The Trend Is Increasing, Korean Restaurants Even Reject Visitors Who Come Alone

Illustration of eating in restaurants (Pexels/ THANh Van Dinh)

JAKARTA - Trends enjoy their own time, including eating at restaurants are increasing in today's world community, including in Korea. However, it seems that this trend has not received much good review from several restaurants in Korea.

There are about 170 thousand restaurants in the country, but only about 10.4 percent provide a menu for one person.

One of the noodle restaurants in South Korea was in the spotlight after rejecting visitors who could be alone, arguing they didn't sell loneliness. Quoted from Oddity Central, on Monday, November 24, 2025, the noodle restaurant is located in the city of Yeosu, South Korea.

The restaurant drew controversy after putting up a large banner at the door. The banner reads a request for visitors not to come alone.

"We don't sell loneliness. Please don't come alone," the banner reads.

Not only that, the restaurant also wrote down options for those who still insisted on coming to eat alone. Starting from paying in two servings, eating two servings, inviting friends, to asking visitors to come again with their wives.

The policy disappointed visitors who came alone and had been queuing for a long time, but had to accept the refusal.

"I waited more than an hour, just to be told visitors who ate on their own were not accepted," said the visitor.

Similar complaints also appeared in other restaurants in the same area. There were visitors who said that after saying they wanted to eat on their own, the restaurant staff suddenly answered that the food had run out.

Restaurant voters say that the policy was carried out due to high operational costs. They say the price of food, energy, and labor continues to increase, so serving single visitors is considered inefficient.

Legally, restaurant owners in South Korea are indeed allowed to choose customers, as long as it is not discrimination that violates fair trade. Therefore, the rule of not accepting visitors alone is not a violation.

However, the policy still sparked criticism from the public. Many netizens who highlight the statement that eating alone is always associated with loneliness.