Guess which suburb is most popular for solo dining?

If you eat out alone, you’re, er, not alone - it's on the rise.

It used to be the looked upon with misplaced pity but eating out alone is no longer the territory of the ‘lonely’.

Newly released figures from the company behind online restaurant booking app Dimmi highlight a growing trend for diners to go it alone when eating out. Dimmi’s research shows a 27 per cent increase in unaccompanied eaters in the last year, particularly in New South Wales, with more than 40 per cent of NSW-based bookings through the app being secured by solo diners.

Victorians are second (32.56 per cent) followed by Queensland (14.1 per cent), Western Australia (9.05 per cent) and South Australia (3.61 per cent) (other areas weren’t reported in Dimmi’s results). And the suburb with the highest number of solo bookings? Surry Hills in New South Wales, followed by Surfers Paradise in Queensland and Glenelg in South Australia. 

“Anecdotally speaking, solo dining is a trend that is increasingly gaining traction across Australian cafés and restaurants,” echoes Juliana Payne, the CEO for Australia’s Restaurant and Catering Association. “Dining businesses are now actively trying to encourage solo dining and are catering for this increased consumer demand.”

With our constant interconnectedness via smartphones, there’s an increased comfort about eating out without companions, considering we have our nearest and dearest at our fingertips throughout any meal regardless of where they actually are.

“Technological advancements [are] providing companionship to users like never before,” Jared Chapman, Dimmi’s managing director explains. “The growing ‘foodie’ trend has [also] made solo dining more acceptable.”

“The popularity of various social media platforms has also added new elements to the dining experience which weren’t there before such as consumers posting photos of their meals on Instagram,” Payne points out.

“Obviously, this doesn’t rely on actually having someone there physically with you but still enables solo diners to share their dining experiences and have other people elsewhere be a part of it.”

The team at Criniti’s Darling Harbour, one of the country’s leading choices for solo dining, agrees that the noticeable surge in the practice has also managed to alter the previous attitude to eating alone.

Crinit's restaurant in Sydney is popular among solo diners, leading the country in a new report. Source: Crinit's Sydney

Criniti’s took out the number one spot for solo diners in Dimmi’s bookings, followed by The Meat & Wine Co in Southbank and award winning Asian restaurant Akiba in Canberra.

“The stigma around dining on your own is slowly changing and it's becoming more acceptable,” explains Criniti’s marketing manager Dineshri Reddy. “Consumers have a busier lifestyle than they used to and are more comfortable dining on their own nowadays.”

Criniti’s solo customers frequently bring laptops and work during lunch while they dine at the Italian eatery, Reddy explains. They also come prepared with books to read or keep themselves occupied chatting to floor staff or snapping selfies with the stunning Darling Harbour setting of the popular restaurant.

For Canberra’s Akiba, which took out the third spot, dining options make things more inviting for singletons, which the restaurant says include regulars and interstate travellers.

“Akiba has an exciting and lively atmosphere with a mixture of individual tables, Sashimi bar and bar dining, as well as communal tables,” Akiba’s manager Simon Baker tells SBS Food. “We believe this makes solo diners feel more comfortable. The staff are friendly and the open kitchen and talented bar staff provide entertainment while dining. As it is always busy, solo diners can feel inconspicuous.”

Restaurants are taking the single contingent seriously when it comes to planning restaurant layouts.

“Restaurants are now making room for solo diners with bar or shared seating options available,” he adds.

In addition to having a little quiet time (and no one to pinch your final fry), there are obvious benefits to a lone eating experience.

“The fact is it’s easier for cafés and restaurants to accommodate solo diners so for the most in-demand dining experiences, you are simply maximising your chances by going along alone,” Payne says.

We’ll drink to that.