Shared Dining Seating: The Reason 90% of Generation Z Like This Trend

Name: Shared tables.

Look: Long, awkward and making a comeback.

Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the Cafeteria

Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? Gen Z, apparently. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they like communal tables, versus just six in ten of boomers".

I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today

Group dining in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a big thing during the WWII, in fact – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, backed by Winston Churchill.

It Was Logical During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?

This might seem strange to you, I know, but communal tables can be fun! As the Resy CEO explains: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!"

The Enjoyment From An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation About Their Therapy Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”

Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a social media user capturing you in the background in their video while eating a salad? You have to remember: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – love a structured communal activity. This same desire behind the rise of youth running groups, hiking outings and crafting nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions.

I’d Rather Eat in a Solo Ramen Stall They Have in Tokyo.

This may not appeal to you, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, according to an Oxfam survey published in June). A recent American study , one-third of men aged between 18 to 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the past week. Isn't it positive they’re getting out and sharing meals with new people?

I Suppose. Research Shows People Who Eat Socially More Often Feel Happier

Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Additionally the Resy survey points out another advantage: one in seven survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a shared meal event. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this offers a chance for a spontaneous "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: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."