organpg

There are few customers Conor Proft appreciates more than people who eat alone.brigadeiropg

A bartender at the Italian restaurant Fausto, in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, he said the solo diners he serves tend to be more engaged and willing to chat. They are self-aware and more attuned to the restaurant’s rhythms.

But does Mr. Proft dine alone? Rarely.

“I love the romantic ideal of going into a restaurant and sitting at the bar and striking up a conversation with a bartender,” he said. “But oftentimes in practice, I am just consumed with anxiety” about standing out.

This is part of the paradox of solo dining. Even as Americans are spending more time on their own, many find eating out alone to be rife with awkwardness and judgment. And many restaurateurs, who already run their businesses on thin profit margins, worry that tables for one will cost them.

During the seven-week hush-money trial of Donald Trump in Part 59, Wednesdays were a day off. It was a day when few reporters filed into Justice Juan Merchan’s courtroom,66br Cassinos Online Brasil and few television camera crews jockeyed for positions outside the courthouse.

There have been none of the usual trips to Provincetown or Fire Island. Get-togethers with friends were limited to drinks and appetizers.

Reservations for solo dining in the United States have risen by 64 percent since 2019, according to data from OpenTable, and 21 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to Resy. The increase in eating alone is probably even greater, given that many people simply walk in.

The trend may stem in part from a post-pandemic uptick in business trips, when solo travelers need to grab a bite, or the rising attention given to self-care, said Debby Soo, OpenTable’s chief executive.

ImageCredit...Kathleen Fu

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.brigadeiropg