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OpenTable and KAYAK present - the guide to solo dining and travel

 

Table for one

Solo dining is having a moment, 52% of US consumers plan to dine solo this year—and travel isn’t far behind*. Make the most of your adventures with KAYAK and OpenTable’s guide to traveling and dining by yourself.

Get started

OpenTable and KAYAK present - the guide to solo dining and travel

Table for one

Solo dining is having a moment, 52% of US consumers plan to dine solo this year—and travel isn’t far behind*. Make the most of your adventures with KAYAK and OpenTable’s guide to traveling and dining by yourself.

Get started

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The trends

Table for one, please: The solo dining trend

On OpenTable, solo dining in the US in 2024 increased by 8%* compared to the previous year. Solo diners per person spend 48% more than any other diner, averaging $84***. Additionally, new consumer research from OpenTable and KAYAK found that**:

65% la-taco  

of Gen Zs and 63% of Millennials in the US say they plan to dine solo this year.

34% bos-clam-chowder  

state “me time” as the number one reason to dine solo followed by dining on their own schedule (20%).

60% must-book-restaurants 

have dined solo at a sit-down restaurant in the past 12 months; this increases to 68% for Gen Z and Millennials.

Expert tips

Expert advice for dining and traveling alone

From the ideal seats to book to using local knowledge to fuel your trip, here are international veteran traveler Nicola Easterby’s tips for getting the most out of your solo adventures.

@polkadotpassport - Nicola Easterby, Travel & Food Content Creator in London

  1. Eat at the bar or chef’s counter: If you want to feel a little less awkward when dining solo, ask to be seated at the bar or chef’s counter. This provides a more interactive and social dining experience, especially if there are friendly bartenders or chefs to chat with!
  2. Make reservations in advance: When you’re traveling as a party of one, the last thing you want to do is wait in line by yourself for restaurants or attractions. If you want to save yourself the stress, make sure you plan ahead by pre-booking activities and making your restaurant reservations in advance on OpenTable.
  3. Get outside of your comfort zone: Solo travel is a perfect time to stretch yourself by trying new activities and experiences. Whether this is jumping out of a plane, dining solo at a fancy restaurant or going on a bar crawl with a group of strangers, try do at least one thing that scares you on every solo trip you take.
  4. Find local events to attend: When planning a solo trip, take time to research local festivals, holidays, and events happening during your travel dates. Attending these events is not only a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture, it’s also a great opportunity to meet locals and other travelers.
  5. Ask locals for recommendations: If you want to uncover the best-kept secrets and hidden gems of a destination, a web search isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to ask locals instead. Get in the habit of asking taxi drivers, tour guides or shopkeepers their favorite spots to shop, visit, eat, drink and hang out.
group-4775-1
@polkadotpassport - Nicola Easterby, Travel & Food Content Creator in London
  1. Eat at the bar or chef’s counter: If you want to feel a little less awkward when dining solo, ask to be seated at the bar or chef’s counter. This provides a more interactive and social dining experience, especially if there are friendly bartenders or chefs to chat with!
  2. Make reservations in advance: When you’re traveling as a party of one, the last thing you want to do is wait in line by yourself for restaurants or attractions. If you want to save yourself the stress, make sure you plan ahead by pre-booking activities and making your restaurant reservations in advance on OpenTable.
  3. Get outside of your comfort zone: Solo travel is a perfect time to stretch yourself by trying new activities and experiences. Whether this is jumping out of a plane, dining solo at a fancy restaurant or going on a bar crawl with a group of strangers, try do at least one thing that scares you on every solo trip you take.
  4. Find local events to attend: When planning a solo trip, take time to research local festivals, holidays, and events happening during your travel dates. Attending these events is not only a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture, it’s also a great opportunity to meet locals and other travelers.
  5. Ask locals for recommendations: If you want to uncover the best-kept secrets and hidden gems of a destination, a web search isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to ask locals instead. Get in the habit of asking taxi drivers, tour guides or shopkeepers their favorite spots to shop, visit, eat, drink and hang out.
group-4775-1

Top US destinations

OpenTable and KAYAK teamed up to present:

The top 15 US cities to visit + dine solo

Looking at average hotel prices, flight costs, meal expenses, safety rankings, the share of solo dining and local attractions, OpenTable and KAYAK uncovered the Top 15 destinations for solo dining and travel. Whether searching for big city culture, a homebase to explore the outdoors, or just some R&R, here are America’s best cities to visit on your own.

In each destination, we’re highlighting restaurants favored by solo diners on OpenTable—culled from verified diner reviews and dining metrics including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, five-star reviews and percentage of solo diners.

We got in on the action too by highlighting five favorite spots by OpenTable’s team of on-the-ground experts. Start planning your trip on KAYAK now.

washington-dc-2

1.  Washington DC

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

boston-2

2.  Boston

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

chicago-2

3.  Chicago

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

atlanta-2

4.  Atlanta

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

salt-lake-city-2

5.  Salt Lake City

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

tampa-2

6.  Tampa

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

philadelphia-2

7.  Philadelphia

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

seattle-2

8.  Seattle

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

la-2

9.  Los Angeles

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

nyc-2

10.  New York City

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

denver-2

11.  Denver

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

austin-2

12.  Austin

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

sf-2

13.  San Francisco

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

dallas-2

14.  Dallas

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

houston-2

15.  Houston

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

Top international destinations

OpenTable and KAYAK teamed up to present:

The top 10 international cities to visit + dine solo

Grab your passport and book your next trip to one of these cities that are perfect for solo travelers to explore.

In each destination, we’re also highlighting restaurants favored by solo diners on OpenTable—culled from verified diner reviews and dining metrics including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, five-star reviews and percentage of solo diners.

We got in on the action too by highlighting five favorite spots by OpenTable’s team of on-the-ground experts. Start planning your trip on KAYAK now.

berlin

1.  Berlin

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

vancouver

2.  Vancouver

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

montreal

3.  Montreal

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

paris-v2

4.  Paris

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

milan-v2

5.  Milan

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

dublin

6.  Dublin

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

toronto-v2

7.  Toronto

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

dubai

8.  Dubai

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

mexico-city-v2

9.  Mexico City

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

london

10.  London

Diner picks

 

OpenTable picks

Your solo adventure is waiting.

Plan your next trip on KAYAK and discover new places to eat on OpenTable now.

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OpenTable x KAYAK Consumer Research

  • *Methodology: OpenTable looked at online seated diners for parties of 1 from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024, and compared it to the corresponding period in 2023.
  • **Methodology: An online survey was conducted by PureSpectrum among 2,000 general consumers in the US. Within this sample, major cities have been weighted for direct comparison. The research fieldwork took place between 3rd – 5th June 2024.
  • **Methodology: OpenTable looked at the average spend per guest for parties of one and overall party sizes from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.

 

Top List Methodology

  • OpenTable’s Top Restaurants for Solo Dining is generated from OpenTable diner reviews and dining metrics from April 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024. Restaurants with a minimum threshold of diner reviews were considered and evaluated using a compilation of unique data points, including diner ratings, the percentage of five star reviews, the number of alerts set, the percentage of reservations made in advance and direct searches. Metrics were weighted to comprise an overall score. The qualified restaurants were then ranked by the percentage of solo dining.

 

City Ranking Methodology

  • A total of 25 cities have been selected based on the largest share of solo travel searches made on KAYAK and the share of solo dining at OpenTable restaurants.
  • The solo travel share has been identified based on the hotel searches for one person conducted from the January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 for the travel period between the January 17, 2024 and November 30, 2024.
  • To identify solo dining share, OpenTable looked at solo seated diners from phone, online and walk-in reservations from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 in cities with over 50 restaurants on the platform as of January 1, 2024.

 

For more information on how the top US and international cities were selected, visit kayak.com/c/solo/

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