Well, your method is certainly time-efficient, if you have a need to save the extra thirty seconds that my way takes.

My point is that for *some* people (even those working as a host or hostess), the question of solo dining *is* awkward, and if I can pro-actively help avoid that awkwardness with a lighthearted way to express that I'm by myself, then why not do it?

Should a host or hostess find a patron dining alone to be awkward to handle? No.

But, IME, sometimes they do. (Especially if they're young or inexperienced.) While that employee is there to serve me (that's a part of what I'm paying for), a bit of humor that suggests that I recognize their human dignity as a person goes a long way.

And please, before the flame wars start, I'm *not* suggesting that your way takes away from anyone's dignity. I just think that my way gives the opportunity to affirm another person a bit.