I LOVE travelling. Not a day goes by that I’m not checking out a new holiday destination, or considering what I could do or see next.
And contrary to what you might think, I love to do it alone.
Being able to decide what I want to do and when, without having to take anyone else’s opinions, mood or preference into account, is rather empowering!
However, being a lone traveller does come with a few pitfalls, especially when it comes to mealtimes – here are a couple of recent highlights:
Wahaca Covent Garden
I booked online for one person, and when I checked in, the maître d’ made sure to clarify that it really was “just” me.
Thinking I could forgive one additional clarification, I took my seat, and the server came over.
First question, before offering a drink: “Are you alone?”
It doesn’t end there either – after assuring them that I was indeed alone, I then had to chase them up again to place my order.
Why the delay?
“I thought you were waiting for someone to join you”
Comedy Club Birmingham
Again, booked online for one, turned up, and the staff just kept repeating “Just one? You’re not in a group?”
It quickly became clear that there were NO plans in place for solo visitors – I was asked to wait at the bar while they got the groups seated, and then one minute before the comedy started, they sat me down, alone, at a table for four, surrounded by groups.
I may as well have had a table name card that read “Billy no mates”!
The difficult evening meal
During the day, everyone eats at different times and locations, and as a solo traveller, no one raises an eyebrow.
In the evening, the couples come out in earnest, and it can feel uncomfortable sitting alone at a table in a busy restaurant (although I’m well over that feeling after a decade of it!).
One incident at a highly recommended Indian restaurant in Prague springs to mind.
I arrived at 7pm, and it was already buzzing, so I hoped that they would have space.
They managed to squeeze me in, but as I was solo, they wanted me in and out as quickly as possible – I had two courses and a drink in 45 minutes before the bill was unceremoniously plonked down on the table without me requesting it.
The disappointing Dorchester
I was in London for a networking meet, and having arrived two hours early, I thought I’d treat myself to a slice of cake and a cup of tea.
They sat me down, and after revelling in the surroundings, I realised I hadn’t been given a menu.
I asked for one, which arrived at once, but that was where any notion of speed ended.
I observed an old couple come in, sit down, order, and get served their tea and cakes before the waiter had even come back to see me.
They never did come, and after 20 minutes, I had to seek out a waiter to order my green tea, which arrived another 15 minutes later, just as the old couple were putting their coats on.
The flipside
Not all my solo experiences are quite so sitcom-esque, though – I’ve eaten a fair bit in Berlin, and the service you receive is exactly the same, no matter the size of your group.
Why? Berlin has the highest ratio of single people in the whole country, so if the restaurants turned their noses up at all the singletons, they’d risk alienating 50% of the market!
The moral of the story? Treating prospective customers differently based on unsubstantiated ideas about who they are and how much they can spend isn’t smart.
In almost all of the above cases, I could and would have spent more, had I received the expected level of service.
Treat every customer as if they could be your best customer ever, and you can’t go far wrong…
