Shared Restaurant Seating: The Reason 90% of Gen Z Like Them
Name: Communal tables.
Look: Long, awkward and making a comeback.
The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Refectory Tables is the Cafeteria
What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? The younger generation, it seems. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they like shared seating, compared with just 60% of older generations".
I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before Complaining About the Youth of Today
Communal eating in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a big thing during the second world war, in fact – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, backed by Winston Churchill.
I Suppose It Made Sense During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?
This might seem strange to you, I know, but communal tables can be enjoyable! As the Resy CEO explains: "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 That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”
Or being squeezed next to a fitness enthusiast chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a social media user capturing you in the background of their reel while eating a salad? You have to remember: gen Z – the most online generation, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – love a structured communal activity. This same desire behind the rise of youth running groups, hiking outings and crafting nights: they’re craving offline social connection.
I’d Rather Eat in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo.
This may not appeal to you, but lots of young people are lonely (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam study released this summer). In a 2023 US report a third of males aged between 18 to 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the past week. Isn't it positive they’re getting out and breaking bread with strangers?
Perhaps. Studies Indicate People Who Eat Socially Report Greater Happiness
Conversing with new people is beneficial, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy data 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 offers a chance for a spontaneous "meet-cute".
That Joke Annoys Me Nearly as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
My work here is done.
Appropriate comment: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."
Inappropriate remark: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."
