Pulling Up a Chair for Solo Diners
With the growing number of solo diners, hotels and resorts are making sure they are comfortable.
The Plume restaurant at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C., created a program for solo diners last fall (from $98 a person); several of its 18 seats are dedicated to diners who want a sense of privacy yet a feeling of inclusion. "The seating for this type of diner doesn't include being in the center of the room," said the restaurant's manager, Sean Mulligan. "We make sure they are not near the entrance or exit for discretion and privacy while making sure the diners have items like newspapers and magazines delivered to their table if they need it."
隨著單獨用餐的人愈來愈多，飯店和度假村正努力確保能讓他們感到舒適自在。
華盛頓特區傑佛遜飯店的羽毛餐廳去年秋天為單獨用餐的客人設計了一個方案（每人98美元起）；餐廳18個座位中有一些是獻給想要保有隱私，又要有融入感的客人。餐廳經理西恩．穆利根說：「這類客人的座位不會在餐室的中央。為了慎重和隱私起見，我們也絕不會讓他們坐得靠近入口或出口，同時我們一定會為客人準備報紙和雜誌之類的東西，他們若需要，就送到他們桌上。」
At Metropolitan by Como, Miami Beach, a dinner-for-one menu ($70) made its debut earlier this year, with recommended seating at the corner of the hotel's terrace and the Traymore bar positioned for people-watching along a pedestrian area of Miami Beach Drive. Solo diners are also able to log into PressReader, where they can read their favorite magazine in their preferred language from their phone or tablet.
The new "Just Cook for Me Chef!" program ($150 a person) at Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, was designed to bring together several solo guests in the kitchen so they can enjoy samples from the daily menu. This option was designed to be a smaller version of the communal-style tables that are enjoying a wave of popularity.
邁阿密海灘的科莫大都會飯店，今年稍早推出單客菜單（70美元），建議的座位安排在飯店陽台的角落，而Traymore酒吧的單客座位，可以欣賞邁阿密大道徒步區的來往行人。單客也可以登入PressReader，在手機或平板電腦上以他們偏好的語言閱讀他們最喜愛的雜誌。
亞利桑納州土桑市米拉瓦度假村及水療中心的新方案「主廚只為我一人烹調」（每人150美元），設計理念是把幾位單客聚集在廚房，享用每日菜單的樣品。此一選項的設計是縮小版的共用桌風格，這種風格正蔚為風潮。
Other hotels are taking a similar approach. At the Atwood Restaurant in the Hotel Burnham in Chicago, which was renovated last year, the general manager, Damian Palladino, said an extension of the bar area was intentionally blended into the lobby to attract the solo diner.
Bjorn Hanson, a clinical professor of hospitality and tourism at New York University's Tisch Center, said he has observed a recent increase in solo dining among those traveling on their own. "This type of experience continues to become more of a desire, and much of the stigma is less of an issue for younger travelers," he said in an email.
一些其他飯店也採取類似策略。去年重新裝潢的芝加哥波爾漢姆飯店的艾特伍德餐廳，總經理達米安．帕拉迪諾說，酒吧區已延伸擴大，刻意與大廳融合在一起，為的就是吸引單客。
紐約大學休閒旅遊運動管理中心的培訓教授畢瓊．韓森說，他觀察到近來單獨旅行者中，獨自用餐的情況增多。他在一封電子郵件中說：「這類經驗愈來愈變成一種渴望，對年輕旅人來說，獨自用餐的羞恥大體而言已不是什麼問題了。」
（Charu Suri,紐約時報,田思怡譯）
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