Shared Dining Seating: The Reason Nine in Ten of Gen Z Enjoy Them
Term: Shared seating arrangements.
Look: Long, uncomfortable and back in fashion.
The Return of Communal Eating? Oh no. The Sole Appropriate Location 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 dining booking company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they like shared seating, compared with just six in ten 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, actually – there were about 2,500 of them, supported by Winston Churchill.
I Suppose It Made Sense When Food Was Scarce, But Why Do It Now?
This might seem strange to you, admittedly, but communal tables can be fun! As the Resy CEO explains: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"
The “Fun” of Having Dinner Interrupted by A Loud Conversation About Their Therapy Revealing They Are an Empath
Or being squeezed next to a Hyrox bore chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer filming you accidentally in their video while eating a salad? Consider this: gen Z – the most digitally connected group, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. It’s the same impulse behind the rise of young people’s running clubs, group hikes 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 many youths feel isolated (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam study released this summer). In a 2023 US report , one-third of men aged between 18 to 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. Research Shows Those Dining in Groups More Often Feel Happier
Talking to strangers is beneficial, too: it enhances our feeling of community. Additionally the Resy data points out another advantage: 14% of survey respondents said they’d landed a date 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.
Do say: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs."
Don’t say: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."
