“Did You Enjoy Dining Alone?” An Examination of Solo Diners

As the number of people spending time alone continues to increase, more people are engaging in solo consumption experiences, resulting in dining alone at a restaurant becoming more prevalent. Restaurants have responded in a number of ways to provide accommodations for solo diners’preferences, including the provision of different table layouts such as small tables, bar seating, and communal tables. However, a close examination on the impact of such table arrangements on solo diners’ behavioral intentions is lacking. This study was designed to examine the influence of table layouts, in conjunction with three restaurant quality dimensions (food quality, service quality, and atmospheric quality), on solo diners’ positive emotions and situational loneliness, which ultimately influences behavioral intentions. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data collected from 286 United States residents who had dined alone at a restaurant within the previous two weeks. Results suggested that food quality and service quality stimulated positive emotions, while food quality decreased situational loneliness. Bar seating increased positive emotions and decreased loneliness. Positive emotions increased both revisit intentions in general and revisit intentions as a solo diner. Loneliness, on the other hand, was shown to decrease revisit intentions as a solo diner.