根据OpenTable.com的数据，美国餐厅的独自用餐人数在2025年至2026年间增长了23%，显示越来越多人偏好独自进食。作者本身也是独自用餐的爱好者，他回顾了伦敦一家餐厅曾宣布对单人用餐者收取双倍费用所引发的争议，并指出许多餐厅对独自前来的顾客态度并不友善，这反映出餐饮业尚未充分适应这一日益增长的消费群体。

从经济角度来看，单人家庭正在全球范围内快速增长。美国人口普查局2023年的报告显示，27.6%的家庭为单人户，而1940年这一比例仅为7.7%。欧盟单人户占2025年人口的21.5%，中国约有2.5亿单身成年人。日本的比例最为显著，34%的家庭为单人户，预计到2040年将达到40%。这种人口结构的转变正在重新定义「家庭」的概念。

日本在迎合单人消费者——即「御一人样」（ohitorisama）——方面走在世界前列。单人卡拉OK包厢、单人烧烤店、单人温泉及单人旅游（hitoritabi）等业态蓬勃发展，企业纷纷重新调整经营模式以开发这一市场。西方市场也开始借鉴日本经验，推出如「Me-kend」等针对单人自我照顾的度假套餐。作者将这股趋势称为「Me-conomics」（自我经济学），认为单身生活不再被视为缺陷，而是一种值得投资和经营的生活方式。

Solo dining in US restaurants has surged 23% between 2025 and 2026 according to OpenTable.com, reflecting a growing preference for eating alone. The author, himself a frequent solo diner, recounts the controversy over a London restaurant that threatened to charge single diners double, and notes the broader hostility solo diners often face in the hospitality industry. This tension underscores a gap between shifting consumer habits and the restaurant business model still built around multi-person tables.

The rise of solo dining is rooted in a fundamental demographic shift: single-person households are increasing worldwide. In the US, they now account for 27.6% of all households, up from 7.7% in 1940. The European Union reports 21.5% single-person households, China has roughly 250 million single adults, and Japan leads with 34% of households comprising just one person—a figure projected to reach 40% by 2040. The traditional concept of the household is being redefined as singledom becomes a dominant living arrangement.

Japan has pioneered the 'ohitorisama' economy, catering to solo consumers not merely in dining but across entertainment, travel, and wellness. Businesses have adapted with solo karaoke booths (hitokara), single-person barbecue restaurants, spas, and a dedicated solo travel category called hitoritabi. Western marketers are now adopting these lessons, coining terms like 'Me-kend' for solo self-care holiday packages. The author frames this cultural and commercial movement as 'Me-conomics'—a recognition that singledom is not a deficiency but a lifestyle worth investing in and celebrating.