Shared Dining Seating: Why 90% of Generation Z Enjoy Them
Term: Communal seating arrangements.
Appearance: Long, uncomfortable and back in fashion.
Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Only Acceptable Place for Refectory Tables is the School Canteen
Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? Gen Z, it seems. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, versus just 60% of boomers".
A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining About the Youth of Today
Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the second world war, in fact – there were about two thousand five hundred 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, admittedly, but shared dining can be fun! As the Resy CEO 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 An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation About Their Therapy Revealing They Are an Empath
Or sitting beside a fitness enthusiast eating chicken to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a social media user capturing you in the background of their reel while eating a salad? You have to remember: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. This same desire driving the popularity of young people’s running clubs, hiking outings and art nights: they’re craving offline social connection.
I Prefer Dining in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo.
You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, as per an Oxfam survey published in June). A recent American study , one-third of men aged between 18 to 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the past week. Isn't it positive they’re getting out and breaking bread with strangers?
Perhaps. Research Shows Those Dining in Groups More Often Feel Happier
Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy data highlights an additional benefit: one in seven survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a communal dining experience. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this offers a chance for a unplanned "meat-cute".
I Hate That Pun Nearly as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.
My work here is done.
Appropriate comment: "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."
