For a long time, eating alone at a restaurant carried a certain stigma. It felt like something you did only if you had to, not because you wanted to. A table for one suggested loneliness, being stood up, or killing time until your real plans. Somewhere along the way, that narrative started to crack.
The Question That Sparked the Conversation
A recent Reddit thread asked a simple question: is eating alone at restaurants normal or weird? The responses made one thing clear. A lot of people do it. A lot of people enjoy it. And a growing number of people no longer see it as something that needs an explanation.
Many commenters said they eat alone regularly and don’t think twice about it. Some grab lunch solo during workdays. Others travel for work and eat out alone by default. A few even said they prefer it because there’s no coordinating schedules, no small talk and no pressure to rush or linger.
Why Solo Dining Feels More Normal Now
What stood out most was how unremarkable it sounded to them. Several people said they barely notice others eating alone anymore. Others admitted they used to feel self conscious but realized no one was paying attention. Once they crossed that mental line, it stopped feeling like a big deal.
That shift lines up with how people live now. More people work remotely. More people run errands alone during the day. More people travel solo. Life doesn’t always come with a built in dining partner, and waiting around for one feels unnecessary.
Restaurants Have Quietly Adapted
Restaurants have noticed the change too. Bar seating has expanded well beyond bars. Counter seating, window ledges, and smaller tables make solo dining feel expected rather than out of place. Casual sit down spots now feel just as welcoming to one person as they do to groups.
Several commenters pointed out that in many cities and other countries, eating alone has never been strange. It’s always been part of daily life. For others, especially in suburban or smaller settings, the adjustment is newer but happening fast.
The Freedom of a Table for One
A recurring theme in the thread was freedom. Eating alone means ordering exactly what you want and the ability to eat at your own pace. You can linger or leave without running it by someone else. If you want to scroll your phone, read a book, people watch, or sit quietly, there’s no one to tell you otherwise.
Confidence, Not Loneliness
There’s also a confidence factor that came up again and again. Eating alone signals comfort with yourself. It suggests you don’t need an audience to enjoy a meal. That perception may be newer, but it’s catching on.
Social media has helped normalize it. Videos of solo dinners, café visits, and quiet meals rack up views and comments from people who want the same thing. Instead of being framed as sad, these moments come across as intentional.
How Fast Social Norms Can Change
Plenty of Reddit users admitted they avoided eating alone for years because they assumed it was strange. Reading hundreds of people say the opposite flipped that assumption almost instantly. It mirrors how other once awkward activities have shifted, like going to the movies alone or traveling solo.
Eating alone is still not for everyone, and it doesn’t need to be, but the idea that it means something is wrong has lost its grip.
A New Normal at the Table
What replaced that stigma is something simpler. Sometimes you’re hungry. Sometimes you want to go out. Sometimes you don’t feel like coordinating plans. Eating alone solves all of that without apology.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
