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Name: Communal tables.

Look: Long, uncomfortable and back in fashion.

The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Refectory Tables 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, "Nine out of ten of gen Z diners say they like shared seating, versus just 60% of older generations".

I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today

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

It Was Logical During Times of Rationing, But Why Do It Now?

It’s an alien concept for you, I know, but shared dining can be fun! As the Resy CEO notes: "They naturally turn dinner into a shared experience," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"

The “Fun” of An Interrupted Meal by Someone Explaining Loudly About Their Therapy Revealing They Are an Empath

Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a nano-influencer filming you accidentally of their reel as they massacre a salad? You have to remember: young adults – the most digitally connected group, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom started careers remotely – enjoy organized group events. This same desire behind the rise of young people’s running clubs, group hikes and crafting nights: they’re craving offline social connection.

I’d Rather Eat in a Solo Ramen Stall They Have in Tokyo.

You might not fancy it, but lots of young people are lonely (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam study published in June). In a 2023 US report , one-third of men aged between 18 and 23 reported they hadn’t seen anyone outside their household in the previous seven days. Isn’t it a good thing they’re going out and breaking bread with strangers?

Perhaps. Research Shows Those Dining in Groups Report Greater Happiness

Conversing with new people is beneficial, too: it enhances our feeling of community. Plus the Resy survey highlights an additional benefit: one in seven survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a shared meal event. Given gen Z have gone off the apps, this offers a chance for a unplanned "meat-cute".

I Hate That Pun Nearly as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.

Mission accomplished.

Do say: "Young adults believe shared meals are a total success."

Inappropriate remark: "Things are fine until food spills on your vintage clothes."