EATING OUT ALONE SHOULD BE MUCH MORE NORMAL
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: going out to eat alone should become normal.
If you've ever traveled alone, whether it was a city trip or a longer journey, it has probably happened that you dined solo. Maybe the threshold was a bit high, but you had no other choice and it turned out to be not as daunting as you thought. There was probably enough entertainment watching people, especially if you were enjoying the local street food specialties. But how does that work when you're just in the Netherlands?
Do you ever go out to eat alone? Many people find this embarrassing and are afraid that others will think they are sad, or simply find it awkward to sit at a table without a conversation partner. In the AD, Gijsbregt Brouwer, founder of the food platform De Buik, advocates for change.
One guest is not a guest
On the reservation tools of various restaurants, the option for a table for one is not even offered. Could it be that restaurants, after the long, financially burdensome lockdowns, prefer to turn the revenue of two people at that one precious table? Perhaps, but it is also true that the people who want to bring money to a restaurant alone should be cherished, right? By the way, if it is not possible to reserve online, don't hesitate to give them a call.
Escaping the hustle at home
According to Brouwer and the AD, dining out is often still ‘a conservative affair’ and ‘entrepreneurs prefer a traditional form of coziness at the table, where small groups talk in hushed tones or couples gaze romantically into each other's eyes’. But yes, there are indeed a lot of singles in the country, not to mention people who just want to eat out alone to be free from constant chatter. People who really pay a lot of attention to the food and the restaurant and want to truly enjoy it. Good food, finally some peace, that's quite special (nice), isn't it?
Hey ho let’s go solo
It would also be nice, they write, if restaurants would at least designate some nice spots for solo dining guests; at the bar or a communal large table or Chef’s Table for those who want company and conversation, and for example a small table by the wall for those who want to quietly look around. In short, there are plenty of possibilities to ensure that the guest alone feels welcome, and dining out with yourself can be normalized. We know that many restaurants pamper a guest alone tremendously, but all restaurants could take a cue from this story of a girl who dined alone at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Source: AD
