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With single-person households on the rise and solo-dining becoming a global trend, a U.S. reporter visiting South Korea stirred conversation after saying a restaurant refused to seat them twice — simply because they were alone.
On May 5 (local time), CNN Travel published a story about one of its reporters who says they were turned away from restaurants while traveling alone in South Korea.
According to the report, the reporter went to a Seoul restaurant, held up one finger and asked if they could eat alone. Staff replied, “We don’t accept one person.” The reporter said they were turned away a second time and described the situation as “embarrassing and confusing.”
CNN pointed out that single-person households exceeded 36% last year — a record high — but attitudes toward solo dining still lag behind.
However, CNN noted this isn’t unique to South Korea. In 2023, some restaurants in Barcelona turned away solo diners to prioritize groups, and a Turkish restaurant in Liverpool drew backlash after saying it wouldn’t seat solo customers during peak hours.
At the same time, the market for solo dining is growing rapidly. OpenTable reported a 19% year-over-year increase in one-person reservations worldwide last year.
Restaurants are adapting. In major cities like New York and London, more spots are welcoming solo reservations, and Japan’s counter-seat dining culture has long normalized eating alone.
In South Korea, solo-focused restaurants are on the rise in business districts such as Gangnam and Jongno, and Naver Maps is boosting its “good for solo dining” search feature, CNN reported.
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