http://pjmedia.com/drhelen/2014/08/1...eat-out-alone/

It's originally from CNBC - but there are comments from Dr. Helen Smith
as well. (She's the author of "Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting
Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream - and Why It Matters.")


CNBC: All by yourself at dinner? You're in good company. As lifestyles
and demographics shift, Americans are emerging as a nation of diners who
eat alone.

About 57 percent of eating and beverage occasions now occur when
people are by themselves, according to a recent report from The NPD
Group, a market research firm. The portion is highest for non-meal
occasions (industry speak for snacking) followed by breakfast, lunch
and then dinner.

Time constraints, active lifestyles and a record percentage of
one-person households are fueling the trend.

Stigma starting to shift

"In the past, there really has been a stigma around eating alone,
and it's started to change over the years," said Aaron Allen, founder
of a restaurant consulting firm, in a phone interview. ...

To make them feel at ease, restaurants are shifting their typical
service for people eating alone. An extreme example launched in
Amsterdam as a pop-up restaurant touted as the first one-person
restaurant in the world. Another in Japan proposed a solution--dining
with a stuffed animal if eating alone proves to be too lonely.

(snip)

Dr. Smith had this to add:

"I was glad to see that the poll at CNBC asking readers if they were
ashamed to eat alone showed the majority saying 'No.' Maybe people don't
need a stuffed giraffe sitting next to them, maybe peace and quiet and
a good book or their own company is enough."

41 comments so far.


Lenona.