Pop-up restaurant only accepts reservations for one

Putting another twist on the pop-up dining experience, Amsterdam's temporary Eenmaal diner only accepted customers who were willing to eat alone.

These pages have already seen pop-up restaurants in the Netherlands operating with interesting business models – take IkHa, the diner that let customers choose from a variety of furniture options as an example. Putting another twist on the pop-up dining experience, Amsterdam’s temporary Eenmaal restaurant only accepted customers who wanted to eat alone.

Dutch for ‘one time’ or ‘one meal’, Eenmaal was open for a limited time at the end of June, when those making reservations could only book a table for one. Working with design agency Vandejong, the pop-up restaurant was fitted with small tables where guests could pay EUR 25 to enjoy a four course meal and drinks in solitude. According to the creators, the concept was designed to foster an atmosphere of calm, in contrast to typical restaurants. The eatery was able to attract lone travelers, daters, those who don’t like to socialize while they eat and others who simply wanted to try an unusual dining experience.

Although essentially an experiment, the business model could enable restaurants to see higher clientele turnover as they aren’t distracted by conversation. Haute cuisine restaurants could also benefit from a more focused customer engagement with the food, potentially boosting recommendations. Could this idea be turned into a more sustainable business?