Shared Restaurant Seating: The Reason 90% of Generation Z Like Them

Name: Communal seating arrangements.

Look: Lengthy, awkward and back in fashion.

The Return of Communal Eating? Oh no. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the School Canteen

Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? The younger generation, it seems. Research indicates from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of young adult patrons say they like communal tables, compared with just six in ten of older generations".

I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before Complaining About the Youth of Today

Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the WWII, actually – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, backed by Winston Churchill.

I Suppose It Made Sense During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?

This might seem strange to you, I know, but communal tables can be fun! As the Resy CEO explains: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!"

The Enjoyment From 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 "workout routines"? Or a social media user filming you accidentally in their video while eating a salad? You have to remember: 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. It’s the same impulse driving the popularity of youth running groups, hiking outings and crafting nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions.

I’d Rather Eat in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths Found in Japan.

You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, according to an Oxfam survey published in June). In a 2023 US report a third of males aged between 18 and 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the past week. Isn’t it a good thing they’re getting out and sharing meals with new people?

I Suppose. Research Shows Those Dining in Groups More Often Feel Happier

Talking to strangers is good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Additionally the Resy survey 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 offers a chance for a unplanned "meet-cute".

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

Mission accomplished.

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

Inappropriate remark: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."