During the past 15 years, I have been travelling quite extensively as a hospitality consultant, and whilst having a passion for trying as many food and beverage concepts during my travels and sharing my good and bad experiences on social media, I am always asked the question as to how I feel about dining alone. From eating street food to fine dining restaurants and even bars, I take every opportunity to see what is trending in the hospitality industry. Apart from the most obvious in enjoying what I do, I also like to immerse myself in the global food scene to gain ideas and continue creating exciting new concepts. Although the solo dining experience does not affect me, many of my colleagues and friends are, as you may be, so hopefully, this will help you.
If you travel for work, you will spend a fair amount of meals alone. At first, it’s a bit daunting, if not outright depressing, to go to a restaurant and ask for a table for one. But after a few times, it gets much more accessible. Now I look forward to it! No one to judge what I eat or drink, no one to have to entertain, and some quiet time where I can get some work done or take it easy while being waited upon. I eat at restaurants by myself all over the world. It doesn’t bother me at all; I enjoy it.
Here are a few suggestions for getting you from uncomfortable to happy dining alone.
Don’t worry about others. One of the fears I hear often is that people feel sorry for people eating by themselves. But I promise—no one is looking at you, thinking, “That poor person is all alone!” Chances are, they’re too involved with their dinner companions to worry about anyone else, much less a single diner in the corner. So if they notice you, it’s probably because they’re not having too much fun and envy your solitude!
If you’re like many people, you’re probably afraid of solo dining because you may feel lonely and don’t want to feel awkward. However, solo travel is fantastic for many reasons; when you travel solo, you go to places to please only one person – yourself.
Here are your handy hints for eating alone in restaurants when you travel solo.
1. Time your dining well
I’d recommend trying to dine a little before or after peak time. Why? Most restaurants may still prefer to take the money of two diners over one, especially during peak times, and being in the industry myself, I respect that. I’m advising you to dine out at peak time for your comfort.
If you’re already paranoid about eating out alone, you can quadruple that paranoia if you hit a restaurant at peak dining on a weekend when the place is ram-packed and the tables are sparse. So, going a little earlier or later will be far less stressful.
2. Study the menu beforehand
Chances are that getting across the restaurant’s threshold and taking a seat as a solo diner will have your head racing. Although you may look like you’re studying the menu thoughtfully, your mind is probably elsewhere…
“Are you ready to order?”
If you can study the menu before you sit down, do it and make a decision or at least a shortlist of three things that you want to eat. Not only will it make your first 10 minutes in the restaurant less stressful, but it also avoids the problem of panic ordering. And the bonus is that if you eat something delicious, you’re much more likely to want to return for another adventure eating out alone.
3. Dress comfortably
We all have clothes that make us feel more comfortable and confident, and I’d highly recommend wearing them for your eating-out adventure. On comfort, you’re going out to eat. There is little point in wearing that “I used to fit into a shirt when I was 21” and breathing in the entire night. This applies to all eating-out experiences – solo or not. But from an eating-alone perspective, nothing can be gained from increasing your discomfort!
4. Make a reservation
You’ve picked a restaurant, you’ve studied the menu, you’ve planned your route, you’ve chosen a non-peak time, and still, you’ve turned away at the door. Don’t leave your dinner plans to chance – if you can, book ahead.
5. Stand your ground on seating
Sure, I get that restaurants to prefer to take two people instead of one, but on the flip side, as a solo diner, you’re much more likely to complete your meal quicker than a couple or group. So, I say stand your ground. If the restaurant doesn’t give you a decent table that makes you comfortable, then walk away – there are plenty of restaurants that will. I recommend choosing bar dining, which I do regularly, be it sushi bar or Tapas, which welcome single diners.
6. Use your phone or bring a book
Your smartphone can be your dinner companion if you’re terrified of sitting at a table with no one to talk to. A book does the same purpose. Before your meal arrives, you can connect with friends and family on Facebook in those awkward moments. This will keep you feeling less lonely while eating alone. I regularly start a WhatsApp chat during dinner, talking to my partner or friends and sharing food pics. I have begun a microblog of my own, capturing places I most enjoy to gather a hit list of places I would return to.
7. Chat with the wait staff
Almost every one of my friendships with locals has begun in a restaurant. Chat with your waiter – they’re friendly and have fantastic stories about where they come from and what life is like.
If by chance you visit the same restaurant or café regularly, before long, they’ll remember your name, and each time you return, you’ll feel like you’re going to visit friends.
8. People-watch
I hate to break it to you, but no one is looking at you and thinking, “Oh, how sad and pathetic that person is all alone.” Instead, because people aren’t thinking about you, they’re thinking about themselves.
If they think about you, they’re most likely wondering what that confident, independent person eating alone feels about them as they sit with their significant other, envying your freedom.
Conclusion
I enjoy eating alone because of my work. But, still, I like to taste my food and enjoy the sensory experience of eating because I enjoy being out and exploring.
I don’t have to be involved in a conversation every second of the day because I do that most of the time at work. So a quiet dinner is very satisfying.
There’s another phenomenon, but when you dine alone with people, sometimes foreign countries invite you to eat with them. It’s happened to me countless times and will happen to you, too. In addition to invitations to join someone’s table, numerous people have approached and asked to sit with me, and I’ve always said yes.
Bon Appetit!
