Shared Restaurant Seating: The Reason 90% of Gen Z Like This Trend
Name: Shared seating arrangements.
Look: Lengthy, awkward and making a comeback.
Communal Dining is Back? Oh no. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the School Canteen
What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? The younger generation, apparently. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, versus just 60% of boomers".
A Sign of the Times. Before You Start Harrumphing Regarding Younger People
Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the second world war, in fact – there were about 2,500 of them, supported by Winston Churchill.
I Suppose It Made Sense During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?
It’s an alien concept for you, admittedly, but shared dining can be enjoyable! As Pablo Rivero explains: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!"
The “Fun” of An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”
Or being squeezed next to a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer capturing you in the background in their video while eating a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – love a structured communal activity. It’s the same impulse driving the popularity of youth running groups, group hikes and art nights: they’re craving offline social connection.
I’d Rather Eat in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths Found in Japan.
You might not fancy it, but many youths feel isolated (47% of them, according to an Oxfam study published in June). A recent American study 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 sharing meals with new people?
Perhaps. Research Shows Those Dining in Groups Report Greater Happiness
Talking to strangers is beneficial, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Additionally the Resy data highlights an additional benefit: 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 "meat-cute".
I Hate That Pun Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
Mission accomplished.
Do say: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs."
Inappropriate remark: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."
