Alone Together
How ironic that we built a hub of interconnected machines to talk to each other from one side of the planet to the other yet, we feel lonelier every day. There is a word for it too — the Loneliness Epidemic. Never mind the acceleration of this phenomenon by the current global pandemic. It is no exaggeration that the progression of technology as a whole has led to the rise of social isolation in our society. Japan is at the forefront of this discussion due to its own “lost generation.” Hikikomori describes the people in Japan who suffer from social withdrawal, often not leaving their homes for several years. Make no mistake, this condition arose due to several social factors however, this lifestyle has been reinforced by the rise of technology and internet addiction. The way Japanese society emphasizes independent consumer experiences is evident in the evolution of dining out.
The future of dining is a table for one. Solo-dining restaurants are a social norm in Japan. Ichiran, for instance, is a well-known ramen spot that encourages eating alone so people can savor their food. Its popularity has allowed them to open 60 restaurants and influence more solo establishments to open for decades. This type of experience is not exclusive to Japan though. The Guardian reports that reservations for one in the UK have exploded by 160% since 2014. Eating alone is simply becoming a norm in modern society.
This style of dining has appeared on a global scale as well. Bord för En, “Table for One,” is a bizarre restaurant set-up born out of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is solely a table and chair in the scenic countryside of Ransäter, Sweden that serves a three-course menu carried by rope and basket. Delivering directly from kitchen to guest adds a new meaning to a contactless dining experience. Once again, the concept of this restaurant, similar to Ichiran, is to allow patrons to enjoy their food without social distractions. It is relevant to mention that both of these restaurants do not rely on the latest technologies to deliver a simple and relaxing atmosphere. Minimalism is the main goal for these restaurants and they can achieve this by utilizing space and other environmental details.
Solo-dining can be found right here in Philadelphia. Unlike the previous restaurants, Honeygrow is a restaurant concept that combines intuitive devices and space to deliver a minimalistic dining experience. Their hands-off approach to takeout has redefined the fast-casual experience. Ordering is quick and fully customizable with tabletop tablets and a fully-fledged mobile app. As a result, the restaurant fits seamlessly into a fast-paced city environment.
Along with the advancement of independent dining, there has been conflicting evidence on whether this shift in eating habits is beneficial for our overall wellbeing. Social distractions while eating can have some influence on a person’s mental and physical health. Some studies suggest that eating with the TV on or even eating with others may lead to overeating. However, there is evidence for the contrary, proving that loneliness can encourage excessive eating as well. Moreover, the growing lack of social interaction endured by many people can be very detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Families rarely eat at the dinner table together anymore. Instead, people keep themselves company with phones and TVs in solitary bedrooms. Considering social media’s impact on loneliness, eating alone can exacerbate these symptoms.
Oftentimes, people are not actually choosing to eat alone. Busy work and school schedules prevent friends and family from having quality time together. Eating is more about quick, easy, and inexpensive options to move on with the day. However, there is a good argument for eating alone to improving quality time with yourself. It can be a challenge for people to make time for themselves during hectic weeks so a solo meal can be a great opportunity to decompress. Consumers have different preferences which may present a significant challenge for some businesses.
People now want healthier, cleaner, and faster options to eat as well as trendy, new, and niche spots. Several iconic American restaurants are falling short on these demands including TGI Friday’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Applebee’s, and plenty more. These chains simply cannot compete with the quality and efficiency of fast-casual restaurants emerging in recent years.
Innovation does not stop here. In the pursuit of health and convenience, we are now moving towards a new era of foodservice. It has been established that more people want to eat with fewer distractions and interactions. This means that we may see the resurgence of Digital Automats. These are restaurants with vending machines and no visible workers. To preface, automats are definitely not a new concept but they had disappeared in the 1970s due to the rise of big fast-food chains. Now influences such as the pandemic and the downfall of fast food have revitalized this part of the food industry. The Digital Automat has the ability to combine quality ingredients and new standards of food technology to become a potentially sustainable option for consumers today.
Automat Kitchen in Jersey City delivers a nostalgic yet new restaurant experience serving American comfort food with kiosks, interactive cubbies, and hidden employees. Even more impressive is their recent addition of technology to improve a contactless experience. Simply allowing customers to open a cubby with their smartphone has been valuable during the pandemic. Automats such as this fit effortlessly in cities and are versatile enough to be implemented in airports, highway stops, etc. People enjoyed automats in the past because they provided a democratized dining out experience while being viewed as more sanitary. This can be attested for today but it also has reinforced the demand for solo dining.
Despite the advancements towards convenience and quality, there are some long-term downsides to the automat and fast-casual style as a whole. As mentioned previously, less social interaction has dire consequences for our society. What will our cities and social lives look like with the decline of human-to-human experiences? Social media has already confirmed terrible outcomes for mental health while social skills in young people have dwindled. We must keep in mind that Hikikomori is a growing global concern. Convenience may not be worth its isolating consequences. Not to mention, technology always makes room for errors and outages. Becoming too reliant on technology always comes with the risk of profits and customers.
Eating is an essential part of our society and culture. Perhaps less is more. If we want to have fewer distractions we should be cutting out technology and serving more stripped-down eating experiences like Bord för En. Or maybe we should enable technology to facilitate better social interactions when dining together. Whatever the case, we should be valuing the nature of human beings. We are not built to withstand isolation and artificial environments. Technology must be used to our advantage to achieve healthy, safe, and peaceful spaces. In a more isolated world, we can find the time to eat communally without the impersonal inky projections of our smart devices.
