The art of eating Solitarily at a diner

[Travel memoir21]

Have you occasionally done this? It's actually peaceful and chilled once you get used to it. I'll bring my headphones and ipod and listen to some Zen music and switch to some Alternative Rock later. Also bring some reading material as well like a magazine or a novel to read after I'm done eating. I like lounging out at places a lot. If they allow pets, I'll bring my dog to keep me company.

 

[SW15]

This is not something I normally do at sit down restaurants. There would need to be unusual circumstances for me to dine alone at a sit down restaurant.

 

[Travel memoir21]

This is not something I normally do at sit down restaurants. There would need to be unusual circumstances for me to dine alone at a sit down restaurant.

I can understand if its a family restaurant like Ruby Tuesdays, Apple bees or Texas road house were you'd be slightly embarrassed taking up space. But I'm talking about Air Port sandwich shops, The Waffle House, I hop or Denny's on a weekday midnight hours when you're off the next day and got nothing to do. Going to those places during that time would be the best days to do it.

 

[SW15]

Air Port sandwich shops

That's basically fast food. Eating fast food alone isn't the same.

I differentiate between eating fast food alone and eating in a sit down service restaurant alone.

Waffle House, IHOP, Denny's, Ruby Tuesdays, Applebee's, and Texas Roadhouse are all sit down restaurants.

 

[Mike32ct]

I eat alone 90+% of the time unless out with a friend. I’m so used to it that it is effortless. I was at a diner for dinner* today. There no art to it. Just sit down and order food. TV screens are helpful too.

As long as the place has a counter (like a diner) or a bar (other restaurants) it works fine for solo diners.

Even sitting in a booth alone is doable, though not ideal.

Eating alone at a table is only recommended when the place is slow. Staff will get a little annoyed about one person taking up a whole table at peak times, and they’ll probably drop the bill on the table two minutes after your food arrives to rush you out lol.

*I almost slipped and said “supper,” the outdated Gen X term SW15 warned me about in another post lol.

 

[Hamurabimbi]

I travel a lot solo for work so I often eat solo at restaurants. My organization is paying for it. Going solo is no big deal. I often have more interesting experiences solo than when with someone. Literally today I was at a remote client site. I went out to dinner solo at a nice place. Got into conversation with my server and was offered a free late.

People seem more inclined to talk to you if you’re alone (or they think you’re alone).

 

[BackInTheGame78]

What is the point of going out in a social environment to not be social?

 

[CoolWave1331]

Maybe like once or twice a week. I don't always bring my lunch to work and since I work downtown there's a ton of bars/restaurants around. Sometimes i'll grab a bite with a coworker or two but just as often I go out solo. I don't personally have a problem with this - i've struck up conversations / even got a few numbers from women while i've done this.

 

[SW15]

*I almost slipped and said “supper,” the outdated Gen X term SW15 warned me about in another post lol.

I found that thread. You have a good memory. The OP of that thread seemed to be one of the earliest Millennials (1981-1982)

“How I Strike-Up Conversations With Cool Or Attractive Strangers, Get Their Contact Info In 5 Minutes, And Then Arrange To Meet Up Again..."

I've discovered there are 3 ways to start a conversation with a stranger who I maybe want to turn into a friend, date or meetup, but I’ll focus on the most basic one, and that is this... To start things off, I just ask them an innocent, non-invasive question. That's it. There's no magic to...

www.sosuave.net

Supper is a term more used by Boomers and pre-Boomers than Gen X'ers. It is an outdated term, even for Generation X'ers.

Millennials and Gen Z have removed that term from their day-to-day vocabulary.

I eat alone 90+% of the time unless out with a friend. I’m so used to it that it is effortless. I was at a diner for dinner* today. There no art to it. Just sit down and order food. TV screens are helpful too.

What is the point of going out in a social environment to not be social?

Reading a book is also helpful as a solo diner.

I agree with @BackInTheGame78 that there isn't much of a point in going to a sit down restaurant without another person present. That person could be a girlfriend, family member, or male friend.

If I'm alone and need to eat, I will typically eat at home. Fast food is a better option for solo eating than any sit down joint.

I eat at home far more than I eat at any form of restaurant. That's true if I am solo eating or eating with someone else.

As long as the place has a counter (like a diner) or a bar (other restaurants) it works fine for solo diners.

That is the best option in a solo dining situation.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I found that thread. You have a good memory. The OP of that thread seemed to be one of the earliest Millennials (1981-1982)

“How I Strike-Up Conversations With Cool Or Attractive Strangers, Get Their Contact Info In 5 Minutes, And Then Arrange To Meet Up Again..."

I've discovered there are 3 ways to start a conversation with a stranger who I maybe want to turn into a friend, date or meetup, but I’ll focus on the most basic one, and that is this... To start things off, I just ask them an innocent, non-invasive question. That's it. There's no magic to...

www.sosuave.net

Supper is a term more used by Boomers and pre-Boomers than Gen X'ers. It is an outdated term, even for Generation X'ers.

Millennials and Gen Z have removed that term from their day-to-day vocabulary.





Reading a book is also helpful as a solo diner.

I agree with @BackInTheGame78 that there isn't much of a point in going to a sit down restaurant without another person present. That person could be a girlfriend, family member, or male friend.

If I'm alone and need to eat, I will typically eat at home. Fast food is a better option for solo eating than any sit down joint.

I eat at home far more than I eat at any form of restaurant. That's true if I am solo eating or eating with someone else.



That is the best option in a solo dining situation.

Historically in farming and rural communities where they got up very early in the morning, the larger main meal was around midday and was called dinner with supper being served in the evening as a lighter meal.

As urbanization and industrialization became more common, the main meal was eaten at nighttime with the lighter meal shifted to a short "lunch break" in between their work schedule.

So the term dinner correctly moved to the nighttime meal to describe the largest main meal of the day.

Interestingly enough there are those who now call lunch "supper" and they are also correct based on how the words were used to describe the type of meal as lunch has become the lighter meal during the day just as supper once was at night.

But most people have simply started calling it lunch and shifted the term dinner from the midday meal to the evening meal.