The concept of personal space is changing as we get more and more used to the feeling of being European.  And gone are the huge linen encrusted barriers confused with fine dining.  In comes counter-dining across the spectrum from quick-casual to Michelin star along with huge share tables and cuisine to match.  And sharing, grazing and people eating late is up.

This has gained pace thanks to a growing number of younger, more affluent diners who eat out numerous times a week and place a strong emphasis on informality.  Some of that is a reflection of the informal nature brought by gastropubs which brought the opportunity to eat good food a couple of times a week at lower cost and with little fuss.  But a lot of people when they finish in the office don't necessarily want to go to a pub - they want somewhere smart, relaxing and informal where they can drink and maybe eat.  

Not long ago, bars (especially restaurant bars) were mostly glorified holding pens where you stopped for a drink before eating while you were waiting for your table - the only food going was either nuts or, if you were very lucky, olives.   Where before restaurant bars were only for drinking before and after your meal, many now make a point of offering their full menu to anyone that wants to pull up a stool.  And now, there's a increasing number of operators who have given up on the restaurant altogether.  Counter dining is king with the add-on benefit of helping to turn sad friendless dweebs like @lostincatering into sophisticated solo diners.   As well, its a reflection of Londoners wanting authentic cuisine in an authentic setting - we're not talking about ethnic cuisine here: eat what you want, where you want, and you don't have to go on holiday to do it.  Bar snacks are up, only they’re getting much more sophisticated, drinkers are drinking earlier, diners are eating later.

Diners are now much happier sharing their experience with other guests and staff and in doing so are satisfying their need for community, friendship and gaining a much stronger engagement with the whole experience.  And its also because customers want much more creative engagement with the whole process and, in particular, smaller dishes go a long way to achieving that.  From the operators viewpoint of course its also a sign that inflexibility continues to be banished from restaurants, its about number of covers and its likely that diners are going to spend less which is a great way of increasing number of visits per guest. 

Footnote: before you bulldoze the banquette - right now most of the successful eating bars are in areas laden with businessmen and a younger crowd of evening drinkers

BACKGROUND

Alan Yau started the resurgence in 1992 bringing back the long table to Wagamama.  2011’s most blogged openings – Spuntino - from on-message Russell Norman was a 28 cover counter only dining experience, quickly replicated again at daPolpo with the addition of a variety of table sizes.  Riding House opened to acclaim with a long counter and vast feature share-table right down the middle.  The zeitgeist opening of Pollen Street Social at the top-end saw Jason Atherton inputting a dessert bar with guests leaving the table behind and joining his team of young creatives alongside other diners to finish the meal.  Bread St Kitchen from Gordon Ramseys team also features a bespoke share bar on the ground floor.  All of these operators are matching the seating arrangements with share heavy food offers, and not just tapas.  Share main courses are increasingly featured (Pollen Street) because it isn’t about the size of the plate: sharing is the key.