Originally Posted by
wrp96
For me, the biggest issue I've encountered is in the seating process. The "wouldn't you rather sit at the bar" even though half the place is empty, the sticking the solo diner at the worst table in the restaurant, etc. I've started to take note and never return to places that do that - even if I'm eating with someone else.
I've rarely experienced an issue once I actually get seated (the few places it has happened are also on my never visit again list).
I tend be the exact opposite. While there are times I might prefer to have a table to myself, I've found myself gravitating to bar seating when dining alone. It probably helps that many restaurants in the US are now nonsmoking so that doesn't interfere with dining.
Most restaurants serve at the bar off the regular menu instead of having a separate and less inviting bar menu, and some restaurants even have both bar and regular menus, which I've found occasionally to be a benefit. One of my favorite restaurants on the Outer Banks, Ocean Boulevard, does a bar menu that includes a roasted half chicken at $13 that is a slightly smaller portion (half of a smaller bird maybe?) than the roasted half chicken on the regular menu with different sides (and I actually prefer the bar sides)--plus, it's $9 cheaper than the regular menu.
I don't generally like TVs in restaurants when I'm accompanied, but dining alone, I prefer having something to distract me from my solo status. And while there's also the danger of getting a bad seatmate at the bar, I have had plenty of occasions where I got into a great conversation with someone sitting next to me or with the bartender, especially as you go up the food chain of restaurants. Lots of the bartenders in those establishments are experienced, have a life outside of drinking and partying, and are frequently pretty good sources of information about other good restaurants in the area or things I should see and experience outside of dining and drinking.
Perceptions about solo dining have changed over the years, too. When I was working in a job in the late 1970s that involved some travel, it was very unusual to dine alone. In 2014, it's still not the norm, but I don't believe that many restaurant personnel consider a diner eccentric for that reason. A server's reluctance to take a table with a solo diner because of the anticipation of a lower overall tip might explain some of the service issues discussed in this thread. Doesn't excuse them, but might explain them.