Korean restaurant refuses to serve "lonely person" causing outrage

(Dan Tri) - A noodle shop in Yeosu (South Korea) caused controversy when it hung a sign refusing to serve customers eating alone, even though the number of single households and the rate of people eating alone in this country is constantly increasing.

The Korea Times reported that a sign in front of a noodle shop in Yeosu City, Jeolla Nam Province (southern Korea) quickly spread on social media, after a netizen visited the shop and posted a picture on November 17.

The notice offered four “options” for solo diners: Pay for two meals, eat two meals, call a friend, or come back with your wife next time.

Controversial restaurant notice board (Photo: Korea Times/Threads).

Accompanying it was the sarcastic caption: “We don’t sell loneliness. Please don’t come alone.”

This message quickly attracted many views and created a heated debate. Most comments criticized the restaurant's attitude, saying that the owner's perspective was "outdated", "disrespectful to customers", and even "equated eating alone with loneliness".

However, there are still some people who believe that restaurant owners have the right to choose their own business model if they are willing to face revenue risks.

According to the South China Morning Post , this is not the first time restaurants in Korea have been accused of discriminating against customers eating alone (a group of customers known as "honbap").

Last July, a solo diner in Yeosu was told by a staff member to “eat quickly because it’s going to be crowded,” even though she had ordered two portions. Earlier this year, another restaurant made headlines for banning solo diners from checking social media while eating.

This phenomenon occurs in the context of a sharp increase in the number of single-person households in Korea. In Seoul alone, the rate of single-person households increased from 29.5% in 2015 to 39.3% in 2023. More than 42% of Koreans eat at least one meal alone every day.

A diner eats alone (Illustration photo: SCMP).

Professor Gi-Wook Shin (Stanford University) said that Korea needs to systematically and comprehensively recognize and deal with bias against single people.

Contrary to the above trend, many restaurants in China, Japan... actively attract individual customers with meals reserved for one person.

Experts say the country is benefiting from a “single economy ” that spans sectors from food and real estate to education and home appliances, targeting the growing number of people living alone.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/nha-hang-han-quoc-tu-choi-phuc-vu-nguoi-co-don-gay-phan-no-20251125222540828.htm