I used to not like eating out alone...then I had kids. Now I think its great when I have the chance.
On eating out alone
41–50 of 103 posts
Re: On eating out alone
#42People need to do hard physical workout and kill the latent anxiety inside. Then who cares if you are alone or not.
Re: On eating out alone
#43No one wants to be like Steven Glansberg
Re: On eating out alone
#44There was a TV commercial some time back. It was from a fast food place, acknowledging that the best hamburgers were found at "sit-down" restaurants, not fast food places, and they said how they hoped to change that reality.
While showing numerous men, sitting alone in restaurant booths and at restaurant tables, devouring hamburgers alone.
Re: On eating out alone
#45Eating out alone really hurts. It makes you feel that much more _alone_ because nearly everyone else is with their SO, a party, friend, etc. Bringing a phone is only a distraction to get through waiting for the meal to arrive. I dislike it more than being alone at home.
Thanks for sharing. That's a rough situation, and I hope you can get past it somehow. I have always regarded a meal out alone as a wonderful thing, or at least until I got too fat to make that a good life choice. I used it as an ideal time to study, and studying helped me be a success. Later it was doubly enjoyable: I could study, and I knew that had helped me move forward in life. For that reason I am just as happy to be at Del Taco or McDonald's as a fine dining establishment. Actually more happy b/c no wait staff to interrupt.
Re: On eating out alone
#46I also hate eating out alone and try to avoid it if I can.
I've always ate out with my parents, friends or even strangers (e.g. sitting next to a stranger at the university's cantine and making small talk).
Curiously I've never realised I hated it until I had to eat out alone for the first time, very late in life. I was doing a job interview in another city, involving an overnight stay and couldn't find a take away, for some reason.
I wandered into a nice, cozy, dimly lit restaurant, the kind you would go on a typical date or romantic evening, I suppose. I felt really awkward and anxious by being alone. Curious thing.
Re: On eating out alone
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
>At most, people will glance and exchange a few words upon noticing you It's a surprise to me seeing this offered as a comfort, since I think it would be slightly mortifying to most people in the subset you're addressing.
I have a favourite restaurant I go to regularly, alone. The waiters and cooks there know me, as I've been going there for years now. I also have a fairly stable taste, so for some time I've been seeing and overhearing them making bets upon my arrival about what and in what quantity I will order, before I actually make the order. Rather than being embarrassed about it, I'm amused and always want to smile when I notice…
At my local watering hole I pretty consistently order a makers mark on the rocks. To the point where they’ll anticipate my order and either have it ready for me or it’ll be the first question they ask.
Every once in awhile though I’ll mix it up and get similar reactions.
Re: On eating out alone
#48One of the most annoying things to me is not being allowed to dine alone, lonely or not. Many korean bbq restaurants explicitly require 2 or more people to permit you to dine in, which is annoying as fuck.
Two people use the same amount of table and significantly less than twice the waitstaff attention as compared to a single person. Singles cost more to serve.
Re: On eating out alone
#49Before the pandemic, I used to go out alone on purpose just to meet random people. (I'm married.) I know this isn't for everyone, but I got good at it and I enjoy(ed) it. I've noticed however, that this is a skill that can atrophy. It's taken me a little while to get back to my old self in public places.
I'm curious how this can work. What you're describing sounds impossible. You go to a restaurant: how do you have any kind off conversation beyond maybe a joke to someone in a line? My impression is that people are friendly but not interested in anything beyond pleasantries with a rando.
If the restaurant has one, sitting at the bar is a pretty solid way to strike up conversations. There's a whole laundry list of mundane conversations starters, like "Whatchya drinking?" (followed by an offer to buy a round, often), or "Know how the X is?" etc.
Or restaurants with bench seating (popular amongst pizzerias and German restaurants around here), exchanging a few pleasantries with people sitting next to you sometimes starts a full conversation.
Re: On eating out alone
#50I find this relatable as someone who's somewhat introverted, but socially capable. For years, I denied that I had any form of social anxiety - but even in my late twenties when for better or for worse (maybe I'm letting myself go?) I've decided to stop care about being cool - the fear that I'll say something stupid or sound / look like a creep keeps me generally away from dining alone.
However, this was really only at places where mostly groups of friends / couples would dine. I've dated before, but sitting alone in a cool cozy place only seeing couples / friends having a good time just makes me feel like a robot.