Communal Dining: An Only Guide You Need As a Restaurant Owner

The idea of sharing a table with strangers at a restaurant might seem unusual. But this practice has been part of our culture for centuries. If you look at historic paintings, you can get a clear idea of how people used to sit together to dine despite being strangers to one another. 

It was considered a great way for socializing over meals and getting to know each other. This is what communal dining is all about! It harnesses the idea from the love people have for food and incorporates the same in the way they dine together. 

Although this is a legendary custom, introducing the same at your restaurant will give it a new edge in today’s fiercely competitive market. You will be giving your customers a stellar experience of dining together and bonding over the meals. 

However, there are certain facts you should know about communal dining since it has to be perceived in the right way for the idea to work. That being said, we have created an illustrative guide on what communal dining is about and how to create one for your restaurant.

What Is a Communal Dining?

Communal dining is where multiple guests share one dining table and enjoy their meals. It doesn’t harbor the use of separate tables where one would get privacy. Also, everyone doesn’t need to have to be familiar with one another. They can be strangers or acquaintances. The primary goal is to boost community engagement and foster socialization. 

A communal style dining can be of different types, like:

1. Long-shared table that is common in beer halls and brunch cafes
2. Open kitchen-styled bar seating for sushi bars and upscaled, fine-dining restaurants
3. Booth-style diners for food courts and fast food restaurants
4. Family-style dining for Middle Eastern and farm-to-table restaurants

The History of Communal Dining?

1. Green and Roman civilizations were the first to introduce the concept of communal meals. 
2. Later on, during the 5^th century, monks hosted communal dinners in monastery halls to read scriptures together. 
3. Later on, during the early 1700s, coffeehouses became a great place for socialization. 
4. Asians and Europeans visited tea houses having a communal dining setup to socialize with one another.
5. In the early 1900s, buffets and cafeterias with a communal dining setup sought great popularity, especially amongst local people. 

Benefits of Communal Dining

1. Mental health

Loneliness and depression are quite common in today’s time. Whether it’s due to living alone in a new place or not having families or friends to accompany for the meal, people often get reluctant about going out and enjoying food. 

That’s why restaurants are coming up with the communal dining setup. It can play a crucial role in boosting mental health by allowing people to bond over food. The mere thought of others having a meal together with no separate seating arrangement can eliminate the feelings of loneliness and solidarity.  

2. Physical health

When people eat together with others at a single restaurant table, they naturally follow every dining etiquette. For instance, let’s say two members in a communal dining group have a habit of fast eating. If they finish their meal early, it won’t look good. Others might feel pressured to eat smaller portions. To avoid making the ambiance stressful, those two members will automatically slow down their pace. This can help in mindful eating and ensure they enjoy the food thoroughly. 

3. Social bonds

With a communal style dining, restaurant owners can encourage their diners to trust one another. When we meet any stranger, we do not rely on them or trust them at all. It can take several weeks or months to build that kind of relationship. However, when people dine together on the same table with no division, they can form this trust easily. Sharing stories, laughing at jokes, and even discussing any important matter will help break the ice.

4. Business impact

Communal diner setups will help you to accommodate more customers simultaneously without worrying about space. For instance, let’s assume your restaurant’s interior can only have six 4-seater table arrangements. It means the total number of guests you can have at a time is 24. However, if you place four large 8-seater tables for communal dining, you can have 32  guests. So, you can have more customers at a time, which will automatically increase your revenue.

5. Social Cohesion:

Communal dining fosters a sense of community and belonging. In a communal dining setup, diners engage in conversations with multiple dining partners. Sharing stories, experiences, and even recommendations for dishes can create a bond that lingers beyond the meal. 

6. Exploration of Food Culture:

This style of dining encourages diners to step out of their culinary comfort zones and try dishes they might not have ordered otherwise. Exposure to new flavors and cuisines can expand one’s palate and culinary horizons. 

7. Efficient Seating:

For busy restaurants, communal tables can be a practical solution to accommodate larger groups and walk-in customers. They optimize seating capacity during peak hours.  The best asset of a communal table is the ability to seat a large party all at one table to enjoy an occasion such as a birthday party or sporting event.

Challenges of Communal Dining

While communal dining restaurants offer a plethora of social and cultural benefits, it’s not without its challenges and potential drawbacks. Let’s have a look: 

1. Privacy Concerns:

Guests often feel the pressure to dine together at restaurants having a communal dining layout. If not planned carefully, it could leave a negative impression on your guests. Besides, people often feel uncomfortable sharing the same restaurant table due to differences in opinions and culinary interests. That’s why you should conduct surveys to know if your guests have the same dining interests or not. This will help in creating a perfect communal meal layout to eliminate feelings of discomfort and uneasiness. 

2. Noise and Distractions:

The lively and interactive atmosphere of communal dining can sometimes lead to a higher noise level. Therefore, those seeking a more intimate or quiet dining experience find it difficult to enjoy their meal.

3. Hygiene Issues

Let’s say a few customers have allergies to dairy food while the rest don’t. If they sit together, there may be several issues. Serving them according to their food choices will become difficult. So, to resolve this challenge and offer a  perfect communal dining experience, use color-coded table mats or chair covers. It will help you ensure that every guest is served the food they like to eat.

4. Conversations concerns

If only a few people speak over the communal meal, others may feel isolated. It will impact your restaurant’s image a lot and you may not get repeat customers. That’s why you should implement strategies like rotating table captains. This way everyone will get equal opportunities to lead the conversation.

What Should Be the Size of Communal Table in Restaurants?

Now, let’s understand the table dimensions and material choices that you should be aware of as a restaurant owner. By getting these attributes correct you can offer an optimal communal dining experience to your guests. 

1. Your guests should be comfortable while dining. You need to make sure that the tables for a communal dining setup are at least 30-42 inch high.
2. Most communal dining tables can accommodate six to eight people at a time. So, the furniture needs to be 36” wide and 72” long minimum. 
3. The restaurant table tops should be at least 2 inches thick with a rectangular shape. A hardwood top will be best as it can support the weight of all the dishes and tableware easily.
4. Invest in furniture with a protective coating so that you won’t have to deal with chipping, rotting, or warping issues.

Choosing the right layout for a communal table

If you do not arrange your restaurant’s layout properly, the communal dining setup won’t give the expected vibes. While there are different layouts, the one that you select should align with your customer’s culinary preferences and social habits. Some of the best restaurant layouts for communal meals are:

1. Formal table setups ideal for high-end and upscaled restaurants
2. Casual layout for a family-style communal diner
3. Buffet table settings for restaurants with larger spaces
4. Party table settings for special occasions and events.

Matching communal tables to your restaurant’s theme

As communal eating practice has become a trend in the industry, you can leverage it to attract more customers for your restaurant. However, to achieve success, you need to ensure your tables align perfectly with the restaurant’s theme. For example, if the interior has a rustic or modern theme, a formal layout will be more feasible. On the contrary, cafes and buffet eateries can have a casual table setup as that can lighten up the mood. Adding green plants or using recycled wooden tables can promote the ideas of sustainable dining and eco-friendliness to your guests.

Make Most Out From Communal Dining

Communal dining presents a captivating approach to culinary engagement that blurs the lines between gastronomy and human connection. It creates spaces where strangers can become friends and diverse conversations flourish. This way, communal dining style serves as a bridge that spans cultures, generations, and backgrounds. However, it’s important to recognize that communal dining isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. You should consider its benefits and drawbacks before bringing it into your restaurant culture.

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