In a 2006 piece for The New York Times, during his time as the newspaper’s restaurant critic, Frank Bruni discussed the appeal of communal dining. He described dining at the communal table at Boqueria and encountering a couple who enjoyed the experience, in part because said tables “[encouraged] mingling with other diners.” For diners who enjoy this, the communal table is a plus — and, based on a host of recent reporting, the communal table seems to be making a comeback.
Last summer at The Atlantic, Ellen Cushing discussed hearing from restaurant contacts that “they’re getting new requests for communal setups, in restaurants from food courts up to and including the kinds of places where diners spend hundreds of dollars and reservations are impossible to secure.” A recent Business Insider article on the trend by Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert explores why: in the wake of pandemic lockdowns, Gen Z diners are eager to sit beside strangers and chow down.
InMarket chief strategy officer Michael Della Penna told Business Insider that the social component of communal tables appealed to many in Gen Z. Why? “[I]t’s a group conversation, and you can add to that conversation in a safer way,” he explained.
The appeal of communal dining does seem to be more pronounced for a younger generation. According to Resy’s recently-released overview of the year’s dining trends, 60% of Boomers enjoyed the communal table experience, as compared to 90% of Gen Z survey recipients. A third of the people responding to the survey said that they had made new friends this way, while one in seven said that communal dining had resulted in a date with someone they met at the table.
Alexandra Shapiro Doesn’t Want the Hottest Restaurant on the Block
The owner of Flex Mussels and Hoexters prefers that her restaurants be approachable, accessible and wonderful — and have a great roast chickenThat isn’t to say that communal dining is for everyone. Earlier this year in an article for Eater, Jaya Saxena explored the challenges that can accompany a shared table. “I was shoulder to shoulder with a guy whose laugh shot chills up my spine,” Saxena wrote of one such experience — and pointed to the increased risk (and reward) that can accompany that arrangement.
And if you yourself are completely averse to a shared dining experience, well — it might make sense to do some research to make sure that isn’t what your next reservation has in store.
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