Eating alone at restaurants has exploded over the past year, with solo reservations jumping 23 percent according to OpenTable data, signaling a cultural shift in how Americans approach meals and solitude in an increasingly connected world.
The trend cuts against assumptions that solo dining reflects broader loneliness. Instead, many people who dine alone describe it as a deliberate act of self-care, a chance to disconnect from phones and demands and fully experience food without the social choreography that comes with company.
Veronica Selzler, a 36-year-old from Washington, D.C., represents the new solo diner. She regularly takes herself on restaurant dates, settling at the bar with a book or sketchpad. She deliberately leaves her phone untouched and watches the kitchen work. The payoff: she eats more slowly and absorbs the full sensory experience of each dish. "I pay a lot more attention to the full sensory experience of a meal when I'm by myself, because I'm not chatting," she said.
The economics tell another story. OpenTable found that solo diners spend an average of $94 per visit, a 7 percent jump year over year. That dwarfs the $60 average spend across all party sizes combined. Thursday nights saw the biggest surge in solo bookings, up 25 percent, while 6 p.m. remains the most popular seating time for single diners, though 3 p.m. slots are also gaining traction.
OpenTable analyzed online reservations at participating U.S. restaurants over two 12-month periods, comparing June 2025 through June 2026 data to the same window a year prior. The data was broken down by party size, spending, day of week, hour, and city.
Dining solo requires a baseline of confidence, and the practice has historically carried a stigma in some quarters. But the sharp rise in bookings suggests that stigma is fading. Solo diners report leaving restaurants feeling more grounded and present, often citing the meal as a rare pocket of intentional time in their schedules.
Author James Rodriguez: "This isn't loneliness dressed up as a trend, it's people reclaiming the restaurant table as a space for genuine rest."
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