Restaurant reservations for a single diner rose 22% year over year in the third quarter of 2025, according to a trends report from restaurant technology company Toast. Single-diner bookings still make up less than 1% of all reservations, but the growth rate has caught the attention of restaurant owners and industry consultants who say it signals a real shift in how Americans choose to eat out.
A separate industry report, the af&co. and Carbonate 2024 Hospitality Trends Report, found similar movement using Brandwatch data, which showed interest in dining as a party of one increased 7% year over year.
Stephen Ingber, owner of the Denver private-chef and catering company MileHighCook, said the change reflects diners deciding they no longer need a companion to justify eating well.
“People stopped waiting for someone else to be free,” Ingber told Fox News Digital. “A good meal used to require a date or a group to justify it. Now it just requires a reservation.”
Ingber said roughly 15% of his bookings are now for a single guest, a share that has climbed every year. Some of those customers reserve a solo table weekly or monthly, he said, and they tend to be reliable, low-hassle regulars.
The pattern extends beyond fine dining. Both quick-service and full-service restaurants have seen more solo traffic, driven in part by younger customers, including Gen Z and millennial diners, who prioritize convenience and personal enjoyment over group outings, Fox News Digital has previously reported.
Terry Psaltakis, a 30-year restaurant operator based in Chicago and founder of ShiftTrained, agreed the shift is real even if it remains a small piece of overall business.
“It’s a small slice that is growing fast,” Psaltakis said.
What Solo Diners Want
Restaurant consultants say venues that succeed with solo customers tend to offer bar seating, smaller tables with a view, wine by the glass or half-bottle pours, and menus that don’t assume everything will be shared.
Psaltakis said the service itself matters just as much as the setup. A solo guest, without a companion to distract them, is there entirely for the food and the experience — meaning any misstep is more noticeable, and any success is more likely to build loyalty.
“Get it right and that solo diner turns into a regular who comes back every week and knows your bartender by name,” Psaltakis said.
Both Ingber and Psaltakis pointed to the bar as the easiest entry point for anyone hesitant about eating alone. Ingber suggested simply asking the bartender for a recommendation. “A good one, a ready one, lights up,” he said.
Not a Sign of Loneliness
Rene Mondy, a Georgia-based licensed grief therapist and founder of The Solo Dining Directory, said eating alone shouldn’t be conflated with isolation.
“Solo diners in healthy relationships seem to understand that dining with a partner or surrounded by friends doesn’t always equal connection,” Mondy said.
Ingber said some solo diners crave conversation while others simply want the alone time, and he encouraged people eating by themselves to use the moment to order something they might normally skip with company, rather than retreating into a phone or a book.
His advice for anyone who feels self-conscious about a table for one: “Nobody is looking at you, and if they are, they’re jealous.”
