🔗 Share this article Shared Restaurant Seating: The Reason Nine in Ten of Generation Z Like Them Term: Communal seating arrangements. Appearance: Long, uncomfortable and back in fashion. The Return of Communal Eating? Oh no. The Only Acceptable Place for Refectory Tables is the School Canteen Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? Gen Z, apparently. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "90% of young adult patrons 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 Communal eating in nationalistic eateries was a major trend during the WWII, in fact – there were about 2,500 of them, supported by Winston Churchill. It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, But Why Do It Now? It’s an alien concept for you, I know, but shared dining can be enjoyable! As Pablo Rivero explains: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!" The Enjoyment From Having Dinner Interrupted by Someone Explaining Loudly About Their Therapy Revealing They Are an Empath Or being squeezed next to a fitness enthusiast eating chicken to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a nano-influencer filming you accidentally in their video as they massacre a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom started careers remotely – love a structured communal activity. This same desire driving the popularity of youth running groups, hiking outings and crafting nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions. I’d Rather Eat in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo. You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (Nearly half 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 going out and breaking bread with strangers? Perhaps. Studies Indicate Those Dining in Groups Report Greater Happiness Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy survey points out another advantage: one in seven survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a communal dining experience. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this gives them a shot at a unplanned "meat-cute". That Joke Annoys Me Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating. Mission accomplished. 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."