Communal Dining Seating: Why Nine in Ten of Gen Z Enjoy Them
Term: Communal seating arrangements.
Look: Long, awkward and back in fashion.
The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the Cafeteria
What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? Gen Z, apparently. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, versus just six in ten of boomers".
A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining 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.
It Was Logical During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?
It’s an alien concept for you, I know, but shared dining can be fun! As Pablo Rivero notes: "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 Having Dinner Interrupted by Someone Explaining Loudly That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”
Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? 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. This same desire driving the popularity of youth running groups, hiking outings and art nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions.
I’d Rather Eat in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths Found in Japan.
This may not appeal to you, but lots of young people are lonely (Nearly half of them, according to an Oxfam survey released this summer). A recent American study , one-third of men aged between 18 and 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 Those Dining in Groups More Often Feel Happier
Talking to strangers is beneficial, too: it enhances our feeling of community. Additionally the Resy survey highlights an additional benefit: 14% of survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a shared meal event. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this gives them a shot at a unplanned "meet-cute".
That Joke Annoys Me Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
My work here is done.
Do say: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs."
Inappropriate remark: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."
