🔗 Share this article Communal Dining Tables: The Reason Nine in Ten of Gen Z Like Them Term: Shared seating arrangements. Look: Lengthy, awkward and making a comeback. Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the School Canteen Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? The younger generation, apparently. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they like shared seating, compared with just six in ten of older generations". A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining Regarding Younger People Communal eating in nationalistic eateries was a major trend during the second world war, in fact – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, supported by Winston Churchill. It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, But Why Do It Now? It’s an alien concept for you, admittedly, but shared dining can be enjoyable! As Pablo Rivero notes: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "You never know who you’ll be seated next to; that’s the fun of it!" The “Fun” of An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Revealing They Are an Empath Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore chomping chicken breasts to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a social media user capturing you in the background in their video while eating a salad? You have to remember: gen Z – the most online generation, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom started careers remotely – 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 a Solo Ramen Stall They Have in Tokyo. You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (47% of them, according to an Oxfam survey released this summer). A recent American study a third of males aged between 18 and 23 reported they hadn’t seen anyone 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 good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Additionally the Resy survey highlights an additional benefit: 14% of survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a shared meal event. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this gives them a shot at a spontaneous "meat-cute". I Hate That Pun Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating. My work here is done. Appropriate comment: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs." Inappropriate remark: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."