Originally Posted by
braslvr
Yes, I have occasionally seen moldings which kept the food a bit too far away to be comfortable. Most notably when eating soup.
One of my best experiences dining alone happened at a restaurant with an oval shaped bar wide enough to hold a full place mat and then some. The stools had low backs to hold a coat. There were even purse hooks under the counter. Not only was there no attitude about dining alone, I was given the option of sitting at the bar or a table. I was merely walking by thinking about where to eat. The hostess was standing in front of the patio dining area facing the street, offered up samples, talked up the menu to me and didn't blink at the solo diner request.
The bar seemed to be very social - singles, groups of two, even a group of three. The two guys in suits sitting next to me even turned around and toasted me when I received my drink.
The happy hour specials included drinks and fresh oysters. Seeing as I was front and center to the bartender and oyster shucker I had great service. This was a higher end place that formed part of a local restaurant group located in a busy shopping/business district.