Lily Montes

Reporter Alena Flynn waits for her dinner at Crazy Horse.

“Table for one please,” I said as I approached the hosts at Crazy Horse. They looked back at me with a blank stare, “Just one?” Yes. Just one. As the host walked me to my table, I was hoping for a booth; I wanted to sit somewhere small where I could hide from the other customers. Instead, I was seated at a large table fit for six near the bar.

   From the moment I sat down, I felt on edge. Were people staring at me? Did people think I got stood up? I had never eaten in public alone before.

   I began to peruse the menu; I looked at the entree options extra long reading the description for every dish. Once I decided on a meal, I felt stuck: What do I do now? 

   Dining alone in public can be uncomfortable. Many feel judged and embarrassed to be seen sitting by themselves. In reality, there is no shame in sitting alone. All age groups do it, either by choice or necessity.

   My grandmother Linda Knipe dines alone frequently. “I used to work and have a lunch break. I would go out to lunch by myself; I would usually go to Burger King or Wendy’s, and I would go to the same restaurants for years. I met other people that were dining there, and sometimes I would talk to them, and I got to know them quite well. When I retired, I still kept going to see the same people.” 

   When Knipe’s husband passed away in 2016, dining alone became unavoidable. “I prefer to go to Boatwerks because I know most of the employees there, and they talk to me. I also like to go to Culver’s because I feel like a lot of people are there alone.”

   Young adults dine alone as well, especially in college, “When going to the dining hall by myself, I just put in my AirPods and blast music. It is nice to have some moments alone, as I’m always with someone in the dorms. Other times I’ll take the opportunity to catch up and call with my friends or family at home,” Central Michigan University student Jessie Servis said.

   “I was pretty nervous about eating alone in the dining hall. During the first weeks of school, there is always a feeling of FOMO [fear of missing out] because everyone is there with their friends. However, I soon realized that literally no one cares, so why should I?”  Servis said. 

   Fear of eating alone can stem from the idea that restaurant employees will get frustrated by using a table for one customer, but Boatwerks server Steve Jakubzak assuages these worries, “Eating alone is not bad at all. Majority of the time people that are eating by themselves are not gonna stay for two hours, so you’re actually just turning and burning that table.”

   “On a weekly basis, I serve probably over twenty people that eat by themselves. More people should eat alone because it’s better than eating at home by themselves, and you actually get to see people and the server actually talks to them. I talk more to a table that is eating by themselves than I do with a group of people,” said Jakubzak.

   There are positive benefits to eating alone both for oneself and for the restaurant. No one should feel ashamed or nervous about dining alone because, “You need to live life. You have to enjoy things, and you can’t do that sitting at home,” said Jakubzak.