A restaurant in South Korea has caused controversy by refusing to serve solo diners as the country experiences an increase in the number of people staying single.
A sign outside the noodle restaurant in Yeosu City, South Jeolla Province in the south of South Korea, went viral on social media after an internet user who visited the eatery posted it online on November 17, according to a report by the Korea Times.
The notice said the restaurant provides four “options” for customers eating alone: pay for two servings, eat two servings, call a friend and come back with your wife next time.
It goes on to say in the form of a speech bubble: “We don’t sell loneliness. Please don’t come alone.”
The online post, which has been viewed 30,000 times, ignited a heated discussion, with most online observers criticising the restaurant.
“The mindset of the owner seems outdated,” one person said.
Another asked: “Why equate eating alone with loneliness?”
While a third user said: “The restaurant does not appreciate its customers.”
But some people did not have a problem with the eatery.
“If the owner is willing to take the financial hit, it is their choice and should be respected,” said one online observer.
It is not the first time restaurants in Korea have been exposed for discrimination against solo diners, commonly known as honbap customers in Korean.
In July, a solo person visiting a restaurant, also in Yeosu, received rude comments from staff, who told her to “eat quickly” because “more people are coming”, despite the fact that she had ordered two servings.
Earlier this year, another eatery trended online because of its sign prohibiting solo diners from watching a social media platform while eating.
In recent years, the number of single-person households in South Korea has been rising, with the share of single-person homes in the country’s capital Seoul increasing from 29.5 per cent in 2015 to 39.3 per cent in 2023, the report said.
More than 42 per cent of South Koreans eat at least one meal alone each day.
According to Gi-Wook Shin, a sociology professor at Stanford University, South Korea needs to address its bias against single people in a systematic way.
In China, many restaurants welcome individual customers by offering one-person set meals.
Experts said China is embracing the booming “single economy”, which refers to sectors such as cuisine, real estate, socialising, education and home appliances, targeting single people. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
