[danenania]

That's a cool idea. It would also be cool to see this kind of thing more often at cafés or restaurants. I'm introverted, but I also like meeting people and would often prefer a decent conversation to eating or hanging out alone. I assume plenty of others are the same, but the threat of awkwardness/rejection keeps people from striking something up. This seems like a nice low key way to get around that.

I did some backpacking in Europe on my own several years ago, and one of the better experiences was a hostel in Prague that provided cheap home cooked meals in a dining room with big group tables. Made it really easy to meet people and was the time when everyone made plans for the day/night, so I always had the option of attaching to a group if I wanted to. I was only there for a week, but the group of travelers there at that time actually became fairly close knit, and I'm certain it was primarily due to the group meals.