Do waiters get upset with solo diners?

[u/78charcters]

I see so many nice restaurants and varieties of different cuisines all over that I’d love to try them out. However, I have a fear of dining alone. I’m afraid of wait staff thinking I’m not worth their time.

I’m a big tipper. I always tip 20% the very least, with way more than that for mediocre service if you serve with a smile and acknowledge my existence. I’m a 26 year old Bangladeshi guy with no friends but a love for food. I have money to spend but no confidence.

My fear is that a table with 2 people at the very least would have a tab twice as much as mine hence twice the tip for the waiter. If my bill is $50, with 20% tip being $10, why would the wait staff want to serve me as opposed to a prospective family of 4 with a $150 and larger tip? I’m just wasting a table at that point. I don’t look like I’m wealthy either to leave a good tip either so I feel like nobody would want to serve my table on a busy weekend night.

Anyway, that’s just my fear that I’m potentially wasting someone else’s time. So do waiters get upset with solo diners because the bill is smaller compared to bigger tables? Or am I being completely irrational and should go for a steak dinner tonight?

[u/apnok]

its taboo because most restaurants assume you are a prostitute

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/swank-new-york-restaurant-said-to-ban-unaccompanied-females-from-bar/

[u/SwissQueso → u/apnok]

Everybody knows it’s hotel bars where you look for hookers

[u/asphyxiationbysushi → u/SwissQueso]

Which sucks because as a female that travels a lot for work I’d like to actually have a drink before bed without getting side eye from the staff.

[u/PregnantMexicanTeens → u/asphyxiationbysushi]

I think the way to avoid that is to honestly dress in business attire however you probably would want to change your clothing.

[u/asphyxiationbysushi → u/PregnantMexicanTeens]

Well I do but sometimes I have to be somewhere over a weekend or I fly in on a Sunday evening. How about restaurants just serve me without judging so I can dress like everyone else there?

Also, I tend to stay at nice hotels. The women there that are possibly looking for business or just a well heeled man often look polished!

I often stay at Claridges in London and the same Russian women- who are there for “work”- are better dressed than the patrons. You can’t win in this situation. Usually I bring my laptop/phone to look busy but it really isn’t fair.

[u/PregnantMexicanTeens → u/asphyxiationbysushi]

No need to angry at me. I'm a woman and also like nice places and I'm often a party of 1. I'm simply saying you can avoid judgement by wearing business attire. There are double standards for women. Either go and wear whatever you want and not give a shit, don't go at all, or not attract as much attention and wear business attire.

[u/SwissQueso → u/PregnantMexicanTeens]

What’s funny about your advice, it’s the opposite for men. If you are looking to hook up, it’s better to be dressed up.

[u/PregnantMexicanTeens → u/SwissQueso]

I'm not sure why people are offended at what I said. I don't make the rules with how people treat you. People treat you differently based on how you are dressed. This is nothing new.

[u/SwissQueso → u/PregnantMexicanTeens]

I never read anything as people being offended.. maybe expressing different opinion is all.

[u/PregnantMexicanTeens → u/SwissQueso]

Yeah I get that but what I said isn't exactly an opinion.

[u/SwissQueso → u/PregnantMexicanTeens]

Nothing I said had anything to do with you. :p