Solo but not lonely, travelling alone is booming

Psychology suggests adults who prefer eating alone at restaurants aren't lonely or antisocial, they've learned that a meal without emotional labour is one of the few forms of rest they can actually count on

The Toast reservation data tells a small story with a big shape. In the third quarter of 2025, reservations for one at full-service restaurants rose 22 percent compared with the same quarter a year earlier. At quick-service restaurants, solo orders climbed 52 percent since 2021, according to Yum Brands’ 2026 Food Trends Report. The people booking these tables are not, by and large, sad. They are tired. That is the argument worth taking seriously…

Solo but not lonely, travelling alone is booming

Yulia, 29, describes herself on Instagram as someone who overshares her life, and this month she’s taking her followers along on her first solo adventure, one in which she admits she has plenty of fears to overcome. So far, so good, she reports, or almost: on her first day, she had a sleepless night outside the airport, got on the wrong train and almost forgot her luggage, but the spectacle of a hot airport window cleaner apparently made it all …