I’ve lived alone for almost five years and it’s taught me a lot about spending quality time with myself. I go out to eat alone, take walks by myself, and even travel solo. And I’m not alone. Even though something as simple as eating dinner alone seems to absolutely freak out older generations (to this day my mom has never done it), Millennials and Gen Z and are spending a lot more alone time than before — in fact, according to CNN, solo dining is becoming bigger than ever before. Restaurant booking platform OpenTable commissioned an online survey of 2,000 consumers in June and found that 60% of respondents had dined alone in the past year, including 68% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents.

If you’ve never tried dining out alone before, don’t fret. I totally get why it can feel intimidating. As someone who thinks other people are watching my every move (not paranoid, just vain), I get why the idea of sitting down for a meal by yourself in a public place can feel awkward AF. But I promise you it’s all in your head. Plus, eating out alone can actually be really great for you. No seriously, there are plenty of benefits to going on a solo dinner date. So table for one, anyone?

The Benefits Of Eating Alone

Image Credit: Max

You Don’t Have To Wait On Anyone To Try That New Restaurant

Have you been sending that one restaurant link to all of your friends and just haven’t had a time or day when everyone’s schedules are matching up? Instead of having to throw that restaurant into the abyss, by eating out alone you can always go to any restaurant whenever you’d like. No more waiting on other people. Plus, you can always still go with your friends — except when you do go, you’ll already know just what to order.

You Can Catch Up On Your Favorite Podcast Or Book

If you don’t drive or have much of a commute, you might not find a lot of opportunities to finish your favorite podcast or book that you’ve been meaning to complete. Well, what better time than when you’re dining by yourself? I’m basically an iPad kid — AKA I can’t eat by myself without watching something — but I try to keep that under wraps while I’m dining outside.

You’re More Likely To Get Something For Free

On more than a few occasions while dining out alone, I’ve had a waiter give me something for free. Whether it’s a drink, an appetizer, or dessert, restaurants typically want to give solo diners stuff. And it’s really not a pity thing! It’s just easier to connect with the staff when it’s one-on-one.

You Might Meet A Hot Bartender

Speaking of connecting one-on-one, if you’re dining solo you might find yourself chatting more with the staff, which means you might meet a hot bartender. Win-win.

You Don’t Have To Split Something You Don’t Really Want

How many times are you out with your friend and you end up splitting the bill and paying way more money than you wanted to because they got an extra appetizer or a few drinks? Well, there’s no risk of that when you’re eating out alone!

You Can Enjoy A Meal In Silence

Sometimes you just want to shut up and eat your food. And when you eat alone, you can do just that.

You’re More Likely To Be Approached By The Potential Love Of Your Life

People who do approach people in restaurants or bars are more likely to do so when they don’t feel intimidated. And when someone is dining alone, it feels much less scary to talk to them than if they’re with a group of friends. So who knows, maybe that solo dinner date might just turn into dinner for two.