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Name: Shared tables.

Look: Lengthy, awkward and making a comeback.

The Return of Communal Eating? Oh no. The Sole Appropriate Location for Long Benches is the School Canteen

What kind of adult chooses to dine alongside strangers? Gen Z, it seems. According to data from the restaurant reservations company Resy, "90% of gen Z diners say they like shared seating, compared with just six in ten of boomers".

A Sign of the Times. Before You Start Harrumphing About the Youth of Today

Group dining in nationalistic eateries was a big thing during the WWII, actually – there were about two thousand five hundred of them, backed by Winston Churchill.

It Was Logical When Food Was Scarce, What's the Appeal Today?

It’s an alien concept for you, I know, but communal tables can be fun! As Pablo Rivero explains: "Dinner becomes a collective event," and "The excitement lies in not knowing your neighbor!"

The Enjoyment From An Interrupted Meal by A Loud Conversation That Their Therapist Says They’re “a Highly Sensitive Empath”

Or sitting beside a Hyrox bore eating chicken to fuel his "farmer’s carries"? Or a nano-influencer filming you accidentally in their video while eating a salad? You have to remember: young adults – the most online generation, who grew up during COVID, and many of whom started careers remotely – love a structured communal activity. It’s the same impulse behind the rise of youth running groups, group hikes and crafting nights: they’re seeking real-world interactions.

I’d Rather Eat in a Solo Ramen Stall Found in Japan.

This may not appeal to you, but many youths feel isolated (47% of them, as per an Oxfam survey published in June). 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. Studies Indicate Those Dining in Groups Report Greater Happiness

Conversing with new people is good for us, too: it gives us a greater sense of belonging. Additionally the Resy survey highlights an additional benefit: one in seven survey respondents said they’d found a romantic partner at a shared meal event. Since young people are leaving dating apps, this offers a chance for a spontaneous "meet-cute".

That Joke Annoys Me Almost as Much as I Hate Communal Tables.

Mission accomplished.

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

Inappropriate remark: "It’s all fun and games until someone drops a katsu prawn on your Y2K baggy jeans."