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It’s a tale as old as time: A student staring at their phone, starving, waiting for someone – anyone – to reply to their plea to get dinner with them. The student, who’s out of dining dollars and has a club meeting in 30 minutes, would rather go hungry than sit alone in a packed dining hall.

This story, as tragic as it may seem, is a common experience among students at Syracuse University. At the beginning of the school year, I absolutely refused to dine alone. The closest dining hall to me is Ernie Davis Dining Center, which is almost always packed with groups of friends laughing and chatting while they eat. I wasn’t embarrassed or worried about running into someone I disliked. It just felt wrong.

After the first few weeks of the school year, I finally got over this anxiety, but I wasn’t the only one who has dealt with this irrational fear of eating alone. I’ve heard from friends, classmates and strangers around campus that they won’t eat in the dining hall unless they’re with someone else.

Though this may seem like a problem unique to college students, it’s a more universal experience than one might think. There’s a longstanding stigma against eating alone in public. As a former waitress and hostess, I rarely had tables for one, and when I did, the diner usually elected to sit at the bar.

Since the pandemic, the percentage of people who go to restaurants alone has increased, but the stigma around dining out alone remains, largely because of how the restaurant industry operates. Many sit-down restaurants won’t allow people to reserve a table for one, as they can make more money by giving the table to a larger party, according to the New York Times. When I was a waitress, I preferred larger tables because they ordered more food and left better tips.

Moving away from home also plays a significant role in how students feel they should present themselves socially, especially for freshmen or transfers.

During my first few weeks of school, I wasn’t just scared to eat alone. I was also nervous about being in a brand-new environment where I didn’t know anyone. I felt hyperaware of myself and those around me. In high school, I ate lunch with the same people five days a week for four years, and my family tried to have dinner together every night. It was so routine, so familiar – it felt normal to me. I didn’t want to seem weird for eating alone, especially when college was just beginning.

I thought back to the countless teen romantic comedies I had seen, where the main character sheepishly looks around a crowded lunchroom and is forced to sit in the bathroom or near the dumpsters, like in “Mean Girls” or “The Sleepover.”

There are some benefits to eating alone, too. When I eat alone, I notice the flavors in my food more because there are fewer distractions. Eating alone can help people eat healthier and at their own pace, instead of trying to adjust what and how quickly they eat to match their dining companions, according to the BBC.

Plus, eating alone can give students some much-needed alone time. Many of us have roommates and might not get much time to ourselves in the dorm. Eating alone gives students the chance to collect their thoughts and unwind, taking a break from socializing and allowing them the chance to recharge their batteries.

As difficult as it may be, students need to change their perspective on dining alone. It’s an unavoidable part of college life. While the stigma may make it feel like everyone else in the dining hall is silently judging, in reality, the truth is no one even notices. When I’m in the dining hall with my friends, I’m focused on them, not a stranger eating alone. I doubt anyone else is paying attention either.

If someone is silently judging me for snacking alone while I do my homework, that says more about them than me. The next time you find yourself seated alone during dinner rush, set aside any assumption you may have about eating solo and take a moment to enjoy the delicious food in front of you.

Hannah Hewitson is a freshman majoring in journalism. She can be reached at hrhewits@syr.edu.

Published on February 3, 2026 at 8:55 pm