Page 14 - aruba-today-20240904

A14 BUSINESS
Wednesday 4 september 2024
Party of one:

Restaurants are catering to a growing number of solo diners

By DEE-ANN DURBIN and we’re kind of playing the
ANNE D’INNOCENZIO long game and establish-
AP Business Writers ing ourselves as a place
NEW YORK (AP) — Parisa that’s truly special,” said
Imanirad, a scientist and Drew Brady, chief operat-
cancer researcher from ing officer at Overthrow
San Francisco, is married Hospitality, which operates
and has a wide circle of 11 vegan restaurant con-
friends. But once or twice a cepts in New York.
week, she goes to a restau- Brady has seen an increase
rant by herself. in solo diners since the pan-
Imanirad said dining alone demic, and says they’re
gives her time to think or evenly split between men
read. She tries not to touch and women. At the com-
her phone and relishes the pany’s flagship restaurant,
silence. “It’s like a spa, but Avant Garden, they make
a different type,” Imani- up as much as 8% of pa-
rad said during a recent trons.
solo lunch at Spruce, an In response, the restau-
upscale restaurant in San rant teamed up with Light-
Francisco. speed, a restaurant tech
Imanirad isn’t alone in her and consulting company,
desire to be alone. In the to develop a solo dining
U.S., solo dining reservations program. Avant Garden
have risen 29% over the last now has a spacious ta-
two years, according to ble designed for solo din-
OpenTable, the restaurant ers, with a $65 four-course
reservation site. They’re up Parisa Imanirad, a scientist and cancer researcher, eats lunch alone at Spruce, an upscale menu fashioned like a pass-
18% this year in Germany restaurant in San Francisco, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. port to enhance the sense
and 14% in the United King- Associated Press of adventure. If solo diners
dom. order a cocktail, a bar-

Japan even has a special joying your own compa- cerne, Switzerland, Carolyn more crowded with groups tender mixes it tableside.
term for solo dining: “ohi- ny,” Soo said. Ray was stunned when the or going early on a week- Mattila, at Penn State, said
torisama,” which means The pandemic also made hostess led her to a beau- day. restaurants might want to
“alone” but with honorifics social interactions less fea- tiful lake-view table set for “The best way to see a res- consider additional chang-
spoken both before and af- sible and therefore less im- one, complete with a small taurant you’ve been want- es.
ter the word to make par- portant while eating out, vase of flowers. ing to see for a long time is Her research has found
ties of one feel less hesitant. said Anna Mattila, a pro- Ray, the CEO and editor of definitely going solo,” Singh that solo diners prefer an-
In a recent survey, Japan’s fessor of lodging manage- JourneyWoman, a website said. gular shapes in lights, ta-
Hot Pepper Gourmet Eat- ment at Penn State Univer- for solo women travelers “If I go at 5 p.m. and alone, bles or plates, for example
ing Out Research Institute sity who has studied solo over 50, said other restau- I haven’t been denied at to round ones, which are
found that 23% of Japa- dining. rants have tried to seat her one place ever.” more associated with the
nese people eat out alone, And smartphones help toward the back or point- Restaurants aren’t always connectedness of groups.
up from 18% in 2018. some restaurant patrons edly asked if someone will thrilled to seat a single din- They also prefer slow-tem-
As a result, many restau- feel connected to oth- be joining her. er at a table that could fit po music.
rants in Japan and else- ers even when they’re by Ray counsels women plan- more. Jill Weber, the founder of
where are redoing their themselves, she said. ning to dine alone to go A Michelin-starred London Sojourn Philly, a Philadel-
seating, changing their “The social norms have somewhere else if they’re restaurant, Alex Dilling at phia company that owns
menus and adding other changed. People don’t treated rudely or given a Hotel Café Royal, caused a two restaurants and a wine
special touches to appeal look at solo diners anymore bad table. stir last year when it started bar, said she adds a com-
to solo diners. and think, ‘You must be a “It’s almost like the world charging solo patrons the munal table at special
“Even so-called family res- loner,’” Mattila said. hasn’t caught up with this same price as two custom- events like wine tastings so
taurants are increasing The growth comes as more idea that we are on our ers. Its eight-course dinner individuals have a place to
counter seats for solitary people are living alone. In own because we want to tasting menu, which in- gather.
diners, and restaurants are 2019, the Pew Research be on our own and we’re cludes caviar and Cornish She also doesn’t offer spe-
offering courses with small- Center found that 38% of independent and empow- squid, costs 215 pounds cials designed for two.We-
er servings so a person eat- U.S. adults ages 25 to 54 ered,” she said. “We can ($280) per person. ber, who is also an archae-
ing alone gets a variety of were living without a part- go into any restaurant we The restaurant, which has ologist, loves dining alone
dishes,” said Masahiro Ina- ner, up from 29% in 1990. In want and have a table for only 34 seats, didn’t re- when she’s traveling.
gaki, a senior researcher at Japan, single households one and feel good about spond to a request for “There’s something about
the institute. now make up one-third of it.” comment. not having to agree on
OpenTable CEO Debby the total; that’s expected Shawn Singh, a Houston- But its website doesn’t al- where to go and every-
Soo thinks remote work is to climb to 40% by 2040, based content creator and low reservations for less thing that goes with that.
one reason for the increase, according to government restaurant reviewer, said than two people. You have the freedom to
with diners seeking respites data. he eats alone about 70% of Other restaurants say it’s stay as long as you want,
from their home offices. But Increasing interest in solo the time. worth seating one person order what you want and
she thinks there are deeper travel particularly among If the idea of venturing out at a table made for two sit with those things,” she
reasons, too. travelers ages 55 and over for a solitary meal is intimi- because solo diners tend to said.

“I think there’s a broader is also leading to more dating, he suggests going be loyal, repeat customers. “It also feels brave

movement of self-love and meals alone. to lunch instead of dinner “While there may be a sometimes.”q
self-care and really… en- On a recent solo trip to Lu- when tables are usually short-term loss there, I think