Is it worth going to a restaurant by myself?

Question

There’s an Ethiopian restaurant that I want to go to, the problem is that I have no friends and no one to go with me. Is it worth it going by myself, or would I just feel depressed?

Answer 1

It depends on why you want to go.  Do you want to go so that people will look and say, "wow, that girl has alot of friends?"  Or, do you want to go because you genuinely want to try out the food?  Only you can answer.

If it was me, I would go, and not care who thought I was pitiful because I was alone.  I must say, though, that these days people don't even notice things like that.  So.. go ahead, and enjoy the food!

Answer 2

I always keep something to read in my car. If I'm hungry and feel like a sit-down meal, I go for it. I'm well worth it and there is no point in depriving myself of something that I want just because I don't have a dining companion. Besides, it's fun to treat yourself to something different once in a while.

Go for it! And bon appetit!

Answer 3

Hi Cybele,

Nothing wrong with that and I don't think you'll be bored.  Would you be a food critic?  Take some notes and write a short article to your newspaper (or school paper if you go to school?).  If you like the place, the owner will be grateful of your free advertising.  Who knows, you may try it with some other place next time.

Enjoy the food!

Answer 4

You should definitely go yourself, but if you feel a little weird about it, you might want to go on a weekday instead of a weekend or go around late afternoon (between lunch and dinner) when it's not really busy. You might even see some other people by themselves at those times, so you won't feel like the only one who's doing it and it also won't be a problem for them to seat you at a table by yourself. I haven't been to an Ethiopian restaurant before, so I'm not sure if it's one of those places where they have that communal seating thing, so that could make it a little weird. Communal seating places will seat you with strangers. If you're worried about that, you could call beforehand and ask them where they seat you if it's just one person.

Answer 5

Well, I would say no, because everyone has the right to go there and enjoy the food and atmosphere.

If you feel really uncomfortable, perhaps you could take your order to go, or if they have a bar, see if you can eat at the bar which is always a nice option when dining alone. I do it a lot.

Answer 6

you knw yourslef better then we do but personally id go

Answer 7

Whether or not you feel depressed is entirely up to you.  I eat out alone all the time because I travel all the time - most weeks of the year, so I have no choice.  Hey if it makes you feel any better, just go along and enjoy it, and pretend to yourself that you're on a business trip if that makes you feel better!  And who knows, you might meet some interesting people there!  Just go and have fun.

Answer 8

You should definately go.  Before I had kids, I used to go out to eat alone.  It's actually one of my favorite things to do.  So why not?  There is no rule that says you have to go out to eat with someone else.  Besides, I'm in the restaurant business, and I wait on single people all the time, and no one thinks a thing of it, neither do they.  If it makes you more comfortable, bring a magazine to glance at as you enjoy your "ethiopian" cuisine.

Answer 9

I went to a diner all by myself yesterday morning.  It was too early for anybody to come with me and I didn't want to wake anybody up.  Bring a magazine with you or ask some coworkers if they want to go?  They may also have a take out menu, then you can take the food home and eat it in front of the tv or while answering some answers.yahoo questions.

Answer 10

I have a good friend who goes to resteraunts solo on a weekly basis.  She has made friends with everybody there, gets great service all the time, and gets free extras from her servers.

Answer 11

I would go by myself, I do it all the time and I never feel depressed.  It can be a lovely adventure trying new things.

Although I do have some friends, often they are on a tight budget and when they have extra cash they have favourite restaurants they want to go back to.

Answer 12

go ahead, take a good book... who knows someone might ask to join you

Answer 13

Yes it is worth it as long as you are safe beening alone

Answer 14

You should go, try new things, get out of the house, it will be good for you, plus since you want to try it any way, why wait?

Answer 15

just go by yourself, people do it all the time nothing wrong with enjoying a meal out on your own.

Answer 16

All the more reason to go and enjoy yourself. Bring a good book, magazine, or some gadget to entertain yourself if you feel the need to have something to focus on (that's what I do when I dine alone) and enjoy. I take a book or a mag or my iPod Touch. Most times when I'm out to dinner with someone I usually see at least 1 person having dinner by themselves too. It's pretty common. I hope you go and enjoy yourself, it's liberating.

I like trying new restaurants and often don't have someone who shares my enthusiasm for certain cuisines so what the h**l! Why should I miss out on a new adventure just because I'm by myself?

Answer 17

go, and eat enough to make a billygoat puke

Answer 18

totally. go enjoy! just know that ethiopian restaurants dont use silverware. you eat with your hands. do you siblings? aunt? grandma? anyone to get silly with?

if not? join a club at church, school or outside community clubs. I volunteer on the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team. See if there's one in your city/town. make friends go see places.

if you go alone, bring a book or a newspaper.

enjoy! when i worked in Chicago last spring, and hubby lived in St. Louis, i would always eat dinner on my own. so i started going out for sushi. great idea it turned out to be, cuz i got to know many sushi chefs in the burb where i lived. and every night i met new people.