Restaurants in Barcelona don’t want singles. Such tourists must beware
Many tourist cities introduce their own specific rules that visitors do not always like. One of them may be the one regarding singles. It turns out that those in Barcelona are often unwelcome. Restaurants are the worst.
More and more popular places in Barcelona want to avoid serving tourists who want a table by themselves. Nowadays, it is not surprising that we go to pubs alone, some only care about a quick dinner or coffee, others come with books or a laptop and do small jobs or are looking for entertainment. Restaurant owners don’t like this type of customer.
Barcelona has enough singles. They don’t want to serve them in restaurants
The aversion to singles appearing in restaurants comes from several reasons. Business owners consider them unattractive guests who do not earn much. Large groups are preferred, which will add up to a large bill and do not occupy a table for many hours.
Restaurants in Barcelona are increasingly refusing to serve single diners, recognizing that they are holding tables and not buying much. It turns out that the ban on dining alone can most often be experienced in restaurants on Carrer de Blai, called the “Street of tapas” in the Poble Sec district. The Eixample district is also famous for it.
Sounds controversial. The waiters don’t care
Waiters working in the mentioned places are taught to openly refuse to take orders from singles. When a lonely person comes to the table, he usually hears a message that there are no free seats. Although the situation seems unpleasant, unfair and controversial, no one can prevent restaurateurs from introducing their own rules.
One tourist in an interview with the local media El Pais revealed that many times he encountered a situation where when he took a free table alone, the waiter quickly asked him to leave and put a group of foreigners there. It turns out that just as often you can hear a message like: “The table will be free for only 20 minutes” or “Only groups of customers are accepted.”
Unusual rules in Barcelona are not mainly for profit. When a single person occupies a 4-person table, it immediately makes it impossible for a larger group to occupy it, which would place a much larger and more expensive order. Both locals and tourists remain helpless in this matter, in many cases they are left to look for more tolerant places.
