Shared Dining Seating: Why 90% of Gen Z Enjoy This Trend
Term: Communal tables.
Look: Long, uncomfortable and making a comeback.
Communal Dining is Back? Oh no. The Only Acceptable Place for Refectory Tables is the Cafeteria
Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? The younger generation, apparently. Research indicates from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, compared with just 60% of older generations".
A Sign of the Times. Before You Start Harrumphing Regarding Younger People
Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a major trend during the WWII, actually – there were about 2,500 of them, supported by Winston Churchill.
It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, But Why Do It Now?
It’s an alien concept for 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 Enjoyment From Having Dinner Interrupted 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 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 started careers remotely – enjoy organized group events. It’s the same impulse driving the popularity of young people’s running clubs, group hikes and art nights: they’re craving offline social connection.
I Prefer Dining in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo.
This may not appeal to you, but many youths feel isolated (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam survey released this summer). In a 2023 US report , one-third of men aged between 18 to 23 reported they hadn’t seen anyone outside their household in the previous seven days. Isn't it positive they’re going out and sharing meals with new people?
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 survey highlights an additional benefit: one in seven survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a communal dining experience. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this gives them a shot at a unplanned "meet-cute".
I Hate That Pun Nearly 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: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."
