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Name: Shared tables.

Look: Long, awkward and making a comeback.

The Return of Communal Eating? Not Again. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the Cafeteria

Who would voluntarily eat with strangers as an adult with free will? The younger generation, it seems. Research indicates from the dining booking company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they enjoy shared seating, versus just 60% of boomers".

I’ve Never Felt More Out of Touch. Before Complaining Regarding Younger People

Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a major trend during the second world war, in fact – there were about 2,500 of them, backed 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 Pablo Rivero explains: "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 “Fun” of Having Dinner Interrupted by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”

Or being squeezed next to a fitness enthusiast eating chicken to fuel his "workout routines"? Or a nano-influencer capturing you in the background in their video while eating a salad? Consider this: young adults – the most online generation, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom entered an almost exclusively digital workplace – enjoy organized group events. It’s the same impulse driving the popularity of young people’s running clubs, group hikes and crafting nights: they’re craving offline social connection.

I Prefer Dining in One of Those One-Person Ramen Booths They Have in Tokyo.

This may not appeal to you, but lots of young people are lonely (Nearly half of them, as per an Oxfam survey released this summer). In a 2023 US report , one-third of men 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 sharing meals with new people?

Perhaps. Research Shows People Who Eat Socially Report Greater Happiness

Talking to strangers is beneficial, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Plus the Resy data highlights an additional benefit: one in seven survey respondents said they’d landed a date at a shared meal event. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this gives them a shot at a unplanned "meet-cute".

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

My work here is done.

Do say: "Gen Z think communal dining ate and left no crumbs."

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