Tell the truth: If you frequently travel alone, do you know your
favorite hotel's room-service menu by heart? Does the thought
of entering a restaurant and uttering the words "table for
one" make you shudder? If so, you're probably afflicted
with DDS (dread-of-dining-solo syndrome), which is common among
solitary travelers.
"Sooner or later, everyone faces the challenge of dining
out alone," says Marya Charles Alexander, editor and publisher
of Solo Dining Savvy, a newsletter devoted to "taking the bite
out of eating alone." "Dining out should be something you
look forward to, to revive your spirits."
But the truth is, many travelers dread eating out alone and will
forego the chance to explore new restaurants, taste new flavors and
meet new people because of their fear.
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Through her newsletter and public appearances, Alexander gives
business travelers tips for dining out on their own and finding
restaurants that are receptive to solos (see "Sole Food"
below). If you find yourself stuck in your hotel, for example,
Alexander recommends asking the concierge which local restaurants
are solo-friendly.
Wendy Levy, co-owner of Autumn Moon Cafe in Oakland, California,
remembers the first time she ate out by herself: "I was
nervous, but it turned out just fine," she says.
"Nowadays, I don't even think twice about it."
That is, unless it's her customers who are dining alone.
Today, she and partner Kerry Heffernan make a point of greeting
solitary diners with the same enthusiasm given to couples and large
parties. "Our [policy] is to make sure everybody feels
welcome," says Levy. "A single diner should never feel
out of place."
When dining alone on a business trip, community seating can be a
great way to network. More and more restaurants are offering
community-seating options that enable diners to mingle:
1.?/b>Networking tables. Some restaurants and hotels have
tables where solo diners can eat with both locals and other
visitors.
2.?/b>Cluster seating. "This is a variation of
networking tables, except everyone has their own turf," says
Alexander. These are small tables clustered together; you can be as
social or antisocial as you like.
3.?/b>Table seating for two. Smaller restaurants may not
have room for a stationary networking table, so they'll often
ask single diners wishing to network if they'd be willing to
share a table with another diner.
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