Nowadays, "single dog" has changed from a derogatory term to a free and easy self-ridicule. Especially among many young post-91s, "enjoying alone" has gradually become a trend: choose to travel alone, live in a "capsule apartment" that only accommodates one person, and even karaoke, instead of going to the traditional KTV "Happy People", go to a "single room" to sing.

Recently, the "one-person-only" setting introduced by a Japanese restaurant was admired by many netizens. The incident of "eating alone" made everyone not feel lonely, but "feel safe", "don't feel embarrassed" and "happy to death".

this Japanese restaurant "Gusto" is a one-person barbecue restaurant. The environment in the restaurant is clean and tidy, and each seat is completely independent. Compared with the semi-closed box, every diners have their own space except the entrance and exit. Each seat is also equipped with power supply, WIFI, tableware boxes and various condiments. All the items in the seats are completely free to use, and there is no time limit, and you can stay in it as long as you want.

After becoming popular on the Internet, many netizens in Japan said that although the space of each seat is limited, there is a magical sense of security sitting inside. "Enjoy eating out alone, and avoid gorging in full view. It's an ideal restaurant."

Image source/screenshot of official Weibo of Japan Design Station

In fact, "eating for one person" is not unusual in Japan. Many restaurants are very meticulous. For example, in Yilan Lamian Noodles, you can't see the salesperson when ordering, so you can choose the Lamian Noodles you want directly on the self-service ordering machine. There will also be partitions between seats, creating a relatively quiet and safe person.

Image source/screenshot of Yilan Lamian Noodles official Weibo

Compared with Japan, many famous "one-person" restaurants in China mainly provide "one-person" dishes, but the hardware does not give "single dog" diners a caring dining space, so there is not much new idea.

The reporter saw in many recommended lists of restaurants for one person that the recommended restaurants mainly deal in Japanese-style Lamian Noodles and sushi, western-style hamburgers, Chinese-style mala Tang and noodles. Although these dishes can be eaten by one person, the dining environment is still a traditional open space. For example, the well-known Xiabu Xiabu, although satisfying the hot pot for single person, still has to sit at the open bar.

Yoshinoya, who has a strong Japanese decoration style, also finds it difficult to find a "solitude" space. Guests who dine by themselves either choose to share a table with others or eat face to face next to other diners. Although Haidilao, which is famous for its service, will put a teddy bear opposite a customer who comes to eat hot pot, many people don't buy it: "Originally, I ate hot pot alone and others didn't know it. Now give me a teddy bear. Come on, everyone in the store knows."

Compared with revolving sushi restaurants such as Xiangxian and Helv, which are better at "eating for one person", there will be a hot water outlet for each person in the bar seat, and a separate tableware box, seasoning, tea bag and wastepaper basket will be provided for each guest, and there will also be space for placing items under the seat. However, the dining space is still open, especially the thick coats and backpacks worn in winter need to be stored. It is difficult for this open single table not to "rub" with others, and in case there are too many plates, it is inevitable that such an embarrassing picture will not happen.

Lai Yang, director of the Business Research Institute of Beijing Finance and Trade Vocational College, told the reporter that Japan's business and catering industry is very advanced in refinement, personalized service and innovation, which is worth learning from domestic catering enterprises. "Many times when a person goes to eat, he doesn't want to be disturbed by others and hopes to have more independent space. The environment in the lobby is too open, there is no privacy, and the cost of private rooms is too high. This kind of' one-person food' restaurant in a small compartment is very in line with the model of modern people, especially young people. "

national business daily official Weibo once conducted a survey: Do you prefer eating alone or with friends? The answer is almost one-sided: more than 23 thousand people chose "one person, what do you want to eat?" Fewer than 5111 people choose to have dinner with friends. This also proves that more and more people no longer regard "one person" as a synonym for loneliness and coldness. The accelerated pace of work and the increasingly fragmented time have made "independent lohas" a trend. The insiders believe that the market of "single dog" has great potential, and it is necessary to grasp this outlet and build a catering brand.

The person in charge of a well-known restaurant thinks that single-product shops such as sushi, Japanese Lamian Noodles, fried pork chop rice, beef brisket noodles and clay pot rice often attract more one-person diners. "The more prominent the category attribute, the more emphasis is placed on the production method, and the greater the chance of attracting single diners to place orders." "It's not that everything is suitable for one person, such as roast duck. It is still necessary to consider what kind of customers a person comes to eat. In many cases, the purpose of a person coming to eat may not only be to eat, but to need independent space to relax. " Moreover, she believes that the cost of a real "one-person" restaurant is relatively higher. "It is still necessary to comprehensively consider the rent of the lot, the structure of the dishes and the personnel cost. It will be very difficult to make a profit, or don't aim at making a profit from the beginning. It is no problem for' one person to eat' to satisfy the personalized experience, but the profit model is debatable. "

Zhu Danpeng, a food industry analyst in China, said that "one-person food" is a differentiated gimmick from the industrial side, and it does meet the personalized emotional needs of consumers from the consumer side. With the superposition of the demographic dividend of the new generation, this kind of niche restaurant should have a certain number of fans in the future. "But now it is very niche. Not every brand can support such consumption scenes, which may be more suitable for mid-to high-end restaurants."