South Korea eatery criticised for refusing solo diners amid population decline: 'We don't serve loneliness'

Elsewhere in Asia, restaurants in China had taken a different approach, with many offering set meals designed for one person.

A restaurant in South Korea drew widespread criticism after a notice outside its premises stated that it would not serve customers arriving on their own, at a time when the country had been witnessing steady growth in single-person households.

The sign was displayed at a noodle establishment in Yeosu City in South Jeolla Province. It attracted attention after a visitor photographed it and posted the image online, according to the Korea Times. The post circulated widely and garnered a lot of attention.

The message set out four instructions for anyone intending to eat alone. It told individual diners they could either “pay for two servings”, “eat two servings”, “call a friend”, or “come back with your wife next time”. A speech bubble printed on the notice stated: “We don’t sell loneliness. Please don’t come alone.”

The sign became the focus of a heated online discussion. Many commenters argued that the restaurant’s stance was unreasonable. One person wrote that “the mindset of the owner seems outdated,” while another questioned the logic of the statement by asking, “Why equate eating alone with loneliness?” A further user said the restaurant “does not appreciate its customers”.

However, not all responses were critical. Some people maintained that the business had the right to decide its own policy. One commenter said, “If the owner is willing to take the financial hit, it is their choice and should be respected.”

The incident followed previous reports of solo diners – commonly referred to locally as honbap customers – experiencing similar treatment in South Korea. In July, a woman dining alone at another restaurant in Yeosu said staff told her to “eat quickly” because “more people are coming”, despite her having ordered two portions. Earlier this year, a separate establishment drew attention for putting up a sign that barred individual diners from watching a specific social media platform while eating, South China Morning Post reported.

The row emerged as South Korea continued to see a shift in household composition. The Korea Times report noted that single-person homes in Seoul had risen from 29.5 per cent in 2015 to 39.3 per cent in 2023. More than 42 per cent of people in the country were estimated to have at least one meal alone each day.

Gi-Wook Shin, a sociology professor at Stanford University, argued that South Korea needed to tackle prejudice against individuals who live alone through structural measures.

Elsewhere in Asia, restaurants in China had taken a different approach, with many offering set meals designed for one person. Analysts said this was part of China’s broader embrace of the expanding “single economy”, covering products and services in areas such as food, property, leisure, learning and household goods for people living independently.