I’M 23 AND REFUSE TO EAT OUT AFTER 6PM – ANY LATER IS MADNESS

I was trying to arrange a meal out with my family for the end of August but early on we stumbled upon a problem. The restaurant was easy enough to choose – a cosy pub that will serve everyone’s tastes – it was the time causing an issue.

“They have 5, 5.30 and 6pm,” I say. “Ugh don’t they have any later?” came the reply. “No,” I lie through my teeth. They have plenty of availability after six but the one tiny little problem is that I’ll refuse to go.

I’ve never understood people that choose to book a table for 8pm. You spend at least 15 minutes chatting before ordering drinks, then the waiter comes over to take food orders but no one has opened a menu so you politely send them away. When they return 10 minutes later – by which time you still haven’t decided but rush to pick anyway – it’s already 8.30 (and that’s providing everyone turned up to the booking on time).

Far from being a perfect time to order food, it’s when you should be winding down for bed.

If you want more than one course – a starter, a dessert (why bother going out without pudding?) or even both – you’re eating into more precious evening. Then there is the travel home afterwards. You can wave goodbye to eight hours of rest. It just makes no sense.

That’s why the perfect time to eat out is between 5-6pm. Then you can finish your meal before 7pm. If you have three courses you won’t leave before 7.45pm but at least you can still be back home, showered, with your feet up by 8.30. It’s the best option.

Of course this does mean I also never go out during the week (I finish work at 6pm so beyond my preferred dining out window). Only at the weekend.

I’m not alone in my thinking. According to OpenTable, 6pm has become an increasingly popular time for dinner reservations, up 11 per cent in London and six per cent UK-wide, compared with the same period last year. Zonal, a hospitality tech service, says that the new average time to dine in the UK is as early as 6.12 pm.

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You may think that this is due to parents wanting to get their children home, or elderly people sticking to an early dinner time, but no. It’s the Gen Z-ers like me who have it all figured out. We’re ahead of our age, skipping straight into the lives of our seniors, because we know, deep down, it’s the right thing to do.

My grandparents were avid 5pm-eaters and 9pm-sleepers. You have time for a small sweet treat after dinner, before sitting down, in their case with a cup of tea, to watch the TV and go to bed knowing your sleep will be great.

If I do agree to attend a dinner at 8pm I’m already feeling tired the next morning. I may be holding a conversation but in the back of my mind I’m wishing you’d hurry and order so we can quicken the pace and get home. I’m already thinking that I’ll be lucky to get home by 11pm, and that is just absurd. I’m both extremely hungry, because my lunch was seven hours ago, and anxious about my next busy day. I simply cannot relax.

And what about digestion? I’m going to need to stay up for at least a few hours to let my meal go down. Heathline says that eating dinner two to three hours before bed is ideal for good sleep, so if you’re hitting the hay at 9pm to 10pm you need your last meal at latest 7pm.

According to the British Heart Foundation, “eating late at night can be linked to obesity as well as having effects on how the body regulates blood sugar.” So, this isn’t just about feeling groggy the next day, it’s a question of health.

Even the experts agree. Dr Michael Mosley previously told The i Paper that he eats dinner “fairly early” and tries to finish eating by 7.30pm. “There are health benefits to that but I also find that if I’m more disciplined with it, I’m less likely to have that evening snack.” Well, Mr Mosley, I agree.

So, whether you choose to eat out at 5pm or 9pm, it’s up to you but just know that if you dare book it for after 6pm, count me out.

2025-08-07T05:49:03Z