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Name: Shared tables.

Appearance: Long, awkward and making a comeback.

The Return of Communal Eating? Oh no. The Only Acceptable Place for Refectory Tables is the School Canteen

Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? Gen Z, apparently. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of young adult patrons say they enjoy shared seating, compared with just 60% of older generations".

A Sign of the Times. Before Complaining About the Youth of Today

Communal eating in patriotic “British Restaurants” was a big thing during the second world war, actually – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, supported by Winston Churchill.

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

It’s an alien concept for you, admittedly, but shared dining can be fun! As Pablo Rivero notes: "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 Enjoyment From An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive 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 as they massacre a salad? Consider this: gen Z – the most online generation, who came of age during the pandemic, and many of whom started careers remotely – love a structured communal activity. It’s the same impulse driving the popularity of youth running groups, 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 lots of young people are lonely (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam study released this summer). In a 2023 US report a third of males aged between 18 to 23 reported they had no contact outside their household in the previous seven days. Isn’t it a good thing they’re going out and breaking bread with strangers?

Perhaps. Studies Indicate People Who Eat Socially More Often Feel Happier

Conversing with new people is beneficial, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Additionally the Resy data 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 "meet-cute".

That Joke Annoys Me Almost as Much as I Dislike Shared Seating.

Mission accomplished.

Appropriate comment: "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."