Table sharing
Encyclopedia
Table sharing refers to the seating at a single table of multiple separate parties—individual customers or groups of customers who may not know each other.
Table sharing is a common practice in busy restaurants in Japan. In Japanese culture, being invited to a person's home to share a meal is rather uncommon and indicates a close relationship. However, sharing a table in public with strangers is just a routine occurrence with no special meaning. It is said to be an example of how Japanese concepts of personal space
are adapted to crowded urban living conditions. The custom of table sharing is also widespread in old-style yum cha
Chinese restaurant
s, dai pai dong
s and cha chaan teng
s in Hong Kong
, Taiwan
, and parts of China
. The Chinese restaurant process, referring to certain random processes
in probability theory
, is a mathematical allusion to this custom. Harry G. Shaffer
reported in the 1960s that it was a common practise in Soviet
restaurants.; he used the opportunity of being seated with strangers to strike up conversations with his fellow diners. Table sharing is also practiced in Germany, both in restaurants and in beer hall
s.
found that customers would leave more quickly if they were seated next to strangers, thus effectively increasing the restaurant's capacity.
Japanese etiquette does not require that one converse with the unknown party with whom one is seated. In the United States, Emily Post
advised that it was not necessary to say anything to a stranger with whom one shared a table, not even a "good-bye" when leaving the table. However she pointed out that one would of course naturally say good-bye if there had otherwise been previous conversation during the course of the meal. Simiarly, Mary Beeckman advised that the safest rule was not to try to start a conversation when sharing a table with strangers. A travel guide to Germany advises that one would generally say Mahlzeit (bon appétit) and goodbye, but that no other small talk would be required. In contrast, in some African cultures, it is considered impolite to share a table with strangers without exchanging some words.
Overview
By practicing table sharing, two (or more) groups of customers who may not know each other sit together at a table in a restaurant, and are able to get a table faster than waiting for the first group to finish. However, in many cultures, the act of sharing food with another person is a highly emotionally-charged act; even in cultures which take a more casual attitude towards it, sharing a table with strangers in a restaurant can create some awkwardness.Table sharing is a common practice in busy restaurants in Japan. In Japanese culture, being invited to a person's home to share a meal is rather uncommon and indicates a close relationship. However, sharing a table in public with strangers is just a routine occurrence with no special meaning. It is said to be an example of how Japanese concepts of personal space
Personal space
Personal space is the region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their personal space and feel discomfort, anger, or anxiety when their personal space is encroached. Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else's personal...
are adapted to crowded urban living conditions. The custom of table sharing is also widespread in old-style yum cha
Yum cha
Yum cha , also known as Ban ming , is a Chinese style morning or afternoon tea, which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes...
Chinese restaurant
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
s, dai pai dong
Dai pai dong
Dai pai dong is a type of open-air food stall once very popular in Hong Kong. The government registration name in Hong Kong is "cooked-food stalls", but dai pai dong literally means "restaurant with a big license plate", referring to its size of license which is bigger than other licensed street...
s and cha chaan teng
Cha chaan teng
A cha chaan teng means tea diner, also called Chinese diner, is commonly found in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan, known for its Chinese food, eclectic and affordable menus, which include many dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. Cha chaan tengs are also popular in Macau...
s in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and parts of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The Chinese restaurant process, referring to certain random processes
Stochastic process
In probability theory, a stochastic process , or sometimes random process, is the counterpart to a deterministic process...
in probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
, is a mathematical allusion to this custom. Harry G. Shaffer
Harry G. Shaffer
Harry G. Shaffer was Professor Emeritus of the Economics Department at the University of Kansas. He was born on August 28, 1919, in Vienna, Austria. Fluent in German, Shaffer served in World War II, in which he acted as a translator. He was active in the Civil Rights movement and the movement...
reported in the 1960s that it was a common practise in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
restaurants.; he used the opportunity of being seated with strangers to strike up conversations with his fellow diners. Table sharing is also practiced in Germany, both in restaurants and in beer hall
Beer hall
A beer hall is a large pub that specializes in beer. Bavaria's capital Munich is the city most associated with beer halls; almost every brewery in Munich operates a beer hall...
s.
Business aspects
American business author Cheryl L. Russell points out that promoting sharing of tables can be an effective part of creating a friendly atmosphere in a restaurant, and would also enable the restaurant owner to free up a table for another party. However, a hospitality industry training guide from the same publisher recommends that waitstaff avoid seating strangers together unless crowded conditions demand it. The authors suggest one way of bringing up the topic is to explain to the guest the length of the wait for a private table, and then to suggest sharing a table with a stranger. They also advise against seating a man at a table where a woman is dining alone, or vice versa. In South Korea, McDonald'sMcDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
found that customers would leave more quickly if they were seated next to strangers, thus effectively increasing the restaurant's capacity.
Etiquette
In Japan, diners who are strangers to each other will generally be seated together only by their mutual consent. In Canada, advice columnist Mary Beeckman pointed out in 1948 that the head waiter would generally ask a patron before seating a stranger at his or her table, but that refusal to do so would be regarded as "stuffy and selfish". South Korean McDonald's customers tended to feel awkward asking for permission to sit at a stranger's table, and were more comfortable being conducted to a seat by an employee. Being asked by the waiter to share a table or not may be a function of party size. For example, in restaurants with tables seating four to six people, a party of two or three may be requested to share a table, as one author pointed out in the context of Belarusian etiquette.Japanese etiquette does not require that one converse with the unknown party with whom one is seated. In the United States, Emily Post
Emily Post
Emily Post was an American author famous for writing on etiquette.-Background:Post was born as Emily Price in Baltimore, Maryland, into privilege as the only daughter of architect Bruce Price and his wife Josephine Lee Price of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania...
advised that it was not necessary to say anything to a stranger with whom one shared a table, not even a "good-bye" when leaving the table. However she pointed out that one would of course naturally say good-bye if there had otherwise been previous conversation during the course of the meal. Simiarly, Mary Beeckman advised that the safest rule was not to try to start a conversation when sharing a table with strangers. A travel guide to Germany advises that one would generally say Mahlzeit (bon appétit) and goodbye, but that no other small talk would be required. In contrast, in some African cultures, it is considered impolite to share a table with strangers without exchanging some words.