Reservation for one: Dining solo is a growing trend in NJ

🍽 More people are dining alone in NJ restaurants

🍽 Restaurants have adapted to the single diners

🍽 Eating at the bar is cool, one restaurateur says 

Do you enjoy dining alone?

More people are going solo at restaurants, squashing the stigma of single dining of years past where it was considered lonely, sad, and even pathetic.

According to restaurant booking platform OpenTable, online reservations for parties of one at sit-down restaurants increased 8% for the 12 months ending on May 31, compared with the same time the year prior, CNN reported.

The online survey also found that 60% of respondents had dined alone in the past year, including nearly 70% of millennials and Gen Zers.

So, why are more people eating at restaurants alone, and more importantly, why do they feel more comfortable doing it?

In recent years, restaurants in New Jersey and across the country have adapted, and are now making it easier for people to dine at the bar, instead of waiting for a table, said Mark Metzger, a board of director member with the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association.

“It used to be back in the old days, menus at the bar were limited. Now, a lot of restaurants feel they should offer complete meals for dining both during the day and at night. That creates a comfort zone,” Metzger said.

As director of on-premise sales for Opici Wine Group in Glen Rock, and having been in the restaurant business for years, Metzger says he’s seen quite a shift in the way restaurants do business to keep all customers comfortable and happy.

It also used to be that back in the day, customers only went to the bar to get a drink while waiting for their table to eat. That’s completely changed. Folks love to eat at the bar now, Metzger said.

Some single people feel more comfortable sitting at a bar, ordering a drink and a meal rather than sitting at a table, Metzger said. At the bar, they don’t feel out of place. They don’t feel conspicuous, and they can still have a conversation with the bartender or other single diners, too, Metzger said.

“The interaction is there between waiters, waitresses, and bartenders. I think that all of them are not only trained to talk to singles, but the opportunity for interaction is there,” Metzger said.

If you’re single, it can be depressing to eat at home alone or in a hotel room when traveling, Metzger said. As someone who travels alone often, he knows a thing or two about dining out solo.

By restaurants offering complete bar menus, single people can pull up a stool, and enjoy the meal while still in the company of others.

Others simply enjoy dining out solo as a way to unplug, find some time to themselves, and just treat themselves to a nice meal, Metzger added.

It makes sense that millennials and Gen Zers are driving the growth of solo dining because they are typically the single ones, Metzger said.

While he has not seen New Jersey restaurants do anything special to court single diners, Metzger said internally he has seen almost all restaurants adapt by making their full menu options available at the bar.

“I think dining at the bar has become a very cool thing,” Metzger said.

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