If you’re in the mood for fresh food that you don’t have to cook yourself, then going to a restaurant is the perfect solution.
However, your friends may be too busy to join or your partner may not feel like going out to eat.
As such, you’re stuck with the decision as to whether to go to the restaurant alone or not.
You may wonder if it’s weird to go to a restaurant alone.
Is It Weird To Go To A Restaurant Alone?
No, it’s not weird to go to a restaurant alone.
You might feel weird going to a restaurant alone since most people tend to go with family, friends, or loved ones.
However, there are people who go to restaurants on their own.
It’s also not uncommon for someone to go to the bar inside a restaurant alone, too.
If you ever feel weird about dining alone, then you can always get a seat at the bar.
They sometimes serve food there as well.
It’s perfectly normal to go to a restaurant alone if you’re craving some good food.
8 Things To Do At A Restaurant Alone
1. Enjoy A Booth Seat To Yourself
At most restaurants, you have a choice between sitting at a table or a booth.
Booths are often one of the best places to sit because they are typically cushioned.
They also tend to be a more private space.
When you’re dining with other people, you don’t always get the choice of sitting in a booth.
For example, if you’re with a large party, then the majority might prefer to sit at a table.
That’s because the number of people you have in your party may not fit in a booth.
You might even need to push some tables together to fit everyone.
If you don’t like sitting at a table because of its uncomfortable chairs, then your dining experience might not be that pleasant.
Children also tend to do a bit better at tables since they’re able to sit in high chairs.
When you’re on your own, however, the decision falls to you on where you want to sit.
If a booth is available, then you can choose to sit there and enjoy all its benefits.
Because a booth is also a bit more private, you might also feel a bit more comfortable eating on your own.
One of the best things you get to do at a restaurant on your own is to choose to sit where you want to eat.
2. Eat Whatever You Want
When you go to a restaurant with other people, you might feel like you can’t order what you really want.
For example, if your partner has you on a strict diet, then you can only eat the food that they approve of.
If you’re with friends, you might feel some shame about the amount of food that you want to order.
The great thing about going to a restaurant alone is that you’re free from those restrictions and concerns.
No one is going to judge you but yourself.
As such, you can order whatever you want.
If you want to order two hamburgers and two plates of fries, then you can do so.
If you want to order off the kids’ menu, then you can have it.
If all you want to eat is dessert, then you can do so as well.
You’re an adult, and you can order what you want when you go to a restaurant.
3. Find New Friends
Going to a restaurant is an odd sort of social event.
You go there with friends or family and you’re also there with other families and groups of friends.
They’re all strangers, but you’re also all connected at that moment since you’re all eating at the same place and at the same time.
Usually, most diners keep to themselves.
You can almost think of a restaurant as a room full of private bubbles.
Each table is its own oasis.
Patrons rarely speak to people at other tables unless they know them.
When you’re on your own at the restaurant, however, you’re in a unique situation.
You don’t have anyone to share your meal with.
You also don’t have anyone to talk to while you’re eating.
As such, you have an opportunity to speak to some other people.
You can treat the restaurant experience like you would when dining on a cruise ship.
Often on cruise ships, strangers end up dining together.
They assign seats randomly at a dining table, and you end up getting to know the guests you sit with throughout the cruise.
The same sort of thing can occur at a restaurant if you find the right people.
Yet, it isn’t advisable to look to make new friends with families.
They might feel protective over their children.
Your best bet is to look for some new friends at the bar or even among the waitstaff.
Since you’re more open to being social with them, you might just find yourself a new friend.
There may even be a table of adults or a group of friends who end up inviting you to join them.
Going to a restaurant alone might help you make some new friends.
4. Help Yourself To Dessert
Another great thing you can do at a restaurant when eating on your own is to help yourself to a lot of desserts.
The problem with going to a restaurant with others is that you don’t always make it to dessert.
If most people are full and don’t want dessert, then you usually leave the restaurant without any.
If you’re hankering for something sweet, then this can be a major disappointment.
If you do stay for dessert, then there’s also a chance that someone is going to want to share your dessert.
That’s especially true when it comes to dining with children.
You might end up only having a few bites of the dessert that you specifically wanted.
When you’re eating on your own, however, you can order as much dessert as you want.
You don’t have anyone there to judge you.
Also, because you’re setting the pace, if you want to have dessert, then no one is going to tell you no.
No one is there to tell you that they’re not hungry and they want to go home.
You can enjoy a slower pace and relish each bite of your dessert.
Finally, you don’t have to share your dessert.
You’re able to eat the entire thing on your own.
You can even order seconds.
One of the best things you can do at a restaurant on your own is to eat as much dessert as you want.
5. Try A Food Challenge
If you’re going to eat on your own, then you should put some thought into the restaurant you want to eat at.
If you’re looking for some fun while dining, you should consider dining at a restaurant that has some sort of food challenge.
While these challenges are fun to do with friends, you may want to try your hand at them first.
If you fail to complete the challenge, then at least no one you know is around to see the failure.
If you win, then you know you can complete it.
When you come back to the restaurant later with friends or family, then you can show off.
Restaurants have all kinds of unique and fun food challenges.
It might be eating something extremely spicy or hot.
It may be a contest to see how much pizza or how many burgers you can eat.
Some restaurants also cook a monster-sized dessert or food item that you have to eat during a set amount of time.
Whatever the challenge is, you should consider trying it.
It’s a fun thing to do when you’re at a restaurant on your own.
You might also make new friends if other patrons are interested and cheer you on.
At the very least, trying out a food challenge when you eat at a restaurant alone can make the experience memorable.
6.Take Part In Trivia
If the restaurant doesn’t have a food challenge, then it might have trivia.
Trivia is a popular game at restaurants since it’s passive.
Most restaurants have a channel that they display where the game plays throughout the day.
Other restaurants bring in a professional that hosts trivia nights.
The latter tends to be a bit livelier.
The former is more about keeping diners occupied while they wait for their food.
As such, you should consider eating at a restaurant that is hosting a trivia night.
At some restaurants, trivia night can become pretty competitive.
You might have some experts that show up every night to protect their title.
Going head-to-head with them can be a lot of fun.
It’ll make your solo dining experience a bit more enjoyable since you’re interacting with the other diners.
Even if you don’t participate, watching the trivia night can be a lot of fun, too.
For example, if you like people-watching, then trivia night is one of the best times to engage in the hobby.
Another great thing about trivia night is that it can introduce you to some new friends.
You might end up either pitted against someone or find yourself in an alliance with someone.
By the end of the night, you might have yourself some new friends.
At the very least, you might have some trivia night friends that you can meet up with at each trivia night in the future.
Going to a restaurant on your own is fun if you go on trivia night.
7.Watch The Game
If you prefer a more solitary form of entertainment, then you can also always simply watch a sports game when you go to a restaurant on your own.
Most restaurants have some sort of TV set up.
A sports bar and restaurant is usually your best bet in this case.
They have big screens and small screens all around with tons of different games on.
If you’re on your own, then you can sit at a table with a clear view of the television.
Few people will think twice about you being alone if they realize you’re there to watch a game.
It’s something a lot of people do.
While most tend to do so at the actual bar, you won’t look out of place if you choose to sit at a table or booth instead.
Watching a game at a restaurant on your own—particularly one that you have to pay for—is great because you don’t have to pay for access to the game at home.
If there’s a particular game that you want to watch but you don’t have the channel for it, then there’s a chance your local sports bar and grill do.
That’s because they want to attract people to their restaurant.
They know that if they show premium games, they’re more likely to draw people in.
You might also meet some fellow fans.
You might bond with them and socialize despite having arrived at the restaurant alone.
You might even make lasting friends out of the experience.
If you’re going to a restaurant alone, then one of the things you can do is simply watch the game.
8. Do Some Karaoke
Finally, one of the best things you can do when going to a restaurant alone is to partake in karaoke night.
While some restaurants will have trivia night, other restaurants will have karaoke night.
Going to karaoke night can be hilarious and fun.
Going alone means you can partake without worrying about what your friends and family might think.
You can have a lot of fun by either participating in or watching karaoke night when you’re at a restaurant alone.
Conclusion
Going to a restaurant alone might feel weird, but it isn’t.
There are tons of activities that you can do on your own at a restaurant.
