Traveling with a friend or partner is often easier than going alone. You can share expenses, responsibilities, and memories to look back on later.
But that’s not everyone’s preferred way to travel. Recently, solo travel has taken off as a way to experience new places without being dependent on someone else’s schedule.
For one woman, however, traveling alone ended up putting her at a disadvantage.
In a video that has garnered over 1.2 million views, TikTok creator Krista (@kristainspain) says a small business in Ghent, Belgium, “punished [her] for being single.”
What Went Wrong At Belgian Tea Room?
“Here I am again, getting punished for travelling alone, being single, being alone,” she says in the video, standing outside a small tea shop in the historical part of the city.
“I’m in Ghent. I came to this beautiful tea room,” she says, filming the location. “They do brunches and lunches, and it’s really lovely in there.”
She says she had stopped by earlier to make a reservation for one person. When she arrived for her reservation, things got off to a rough start.
“It took forever for them to acknowledge me after I was given a menu,” she says.
She then says the owner came by and asked her what she wanted. “I said high tea, please,” she recalls.
The owner allegedly responded, “It’s for two people only. You must have two people.”
Krista says she wasn’t informed about the rule earlier when she made the reservation.
“You wanted tea earlier?” the owner allegedly responded. “I said ‘yes, tea,’” she says.
Krista asked if they could make an exception. “I’m literally one person,” she says. “What do you want me to do, make it up that there’s two people here?”
She decided to gather her things and leave, when the owner allegedly apologized.
“And she goes, sorry,” Krista recalls. “If you were sorry, then you would make an exception.”
She says she’s frustrated by the whole situation. “Why am I being punished for being single?” she asks.
“It should be illegal for there to be a 2 person minimum,” she added in the caption.
Commenters Chime In
In the comments section, some viewers sided with the tea room, while others thought Krista had a right to be frustrated.
“As a Belgian, I just want to pop in here and say a reservation for tea is not the same as high tea,” one user wrote. “It’s not implicitly implied, especially if you go to a tearoom. It could mean you want to go sit down have a cup of tea and order a slice of cake.”
“If you are paying for it why does it matter how many people,” said another.
A third user brought up another similar case. “The paella rule made me so sad when solo travelling,“ they wrote.
“Like fine then I won’t try your damn paella!!!” Krista responded to the comment.
Is The Practice Common For High Tea?
It definitely depends from tea room to tea room. While there are plenty of tea rooms that cater to solo reservations, part of the idea behind “afternoon tea” or “high tea” is that you socialize during and share the experience with friends or family.
A high tea menu also usually involves a planned menu of sandwhiches, scones, and cakes, which are portioned specifically for two to six people.
Additionally, the tea room she’s referring to, ‘Alice Gent,’ does clarify this rule.
On its website includes there’s PDF menu that lists high tea as “from 2 people,” meaning there’s a minimum of two. The menu includes mini sandwiches, macarons, fresh fruit, coffee, and more.
@kristainspain It should be illegal for there to be a 2 person minimum #single #solotravel #fyp #travel
BroBible has reached out to “Alice Gent” and Krista via email for more information.