Would you ever eat alone in a restaurant? There - the golden $64000 question, right there. Would you ever have the guts to saunter casually up to the hippest joint in town and casually demand a table for one - and not feel the need to excuse yourself or make inarticulate mutterings about "expecting a friend"? Not many of us would admit to it and, let's face it, the majority of restaurants still seem to be - if not actually antagonistic - heavily ambivalent towards the solo diner.
And yet they should look out, for the lone eater is an increasingly valuable income to a restaurant. A third of homes in London are occupied by a single person; one in seven are single in the USA. And these people - young, affluent, hip and sociable - are not content any longer to sit in with a microwave meal on their laps in front of the X Factor. They are demanding a seat at the hottest tables in town... and getting them too. With rising divorce rates, people waiting longer to get married, having larger disposable incomes and children much later means that the slice of the customer pie that is single diners is getting larger and larger and the clever restaurants are thinking on their feet about how to accommodate them.
Check out Eeenmaal in Amsterdam: a pop-up restaurant that deals exclusively in tables for one. It's been so successful the owner is looking at sites in Antwerp, Berlin, New York and London. One Ottawa restaurateur told the BBC in a recent report that he actively welcomes single diners into his three venues, ensuring they get bar seats near the kitchen for "the show" if they so desire, or a well-lit table for reading. He even offers a free lunch if they turn up, having been stood up. And we're not too far behind. Restaurant guru Russell Norman ensures that all of his restaurants in the capital have adequate seating for the lone muncher who might be grabbing a quick bite of tapas on the way home. And in fact, if you're hanging on trying to get a table at a no-reservation, first-come first-serve, might-die-in-the-queue sort of place - go alone. They're much more likely to be able to find you a space than if you show up with friends. And who needs them anyway? They'd only get in the way of a good book.
There are of course huge advantages if you do nail down the courage to go alone. The wine - or beer or cocktail or soft drink - you like; the opportunity to have three starters of two puddings or just a salad or the biggest plate of chips you can eat; the chance to read a REALLY good book (sigh. Bliss.); the idea of people-watching; the ability to leave when you want to rather than when everyone else is done... And there are of course huge negatives: being viewed as a less generous tip-source by waiters; the gloomy corners by the loo where you can't read but get lightly sprinkled every time someone exits shaking their hands; the up-selling on wine; the up-selling or non-availability of certain dishes because "they're for two"; not being able to catch the waiter's attention; the book being rubbish after all... but if you're smart about the place you want to eat, pleasantly firm about where you want to sit and generous in your tips, you might find that two is a crowd after all.
