I recently stumbled upon a video discussing how many people feel uncomfortable or even anxious at the thought of dining alone in a restaurant. The idea seemed to be that sitting by yourself in a public place, surrounded by groups or couples, could trigger feelings of self-consciousness or awkwardness. I found it interesting and wondered if this is a common experience. Do a lot of people really get freaked out by the idea of eating alone in a restaurant? Have you ever felt this way, or do you think it’s perfectly fine to enjoy a meal by yourself?
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It definitely feels weird if I think about it, but the reality is that I’ve done it loads of times, definitely while travelling, but even locally, and it was never weird, nobody ever stared at me, and waiters never bothered me about it.
A lot of people are self concious about doing things alone that they rarely see other people do alone. Media mocking it also plays a part.
In the case of restaurants, someone eating alone at a diner, especially at the counter, is really common. Even eating alone at a table in a diner is a common thing to see in person or in movies/tv.
Someone eating alone at a fancy restaurant or even a chain restaurant is less common in a lot of places and frequently used as a joke in movies and tv. The ‘when will your guest arrive?’ trope reintorces the expectation, and isn’t uncommon in real life either. Self concious people refrain from doing it, people don’t see others do it, and it becomes a reinforcing loop that happens in a lot of places, but certainly not everywhere.
I used to think it was unusual because of the social expectations, but notlw I frequently eat alone on business trips and don’t think about it anymore. Yes, wait staff do frequently ask about who will be joining me and occasionally give weird looks when I say I’m eating alone. This is way less likely in larger cities.
Haven’t dined alone in a very long time, but before I met the missus I would frequent some of my favorite restaurants solo. Never saw an issue with it.
My thoughts; Why would I go out to a restaurant alone? I know how to cook, I can easily attain ingredients to match a “gourmet” restaurant experience in a comfortable environment, and even able to customize specific details.
Restaurant experiences can range from immaculate to downright greasy. Why potentially deal with a not satisfying food and a terrible environment with no one else to share said experience with. Not to mention the cost at most restaurants seems highly prohibitive.
Now if you are going to a restaurant alone for the social aspect of it- then absolutely go to a restaurant for dinner solo. Small interactions with the waitresses, patrons and the like may be part of the exchange, not everyone loves that.
