Feel Happier
Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy survey points out another advantage: 14% of survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a communal dining experience. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this gives them a shot at a spontaneous "meat-cute".
I Hate That Pun Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
Mission accomplished.
Appropriate comment: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."
Don’t say: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."
