Does Valentine’s Day feel like an exhausting ritual of cards, flowers, romance and, in some cases, disappointment?
That’s perfectly fine - more Americans are viewing February 14 as a day for everyone, not just star-crossed lovers, according to a survey from dining reservation site OpenTable.
Some 58 percent of people believe dining alone is more socially acceptable than in past years, and another 57 percent believe that Valentine’s Day is “becoming more about celebrating all relationships than just romantic,” the survey found.
The findings indicate that a cultural shift is happening, led by Gen Z. Some 70 percent of the demographic are leaning into the idea that Valentine’s is about more than romantic relationships.
"Gen-Z is leading the charge in making Valentine's Day more inclusive," OpenTable vice president for restaurant sales and services, Cheryl Paniagua, said in a statement.
That mentality has helped catapult Valentine’s offshoots into the limelight. February 13, unofficially reserved for women to celebrate “Galentine’s Day”, saw restaurant reservations leap 34 percent last year compared to 2024, OpenTable found.
On Palentine’s Day - a loose term for the celebration of Valentine’s Day with friends instead of romantic interests - Gen Z leads the charge toward group reservations this year, with 60 percent of them saying they’re likely to celebrate February 14 with friends instead of partners.
In fact, 43 percent of Americans celebrating Galentine’s or Palentine’s plan to strike up new platonic friendships.
Valentine’s isn’t just trending toward platonic group reservations, either. Solo diners are on the rise, too - reservations for a table for one were up 35 percent last year compared to 2024.
Gen Z and millennials are the drivers of this trend, with 69 percent and 68 percent, respectively, believing solo dining is now more socially acceptable than in the past.
