Table for one? Barcelona’s restaurants turn away solo diners in favour of tourist groups

Immediately my brain went to the film Cabaret and Joel Grey and Liza Minelli singing 🎶Money, money makes the world go around.🎶

It’s not surprising given the Covid lockdowns. Restauranteurs are in business to make money.

Restaurants that prefer groups like that sound like they make institutional food. 👎🏻

Not a problem yesterday in Warsaw, where I had my pick of restaurants and tables on busy Nowy Swiat. The waiter couldn't have been more friendly and attentive as I enjoyed my solo 7pm meal.

The article makes me appreciate my choice of an August destination - an unusual travel time for me.

This happened to me last year in Seattle. I was refused service twice and both times it was a lame excuse that caused me to believe it was because I was an older woman alone.

At one place, a couple ahead of me was seated and then the hostess came back to me and said "We have stopped serving".

Another place, I was thoroughly ignored but finally seated. Then I was further ignored and had to have some words with someone in order to get served while a group across from me was treated completely differently.

I could never enjoy my food.

It happened to me also in Austin at the SXSW Festival. I went into a very large Mexican restaurant across from the convention center. The place was only half full if that. I said "one" and they told me that every table was reserved but I could go to the bar and order food.

That restaurant is now out of business.

I had a similar issue in Quito last year. I came to a restaurant alone, and there were just a few other diners. The servers were lovely and attentive, and the food was outstanding.

Then two large tour groups came in while I was eating my main course. And after that I was ignored. They didn't come to clear my dirty plate. They didn't come to offer dessert. I couldn't even wave down a server to get my check. I finally got up to leave and stood by the cash register to wait to pay. I let them know how I felt, in no uncertain terms, before I left.

I've never been refused service altogether.

I've noticed various restaurant booking engines that don't even give the option to book a table for one.

When I found that at a popular restaurant in Sofia, I booked for 2 and then emailed them to say it would only be for one. They emailed back to confirm and say it was no problem.

Until it was. The day before my reservation, I showed my confirmation to my hotel and asked her to call to reconfirm. They said they didn't have my reservation. She gave them a piece of her mind and argued with them until they agreed to honor the reservation that they had explicitly confirmed. But I had to be out by 9 for a party (of 2) that had a reservation.

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.

Two can be as bad as one, its the loneliest number since the number one.

This must be a missing Seinfeld episode. "You are only one? No tapas for you. Next!"

I’m a retired woman and have traveled solo since 2018 each year except Covid years and also with my husband or daughter. Yes, there can be a difference in receptivity when I’m traveling solo. I have the habit now of putting on a dress for dinner and being able to nicely ask for a table for one in the local language, hoping that helps the odds of getting a table.

Sometimes it looks like there’s open tables, but they are truly reserved- not the fake placeholders. If it’s a place I would like to eat, I ask for a reservation for the following night. I’ve never been turned down for that request.

My table in Stresa one night had a direct view from a few tables away of the front door, and I could see who did and didn’t get a table. After 20 minutes, I could predict who would be getting a table, and it wasn’t solo vs. couple. #1 - if they appeared local, #2 - attitude, #3 - what they were wearing.