SINGLE LIFE

Dinin

Solo

A

I

DANNY RASKIN

Local Columnist

11,

_

he busy, single
career woman
comes home af-
ter a long has-
sle-filled day.
Her refrigerator reveals only
a few tired lettuce leaves and
some leftovers in a doggy bag
sprouting a strange fungus.
She hates to cook or go to
the grocery store and she's
out of TV dinners. She gulps
down a glass of wine, grabs
some crackers and calls it a
night.
Does it occur to her to dine
solo in a restaurant? Eating
alone poses a real problem for
her as it does for a number of
traditional singles who
believe dateless at a
restaurant is devastating.
But it doesn't have to be
that way. Tips from experienc-
ed singles are, "Go early, tip
generously, be a good
customer and you'll be
welcomed back."
Victor Dazbaz, general
manager of Excalibur
restaurant in Southfield, says
single diners do lunch more
frequently than dinner and
they're usually in town for
business and are staying at a
hotel.
"These customers almost
always make a reservation
and then come in for an early
dinner, between 6 and 7 p.m.,"
Mr. Dazbaz says.
"They usually request an
out-of-the-way table that's
well-lit, as more often than
not they come in with reading
material."
Solo diners eat rather
quickly, with little or no
pause between courses, Mr.

Dazbaz observes. They leave
within 45 minutes to an hour.
Most will have an appetizer
course but rarely order
dessert, he says. They usual-
ly opt for an after-dinner cor-
dial and coffee.
It doesn't sound threaten-
ing. Some women who dine
alone say it's a pleasant ex-
perience. Others, however,
have reported suffering in-
dignities, humiliation and
discrimination.
Sylvia G.'s position requires
travel, and, on an expense ac-
count, she usually goes for
better dining spots.
"I'll never forget my first
solo dining experience in a
posh New York restaurant,"
she recalls. "The manager
asked if I had a reservation
and when I said I didn't, he
gave me a disdainful look.
"Then he ignored me while
he seated couples and larger
parties. There I was, standing
alone. I started to leave but I
decided to meet the challenge.
When I finally got seated, it
was near the kitchen."
Sylvia says she sat for a
good 30 minutes before the
waiter came and asked if she
wanted a cocktail. When she
said no, he disappeared again.
It was apparent he didn't
want to be bothered and he
was downright rude, she
reports.
The entire evening was a
nightmare for Miss G., who
felt as though everyone was
looking at her and wondering
why she was alone. After that
harrowing episode, she decid-
ed to eat in hotel dining
rooms which cater to
businessmen and women din-
ing alone.
Nathan Leighty, food and
beverage director at the Em-

lustration byJonathan Carlson

Restaurant dining
is on the rise
for singles.

bassy Suites Hotel in
Southfield, substantiates this
decision.
"Being a corporate hotel,
we at Jacques Demers
restaurant are always cogni-
zant of the needs of the single
diners, especially the woman
business traveler," Mr.
Leighty says.
"We always make a point of
seating these guests in the
mainstream of the dining
room and to visit the table
with the same regularity that
we would visit larger parties."
When singles come into the
Embassy Suites in
Southfield, says resident
manager Jack Kay, the staff
tries to make them feel at
home and seat them in the
location of their choice.
"We do that if it isn't
busy,"he says. "But when the
restaurant is bustling, it's
first-come, first-serve. We
don't discriminate as to the
amount of people in a party."

At the new Hotel Baronette
in Novi, all guests are treated
as special and every attempt
is made to make them feel at
home and comfortable, says
Andrea Miller, director of
sales.
"We offer them magazines
and newspapers and our staff
is trained to engage these
diners in conversation if
that's what they wish."
The River Room restaurant,
under the direction of Ex-
ecutive Chef Jimmy Schmidt,
is located in the River Place
Inn and frequented by single
business travelers.
"We expect single diners
and set special table settings
to make the atmosphere as
comfortable for them as possi-
ble," says Kelly Grady, River
Room manager.
"Our goal as a hotel
restaurant is to make our
single guests feel as relaxed
as possible," says Ian Rumsey,
River Place general manager.

"We don't make organized
single seating plans part of
our effort."
Tom O'Callaghan, River
Room food and beverage
manager, says that from his
past experience with joiner
table plans, after a hard
business day, most guests
weren't interested in enter-
taining and dining with
strangers.
"We're as attentive as possi-
ble to our single dining
guests," he says. "But the ma-
jority of them tend to keep to
themselves so we provide
newspapers as a diversion.
"If a single guest arrives
with a briefcase, I probably
won't suggest a newspaper.
But if he or she comes in
empty-handed, I always offer
a newspaper or business jour-
nal and they're generally ac-
cepted."
In the 1991 Entertainment
Book, some fine restaurants
give breaks to singles as well

