🔗 Share this article Communal Dining Seating: The Reason 90% of Gen Z Like Them Name: Shared seating arrangements. Look: Lengthy, awkward and making a comeback. Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Only Acceptable Place for Refectory Tables is the Cafeteria Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? The younger generation, it seems. Research indicates from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, compared with just 60% of older generations". A Sign of the Times. Before You Start Harrumphing Regarding Younger People Communal eating in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the second world war, actually – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, supported by Winston Churchill. It Was Logical During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now? It’s an alien concept for you, I know, but shared dining can be fun! As the Resy CEO explains: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!" The “Fun” of Having Dinner Interrupted by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath” Or sitting beside a fitness enthusiast chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer filming you accidentally of their reel as they massacre a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most online generation, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. It’s the same impulse behind the rise of young people’s running clubs, hiking outings and crafting nights: they’re craving offline social connection. I Prefer Dining in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths Found in Japan. This may not appeal to you, but many youths feel isolated (47% of them, according to an Oxfam survey released this summer). In a 2023 US report , one-third of men aged between 18 and 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the previous seven days. Isn't it positive they’re going out and breaking bread with strangers? I Suppose. Research Shows 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 shared meal event. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this offers a chance for a spontaneous "meat-cute". That Joke Annoys Me Nearly as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating. My work here is done. Appropriate comment: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success." Inappropriate remark: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."