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Comment by kyro | Hacker News Reader

Do people have a hard time sitting alone at a restaurant table for 2+? More often than not I prefer to eat lunch alone; it's my time to think, wind down, escape from my constant interacting with others at work, and fully enjoy my meal without distractions. I've never felt uncomfortable or have been treated differently for eating alone. I do it almost every day. It's an experience that's been achievable for some time now and I'm having a hard time understanding why this is noteworthy. It's OK to eat alone, anywhere, maybe except at grandma's on Thanksgiving.

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I felt a little awkward when I was a bit younger and not as used to it, especially in the large, busy, wide open places. But I've gotten over it, and most lunches I eat alone without thinking about it.

Still if you look around we are definitely the minority. It seems like some people can't stand the thought of eating alone. Sometimes co-workers will practically beg you to go eat lunch with them if they don't have anyone else to go with. I think people place a stigma on themselves about it even though they won't look twice when they see someone else out eating by themselves.

I occasionally feel like my waitress is pitying me when I eat alone. Poor guy eating alone. Or maybe she's just angling for a better tip...

I've definitely noticed a different response from waitstaff when I'm on my own than when I'm out with friends; it seems as though, in the former case, a waiter will tend to be a bit less formal and more friendly than otherwise. It's a little odd, perhaps, but it also tends to result in better service, so I'm not about to complain.

I feel like most of society can't handle being alone ever since social media "brought us together".

I don't have a problem with it, but I've lived a largely solitary life. I have friends who would never dream of going to a restaurant alone, though, and would think everybody was watching them eat and wondering what was wrong with them.

I've never had a problem with it... the restaurant which is the subject of the article itself is just characteristically sneaky Dutch marketing.

Wine and some literature or a notepad for creative flourishes are often better company than people... and can help one to take work and life less seriously. This is a situation in which strong service people can really make a restaurant shine. Also, often I find eating alone I am actually able to meet fellow diners, occasionally single and attractive ones, with relative ease!

Similarly, if feedback is requested by staff or I feel compelled to offer it at the end of the meal, I can be honest and open about my impressions and not have to curtail perspective to avoiding looking like a snob to my dining companions. (An aside, is that IMHO one mark of a great restaurant is one that invites and accepts graciously feedback from its patrons.)

France, Romania, and Los Angeles have the most single-dining friendly cultures I've encountered. Holland does have it but it can be a pain in the ass to find quality restaurants, and very hard to find anything done well that deviates from the European cuisine matrix. Much of Asia (Thailand, South India, China, etc.) has a great single dining culture from a more practical perspective: less white tablecloth, multi-course meals and wine lists - more convenient menus and hands down tasty single person optimized relatively-balanced meals, at least for a portion of their cuisine.

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