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Name: Shared seating arrangements.

Appearance: Lengthy, awkward and back in fashion.

Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the School Canteen

What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? The younger generation, it seems. Research indicates from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they like shared seating, versus just 60% of older generations".

A Sign of the Times. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today

Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the second world war, actually – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, backed by Winston Churchill.

It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, But Why Do It Now?

It’s an alien concept for you, I know, but communal tables can be fun! As Pablo Rivero notes: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"

The Enjoyment From Having Dinner Interrupted by Someone Explaining Loudly About Their Therapy Revealing They Are an Empath

Or being squeezed next to a fitness enthusiast chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a social media user capturing you in the background of their reel as they massacre a salad? You have to remember: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. This same desire behind the rise of youth running groups, group hikes and art nights: they’re craving offline social connection.

I Prefer Dining in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo.

This may not appeal to you, but many youths feel isolated (47% of them, as per an Oxfam survey released this summer). In a 2023 US report a third of males aged between 18 and 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the past week. Isn't it positive they’re going out and sharing meals with new people?

Perhaps. Studies Indicate People Who Eat Socially Report Greater Happiness

Conversing with new people is beneficial, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy data highlights an additional benefit: one in seven survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a communal dining experience. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this offers a chance for a unplanned "meet-cute".

I Hate That Pun Nearly as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.

My work here is done.

Appropriate comment: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."

Inappropriate remark: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."