| Common for men, uncommon for women, now more | | | | grows older, there's been a need to cover the |
| than ever, more women are venturing out on their | | | | blurring of activity that constitutes engaging dining |
| own void of the traditional packs of women or only | | | | and socializing, and to bridge the gap between the |
| with a date. The Baby Boomer & Gen X women | | | | standard restaurant review and that of a nightclub |
| who are 35 and over have hit their stride and are | | | | review. In other words, if it is fun to go to a certain |
| more independent and affluent than any generation | | | | establishment, and if so, the specific nights that are |
| of women ever has been. They're not going to the | | | | most active for singles. Many restaurants have a |
| bars for ladies nights anymore either. They have the | | | | night that's often livelier than others where singles |
| inclination, the attitude, and the moxy to go it alone | | | | feel more welcome than being stuck in a small corner |
| to fine dining venues, and won't let being alone stop | | | | table all alone albeit for a magazine, or worse yet for |
| them from enjoying life. Affluent, well-educated single | | | | a woman on business, to order room service due to |
| women have become a demographic group that | | | | being alone. |
| more and more restaurant owners are trying to | | | | The solutions |
| attract as their spending habits are as much for | | | | To address the gap between restaurant review and |
| clothing and cars as for sushi, steak and fine liquor. | | | | bar review, new sources of information are cropping |
| The concept | | | | up. Several websites have sections for "single |
| While men have never been adverse to venturing | | | | friendly" establishments, lounges, and are designed to |
| out alone, women have traditionally waited for Room | | | | specifically target the best restaurants on the best |
| Service if traveling, taken a quiet table in some off | | | | nights of the week. Other regional sites have |
| beat spot, grabbed a quick bite, waited for their | | | | cropped up as part of traditional newspaper and |
| girlfriends, or just didn't go out. Until recently, many | | | | magazine sites, but it can be hard to really ferret out |
| restaurants conveyed almost a sense of pity when a | | | | the information and get "in the know" so to say. If |
| single woman walked in the door. Other | | | | you were to call a restaurant, most will say every |
| establishments have had an almost sense of | | | | night is good in order to get patrons, but we know |
| astonishment at the lady's bravery. Now, many are | | | | this just isn't the case. For a single woman venturing |
| offering welcoming atmospheres, communal tables, | | | | out on your own, nothing is worse than to decide to |
| and letting women know the best nights to visit their | | | | go out to a fine dining venue and find 40 tables of |
| engaging establishments, not just to dine on fine | | | | couples squirreled away quietly talking. Then, to find |
| entrees, but to relax and meet people. | | | | out from the bartender that last night was the hot |
| Until recently, most fine dining or restaurant reviews | | | | night. |
| have been tailored more for where to go with a date | | | | At a recent women's networking function held |
| or business associate than on the concept of going | | | | recently at a Ruth Chris's on Long Island, one of |
| there as a single. They talk only about the food and | | | | these sites, ElleEatist got an overwhelming "Finally! |
| little about the atmosphere. These reviews often use | | | | What a great idea!" After this one rather small event |
| the puffery and stuffy references to things such as | | | | attended by just 20 women, the site received a |
| the aged quality of the steak or the pizzazz of a | | | | spike of interest with several hundred hits alone that |
| sauce. Sure, this is very important to a foody, but | | | | night due to pass along readership. It seems that |
| for affluent single women, most want to know more | | | | they've been waiting for this for several reasons - |
| about the crowd, the friendliness and comfort level | | | | the site identifies places to go when they travel on |
| of the setting. | | | | business; with precious little free time, they want to |
| The other review category is for bars or nightclubs, | | | | know where to go to socialize & when; and |
| which rarely talk about the food but the party that | | | | lastly, several said it's a great resource for where to |
| starts late in the evening for a much younger | | | | go for first dates or meetings. The sites traffic picks |
| audience. As a larger segment of our population | | | | up as the weekend gets closer. |