Questions for people who've gone out to eat alone
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Anonymous
"Joy"?  I love my husband and kids. There's no joy about being away from them and alone in a 3-star hotel in some tier 3 city for a week. Even a 5-star hotel in a tier 1 city is boring without anyone to enjoy it with. Going out to eat is a social affair.
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Anonymous
DP: Unless you are traveling for work; then going out to eat is just a necessity for being fed. |
Anonymous
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My goodness, you have to relax.
I don't mind eating alone one bit. And the bar, especially in a place with TVs, would be my last resort. I ask for a regular table for one. I order whatever I want. I always carry a paperback and I read while I'm waiting for food. I eat at a totally normal pace. Then I get the check (when I'm almost finished) and pay, tipping generously. It's actually a small, simple pleasure. If you can't bear the thought of all this interaction, just practice at Panera or somewhere like that. Then work up to a real restaurant. |
Anonymous
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I've done it a few times and it always feels like the bartenders and servers feel sorry for you. In the day and age of UberEats and Doordash, eating at a restaurant alone is pointless.
And pretending to work on your iPad is just pathetic. You're not on the clock, you're not actually getting anything accomplished, it's just a crutch because sitting there alone in public is awful. |
Anonymous
Right. So just save yourself the embarrassment and awkward conversation with servers who feel sorry for you and nosh in your hotel room. |
Anonymous
| This depends on where you are traveling too. In Paris I have no problem asking to sit at a table alone. In a trendier restaurant in the US I would sit at the bar. If there’s no tv you just… eat. If you want you can make small talk with the bartender or waiter if it’s not too busy and they seem up to it. |
Anonymous
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OP what do you do for breakfast? Lunch?
Have you ever tried going to a museum or shopping area at home, stopping for a cup or tea or coffee, sitting at a little table and people watching? It's practice having yourself for company. |
Anonymous
| Americans are so uptight about everything. |
Anonymous
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I’ll admit the first couple of times I ate alone on work travel it felt a bit weird, but I got over it quickly and do it all the time now. Sometimes it makes sense to sit at the bar, sometimes I sit at a table or booth.
Truly, no one cares or is paying you any mind at all. And now with phones it’s even easier as you have something to look at if you wish. In the old days you had to plan ahead and bring a newspaper, book, or magazine if you wanted something to read. Now all the articles are at your fingertips. |
Anonymous
DP. You don’t have to enjoy it, that’s fine. Different people like different things. But cherishing one’s family and enjoying alone time aren’t mutually exclusive. Maybe it’s an introvert/extrovert thing, I dunno, but dining out alone has always been a really nice, grounding thing for me. Seeing movies alone, too. YMMV. Hoping that OP does it a few times and learns that she really likes it. Good luck, OP! |
Anonymous
You know what they say: if you’re bored, you’re boring. Why did you even choose a job with travel? |
Anonymous
| This thread is just loners romanizing going out to eat alone, usually just because they don’t want to feel even more depressed boozing alone at home. Eating alone sucks. Tipping 25% on a dinner tab so you can have pretend to read a book or scroll on your phone in a restaurant is sad. Use DoorDash or Toast and call it a night. |
Anonymous
Some people enjoy sitting in a restaurant. When I eat alone there is nothing awkward about any of the conversations. Just because you feel insecure, it doesn't mean the rest of us have to. |
Anonymous
What's sad is that you're so insecure and think they even notice you and much less care. |
Anonymous
| Eating alone is better than eating with jerks like ^ |