Do you eat out by yourself? If so, do you differentiate in terms of where? For instance, I have no problem eating in a fast food restaurant, cafeteria or food court by myself, but am uncomfortable eating alone in a higher-end establishment. And as much as it’s nice to eat at the bar and maybe chat to the bartender, as a middle-aged woman, there’s too much of an “on the prowl” stigma going on that I’d rather not deal with.
Two different options are now available to single diners.In Amsterdam, a restaurant called Eenmaal offers a room full of tables that only seat one. While in Japan, the Moomin Cafe chain (associated with the popular animated character) seats a large stuffed toy across from patrons dining alone.
Neither is ideal, but Eenmaal’s focus on the experience (no wifi) and the food, seems to have the best of intentions, allowing the diner to revel in the solitude, whereas at Moomin, well, you’ve got to be okay with a tophat-wearing hippo-thingie as your tablemate. Which I would find hilarious but others might just consider silly. Perhaps I’d be more inclined to try Eenmaal if the tables didn’t look so very much like desks in a Junior High basement detention room.
More about Eenmaal at Businessweek, and check out the Moomin Cafe at Dangerous Minds.