You walk into the restaurant and ask the waiter for a table for one. You take your seat and observe the menu, skimming through the selections they have to offer. Your food arrives and you indulge in the meal while enjoying your own company. Looking around, you see each table is taken, yet only one seat is filled at each.
There was a rise in solo dining culture, as roughly one in four Americans in 2023 said they ate all their meals alone when asked about their day yesterday. This is a 53% increase from 2003. But where do these trends stem from? Can this be attributed to a loneliness epidemic or is it simply that people began to treat their solo dining experience as “self-care,” or have we just gotten busier?
One particularly striking element of these statistics is that young adults are the ones primarily engaging in solo dining. At the same time, they are the ones who report the most loneliness. And from my perspective, it’s somewhat true. I’ll walk into Bruin Plate and see someone with their headphones plugged in and a phone lying horizontally against the napkin box. I’ll walk by Rendezvous and see tables meant for groups being occupied by a singular individual. And there’s nothing wrong with that — in fact, many have stated that they view eating alone as “treating yourself” or a form of self-care.
How does this trend in solo-dining translate to our community here at UCLA? There is such a diverse array of perspectives and experiences in our community, so it was important to see if they recognize the rise in solo-dining, and if they do, why they might think this is.
When asked about whether she engages in solo-dining, Luna Camila Gonzalez, a first-year mechanical engineering student, stated, “I don’t often solo-dine as I try to align my meals with my friends since I prefer talking and eating. I also forget to eat if I’m by myself.”
Gonzalez shares an interesting take where she shares that “I do see a lot of people solo-dining, but I think they’re rarely ever just eating. I’ll see people eating and talking on the phone, doing homework, watching a show, etc. I think college creates an environment where everyone moves at their own pace, so it isn’t abnormal to eat alone.”
Others share differing perspectives, though. Sofia Raygoza, a first-year student studying psychology, stated, “Yes, sometimes I see a table of four being taken by one person. I think it’s pretty common to eat alone and there’s nothing wrong with that. From personal experience, I’d assume it’s because their friends aren’t available, but sometimes people choose to go alone, which I believe can be a good way of self-care as you dedicate time to be with yourself.”
Raygoza emphasized that “it’s very important [to dedicate time towards self-care] as we are constantly interacting with people and overstimulated with work, so it’s great to have some time alone with a delicious meal.” When we asked her if she engages in solo-dining herself, she clarified, “I would say no, but sometimes when my friends can’t make it, I go by myself.”
It seems as though being busy is the common factor noticed by students here at UCLA, as Mike Arteaga, a third-year history student states, “I would argue it is because people are busy and not because they are eating by themselves. I think it is just circumstantial and not by choice.”
The general perspective at UCLA seems to be that individuals dine solo primarily due to busy schedules and other time commitments. However, dining solo can also be treated as a relaxing break from the chaos of everyday life and the typical socialization of meals. After all, college is a time of growth and this takes place both socially and individually.
