Dining alone: Here’s why solo dining is becoming more popular

Some of the most useful lessons I learnt as a young restaurateur came from New York restaurateur Danny Meyer’s book Setting the Table. He writes beautifully about the guest who comes in alone. Most diners come in with an agenda — to impress a date, close a deal, celebrate an anniversary or survive a family gathering. A solo guest, on the other hand, has only one agenda: a date with the restaurant.

Now, restaurants are, of course, places of conversation. Viewed that way, most people are coming in to rent a table for a while. The restaurant gives them lighting, music, plates, wine and a setting in which to say things they might not say at home. It is a stage for love, gossip, awkward silences, business plans, breakups, proposals, politics and so much more. We provide the scenery, snacks and lubrication.