Can solo diners please get the best spot in the restaurant?
A solo diner having coffee, lunch and dessert could easily spend more than two people splitting one appetiser and posing with it for 45 minutes. Because we decided to step out without company, so why should the experience offered to us be any different simply. Because we happen to walk in alone, we are simply asking not to be quietly downgraded from garden view to restroom view.
And this question is especially for restaurants that proudly market themselves as “aesthetic spaces”: Why are your most aesthetic corners seemingly reserved for people who arrive in pairs or groups? Over the years, we have surely learnt to appreciate solo dining – and, thankfully, we have also learnt that solo diners are not to be stared at like they have either been stood up or are going through a life crisis. As someone who often steps out alone for coffee or a meal, I can tell you that the latter is a relief. But there is one change I am still waiting for: Can solo diners please get the best spot in the restaurant? If we are talking business, solo dining is hardly a novelty anymore. Many of us order a perfectly good three-course meal, spend hours at a cafe or lounge and place multiple orders. In terms of numbers, we add to a restaurant’s revenue just like everyone else. Solo diners are no longer asking to be normalised. That part, thankfully, has happened.