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Name: Shared tables.

Appearance: Lengthy, uncomfortable and making a comeback.

The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the School Canteen

What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? The younger generation, apparently. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, compared with just 60% of older generations".

I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before You Start Harrumphing Regarding Younger People

Group dining in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a big thing during the WWII, actually – there were about 2,500 of them, backed by Winston Churchill.

It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, What's the Appeal Today?

It’s an alien concept for you, admittedly, but communal tables can be enjoyable! As the Resy CEO explains: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"

The “Fun” of An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Revealing They Are an Empath

Or being squeezed next to a Hyrox bore chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a social media user filming you accidentally in their video as they massacre a salad? You have to remember: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. This same desire driving the popularity of young people’s running clubs, group hikes and art nights: they’re craving offline social connection.

I Prefer Dining in a Solo Ramen Stall Found in Japan.

This may not appeal to you, but many youths feel isolated (47% of them, as per an Oxfam survey 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 past week. Isn’t it a good thing they’re getting out and sharing meals with new people?

Perhaps. Research Shows People Who Eat Socially More Often Feel Happier

Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it enhances our feeling of community. Additionally the Resy survey points out another advantage: 14% of survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a communal dining experience. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this gives them a shot at a spontaneous "meat-cute".

I Hate That Pun Nearly as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.

My work here is done.

Appropriate comment: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs."

Don’t say: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."