"At Gwen, a 3-metre-wide, Michelin-star restaurant in Machynlleth, Wales, a table for eight holds all the bookings for the night and strangers often leave as friends. We've had people come as two couples and book four seats as they come out with people they just met. We've had people who ended up booking holidays together, says Jake Nutt, the restaurant's owner."
"At The Table, a restaurant in Edinburgh that hosts 10 customers at a 7-metre-long table, a single seat is the most popular booking. We've had six single dinners in an evening, that's over half the restaurant, says the owner, Sean Clark. We get a lot of single diners because it's an inclusive, convenient atmosphere."
"For me, this is like my house, if you come in my house you have the same treatment, says the owner, Stefano Pianese, originally from Naples. They call us upstairs to have a drink because they feel the love. The tight proximity between the customer and the chef creates an involved and intimate atmosphere."
Micro-restaurants seating fewer than 20 people are becoming increasingly popular across the UK, representing a new trend in dining downsizing. These establishments feature communal tables as their focal point, fostering connections between diners. At Gwen in Wales, a single table seats eight guests nightly, with customers often forming lasting friendships and even booking holidays together. At The Table in Edinburgh, single-seat bookings are the most popular option, with solo diners comprising over half the restaurant on some evenings. Other micro-restaurants like Eorna and Argile operate similarly in Edinburgh. Some establishments, such as Sugo82 in London, function as private dining experiences with intimate chef-customer proximity, creating an involved atmosphere where the traditional barrier between kitchen and dining room dissolves.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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