Solo dining surges 52% as Americans embrace 'Me-Me-Me Economy' over shared meals

More Americans are choosing to dine alone — and it may not be out of loneliness, recent data shows.

Solo dining orders have surged since 2021, according to a recent report from Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. Solo dining orders have risen 52% over that period and now account for 47% of quick-service restaurant visits, up from 31% four years ago, according to the company's 2026 Food Trends Report.

"In an unpredictable world, consumers are looking for small moments of control," Ken Muench, chief marketing officer of Yum Brands, told Axios. "Food has become one of the easiest places to get that back."

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At full-service restaurants, reservations for one increased 22% in the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data from restaurant software company Toast.

The shift appears driven more by self-care and personal preference than loneliness or budget concerns.

Approximately 24% of solo diners say they're heading out alone to satisfy a personal craving and often do not take advantage of deals or coupons, according to Yum Brands. 

More than half also spend between $10 and $30 or more per visit, suggesting diners may be willing to spend more when dining alone.

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Foods once meant for sharing, such as pizza and wings, are even being redesigned for one; these have been especially popular among Gen Z and millennial consumers in the past year, according to the company.

Specialty drinks also play a role. Forty-three percent of specialty beverages are purchased on their own, without food, suggesting that drinks may function as small indulgences.

Yum Brands characterizes the trend as part of what it calls the "Me-Me-Me Economy," in which consumers are reshaping dining around "personal expression and autonomy."

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Consumers are increasingly prioritizing agency and flexibility in how they experience food, said Chrystal Griffin, the Florida-based CEO of Classpop, a website for classes, including cooking and paint-and-sips, around the country.

"What was once considered unconventional is now seen as intentional and empowering," Griffin told Fox News Digital. "It allows people to manage their own time, spend within their comfort zone, move at their preferred pace and choose exactly what and where they want to eat."

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Customers are increasingly planning "solo dates," including making reservations for one at cooking classes — a trend that has risen 55% for Classpop since 2024, she said.

The stigma around dining alone is also diminishing, noted Gail Saltz, associate professor of psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center and host of the "How Can I Help?" podcast.

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"Eating and dining remain one of life's great pleasures and currently many people feel extremely stressed — emotionally, politically, financially. Partaking of enjoyment is a respite from that stress, even without company," Saltz told Fox News Digital.

Loneliness is on the rise, however, among all age groups, she added, so she advises people to work on deepening their relationships — while applauding them for dining solo if that's what they enjoy.

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"Places that make this comfortable and normalize it are growing their potential audience for now and in the future," Saltz said.

Despite the increase, solo diners still represent a small portion of total reservations at full-service restaurants.

Single diners accounted for less than 1% of total booked reservations in the third quarter, Toast researchers found.

While communal meals are still common — and research has linked eating together with greater happiness — the data suggests more Americans are becoming comfortable carving out dining experiences centered on their own preferences.