🔗 Share this article

Name: Shared tables.

Look: Long, uncomfortable and making a comeback.

Communal Dining is Back? Oh no. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the Cafeteria

What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? The younger generation, it seems. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "Nine out of ten of young adult patrons say they like communal tables, compared with just six in ten of boomers".

A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining Regarding Younger People

Communal eating in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a major trend during the WWII, in fact – there were about 2,500 of them, supported by Winston Churchill.

It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, What's the Appeal Today?

It’s an alien concept for you, admittedly, but communal tables can be enjoyable! As the Resy CEO notes: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"

The “Fun” of Having Dinner Interrupted by Someone Explaining Loudly That Their Therapist Revealing They Are an Empath

Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer filming you accidentally in their video as they massacre a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most online generation, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – love a structured communal activity. 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 a Solo Ramen Stall Found in Japan.

You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, according to an Oxfam study released this summer). In a 2023 US report , one-third of men aged between 18 and 23 reported they hadn’t seen anyone outside their household in the past week. Isn’t it a good thing they’re getting out and breaking bread with strangers?

I Suppose. Studies Indicate People Who Eat Socially 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 points out another advantage: one in seven survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a shared meal event. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this offers a chance for a unplanned "meat-cute".

That Joke Annoys Me Almost as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.

My work here is done.

Appropriate comment: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."

Inappropriate remark: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."