A notice posted at a restaurant and shared on social media platform Threads in November 2025 says the establishment does not accept solo diners. Captured from Threads
A CNN Travel writer shared an awkward experience of being turned away from two restaurants in Seoul while trying to eat alone, saying solo dining in the South Korean capital can still draw judgment despite the country’s growing number of one-person households.
On Tuesday, CNN Travel published an article titled “We don’t serve loneliness: Solo dining is more popular than ever, much to the distaste of some restaurants,” written by Hong Kong-based freelance food and travel writer Maggie Hiufu Wong.
The writer recalled visiting a “half-empty, no-frills restaurant” in Seoul shortly after 1 p.m. on a weekday and asking for “Table for one, please?”
After a brief exchange among staff, she said she was told, “No one person,” before being directed toward the exit.
“This was the second restaurant to turn me away that day, leaving me embarrassed and confused for ‘committing the crime’ of traveling alone,” she wrote.
The article also revisited controversy surrounding a Seoul noodle restaurant that reportedly posted a sign late last year saying solo customers must either order for two or “bring a friend or spouse.”
“In bold letters, the sign stated: ‘We don’t serve loneliness,’” the writer said.
The article noted that many people criticized the policy as discriminatory, particularly as one-person households accounted for more than 36 percent of all households in South Korea in 2024, the highest figure on record.
At the same time, the writer said solo dining is becoming easier in some parts of Seoul, especially in business districts such as Gangnam and Jongno, where many restaurants offer single-serving menus.
Source: Korea Times News
