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Name: Communal seating arrangements.

Look: Long, awkward and back in fashion.

Communal Dining is Back? Not Again. The Only Acceptable Place for Long Benches is the School Canteen

What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? Gen Z, apparently. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of young adult patrons say they like shared seating, compared with just 60% of older generations".

A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining Regarding Younger People

Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a major trend during the WWII, in fact – there were about 2,500 of them, supported by Winston Churchill.

I Suppose It Made Sense When Food Was Scarce, But Why Do It Now?

This might seem strange to you, I know, but communal tables can be enjoyable! 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 A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Revealing They Are an Empath

Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer capturing you in the background of their reel while eating a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most online generation, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – love a structured communal activity. This same desire behind the rise of youth running groups, hiking outings 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 study published in June). In a 2023 US report a third of males aged between 18 to 23 reported they hadn’t seen anyone outside their household in the past week. Isn’t it a good thing they’re getting out and sharing meals with new people?

I Suppose. Research Shows Those Dining in Groups More Often Feel Happier

Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it enhances our feeling of community. Plus the Resy survey points out another advantage: one in seven survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a shared meal event. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this gives them a shot at a unplanned "meat-cute".

That Joke Annoys Me Almost as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.

My work here is done.

Do say: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs."

Don’t say: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."