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The sign, photographed and posted on social media by a customer on Monday, drew more than 300,000 views, according to the online newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily. It reads, “When dining alone, pay for two portions, eat two portions, bring a friend, or come next time with your wife.”

The post quickly set off a debate. Many online users questioned the restaurant owner’s attitude, with one comment saying, “Why equate eating alone with loneliness?”

Others said the restaurant “doesn’t appreciate its customers.”

This is not the first restaurant in South Korea to be criticized for their treatment of solo diners, The Korea Times said.

In late July, a YouTuber said staff at a well-known restaurant in South Jeolla Province asked her to eat quickly and leave because she was traveling alone, even though she had ordered two portions.

Although the number of single-person households in South Korea is on the rise, stigma around living alone is strong in its society

In Seoul, the share of single-person households increased from 29.5% in 2015 to 39.3% in 2023. More than 42% of South Koreans eat at least one meal alone each day.

Around 70% of traditional restaurants, particularly barbecue places, enforce a two-person minimum rule and often refuse solo diners even if they agree to pay for two portions.

A 2025 survey by Korea Research found that 55% of South Koreans under 30 feel embarrassed or judged when they eat alone in public.

Bella DePaulo, a social psychologist at the University of California, coined the term ‘singlism’ to describe the prejudice and discrimination against unmarried individuals.

She says singlism is evident in other people’s attitudes and in laws and policies that favor married couples, while single people receive fewer forms of support.

Gi-Wook Shin, a sociology professor at Stanford University, says South Korea needs to address its bias against single people in a systematic way. He says there is an absence of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, which would include protections on housing and welfare for single individuals.

He says education through schools and the media is necessary to build a culture that respects the choice to live alone and ease the country’s aging population challenge.