Communal Dining Seating: Why Nine in Ten of Gen Z Like Them
Name: Communal seating arrangements.
Look: Long, uncomfortable and back in fashion.
Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Refectory Tables is the Cafeteria
Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? Gen Z, it seems. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "Nine out of ten of young adult patrons say they like shared seating, versus just 60% of older generations".
A Sign of the Times. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today
Group dining in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a major trend during the WWII, in fact – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, supported by Winston Churchill.
I Suppose It Made Sense During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?
This might seem strange to you, admittedly, but shared dining can be fun! As Pablo Rivero explains: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"
The “Fun” of An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation About Their Therapy Revealing They Are an Empath
Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a nano-influencer capturing you in the background in their video while eating a salad? Consider this: gen Z – 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. This same desire behind the rise of young people’s running clubs, group hikes and crafting nights: they’re craving offline social connection.
I’d Rather Eat in a Solo Ramen Stall Found in Japan.
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 hadn’t seen anyone outside their household in the previous seven days. Isn’t it a good thing they’re getting out and breaking bread with strangers?
Perhaps. Research Shows 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: 14% of survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a shared meal event. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this gives them a shot at a spontaneous "meat-cute".
I Hate That Pun Almost as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.
Mission accomplished.
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."
