Dining alone can be an awkward event; wouldn’t it be nice to know ahead of time if a certain dining establishment will be a comfortable place to eat for one? Well, yes! Of course it would.
One of the goals of Solitary Banquet is to provide reviews of restaurants with the solitary diner in mind. While reviews will have mention of all of the things you would expect, such as the quality and type of food served, the general atmosphere, price range, etc. the main purpose will be to share how the experience of dining solo went.
For instance, how attentive was the service? Was the diner made to feel rushed in any way? Is the general atmosphere comfortable and welcoming? Is there a bar or counter that might be more comfortable? These questions are of course important to any restaurant patron but, they are even more important to someone who is partaking of their meal alone.
Each review will include answers to the above questions and, in addition, each restaurant will receive a rating on how welcoming they are to solitary customers. I’ve come up with a scale that I hope informative as well as amusing:
Bring a book – This place does not cater to solitary diners. You will likely be seated in a dark corner or near the bathroom and then promptly ignored.
I love my smartphone – This place is okay, for instance it has a cozy bar or counter, but may be a bit hit or miss in the dining room. In other words, come prepared.
Noooooorm! – You will be comfortable here. It might not be the most high class place in town, but the food is good, service is decent, and like Norm from Cheers, you could be a regular here.
It’s all about me. – This place is all about service. A customer, solitary or not, is a customer. The food is good, the staff is attentive and you never feel rushed.
Finally, there will be a separate category of reviews for places I call “Favorite Haunts.” These are restaurants and coffee houses which one already frequents often enough that to attempt to give an impartial review would be nearly impossible. And besides, you already know you like it there!
The Reviewers
That’s right, your favorite spinster will not be the only reviewer on this blog. People dine alone for a variety of reasons (enjoyment, travel, sorrow drowning…) and I’d like to have reviews from all perspectives. Plus, I’d like to see reviews from all over the country (the world?) because while I do love the city I live in, not all of you live here and it would be terribly crowded if you did.**
So stay tuned my hungry readers. There is so much more to come!!
**If you are interested in writing some reviews for Solitary Banquet, then get in touch. We’ll chat.
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