Have you ever gone out to dinner and noticed one, lonely patron sitting at a corner table, enjoying a meal solo? While coffee shops and some quick serves might have frequent single customers, most people avoid confronting the social stigmas faced when dining alone. As
Businessweek reports, a new pop-up (read: temporary) restaurant in Amsterdam has created an entire theme around the concept of eating alone in a restaurant, and aims to debunk the myth of the lonely diner.
Many people eat meals alone; when taking a lunch break from work, visiting a new city, or maybe killing time waiting for an appointment. It is, at least in the U.S., a bit more rare for someone to book a reservation for dinner for one. But why? Why should parties of 1 (not really a party, I suppose) be shunned to take out menus and café, out of fear of social stigmas?
Eenmaal (roughtly translated from Dutch, it means "once") is a
pop up restaurant that is trying move the focus away from socialization in restaurants, back around to the food. The temporary eatery only has tables for one, with a no-frills minimalist interior that focuses on the
~$48USD, 4 course meals. On the outside at least, this seems to hit all the marks on a typical foodie checklist: quality local and organic ingredients, a good price for a four course meal (including drink) and a strict focus on enjoying the actual eating part of a meal.
The restaurant's owner, Marina van Goor, says
"I wanted to show that a moment of disconnection, by eating out alone, sitting along, can be attractive, especially in our hyperconnected society". Speaking of connected, the restaurant has no guest WiFi, or other electronic distractions, and instead suggests that guests entertain themselves with traditional physical magazines and books. Somewhat ironically, van Goor wants to expand her restaurant concept with the help of media coverage.
What do you think, is dining an inherently social activity, or is dinner a meal best served alone? Be sure to check out the source link below, and let us know what you think via Facebook, Twitter & Google+.
Source:
Businessweek,
Image Credit (Flickr)
Tablebases.com
