Why Solo Dining Is Starting To Become More Popular

It's Friday night and you're setting out for dinner. The restaurant was selected with care, perhaps by recommendation of your favorite local TikToker, or perhaps from a listicle of the best sushi spots. But instead of texting your friends or significant other to confirm plans, you instead grab a book, laptop, or E-reader. This is a glimpse into the life of a solo diner, and it is the future. While solo dining has always existed (everyone has to eat), dining out is largely seen as a social activity. But this social norm seems to be on its way out, as solo dining has skyrocketed in popularity. According to data from OpenTable as reported by the New York Times, solo dining reservations in the United States as of 2025 have risen 64% since 2019. This shift isn't going unnoticed. In fact, many restaurants have adapted their services and offerings to suit the solo diner. 

So what's behind this move toward solo dining? While there is no single clear-cut answer to this question, there are a few key shifts that experts believe may be contributing to the rise in tables for one. Some experts believe that the rise of remote work has contributed to this trend, citing remote workers' need to get out of the house and mix things up. Another potential factor for this change comes down to generational differences. After all, surveys have reported that Gen Z-ers are less likely to be in a relationship than their Millennial or Gen X predecessors (via Newsweek). However, there may be another reason behind the increasingly popular practice of solo dinners, and it has nothing to do with work or romantic habits but instead an increased focus on self care.

Never in human history have we been more tethered to one another or so disconnected. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey indicated that 41% of American respondents reported being online "almost constantly." Embedded within this uptick in internet reliance is the now ubiquitous presence of social media, which accounts for a good portion of Gen Z's social lives. For many, having one's entire social and professional life at the tips of their fingers can cause anxiety, a sense of fatigue, or social overload, which in turn can cause users to feel increasingly lonely and detached from others and from themselves. Both millennials and Gen Z seem to be feeling the brunt of this alienation, and both generations have reported feeling increasingly lonely in recent years.

Now, one could see the increase in solo dining as an extension of this pervasive loneliness. However, it might just be the opposite. Rather than seeing the uptick in one-person reservations as a sign of our increasingly disconnected world, you could also surmise that at least some of these solo-eaters are pushing against an increasingly on-the-go society (just look at how mobile ordering has pushed diners away from eating inside fast food restaurants). One could argue that taking the time to dine alone is an act of resistance against the isolating effects of perpetual access. Though this isn't the case for all one-party diners, for many, dining out by one's self is an essential act of self care or a part of the recently popular practice of solo dating.

What is solo dating? Essentially, it's the practice of taking oneself out on a date, or to do things that one would traditionally do with a romantic partner, like eating out. However, instead of working to connect with another person, the goal of a solo date is to help people connect with themselves. Solo dating and, more specifically, solo dining, can actually help to ease feelings of loneliness. After all, dining alone in public allows you to be within a social setting on your own terms, and might even encourage you to disconnect from the pull of that nightly doom-scroll session. 

You can use your solo date as an opportunity to disconnect from the digital world and take in the world as it is. If you're not comfortable with solo dining, there are plenty of ways to make eating by yourself at a restaurant more fun and comfortable. You can bring a book or journal and use it as a time to do some serious reflecting. Plus, a solo date is the perfect opportunity to explore dining options according to your own preferences and whims. No need to gather enough friends who share the same love for Ethiopian cuisine or Korean-Mexican fusion. Go on your own and see what you find. Who knows? Solo dating and dining might just became a steady part of your self care routine.