For Families Only signs are often seen on the doors of restaurants in Jeddah. They prevent men who are bachelors or unaccompanied by their wives or children from entering. This is really too much for single men who are left unsure where to get a decent bite.
In my view, the practice of preventing singles from entering restaurants has exceeded all limits. It is not based on religion but on the whim of the owners of these establishments. Although, for me, this is not a permanent annoyance, it is a matter of embarrassment for friends, colleagues and guests from abroad. Also affected are people with highly academic or vocational positions who attempt to visit these restaurants to meet and talk about life, work and the world. Can you imagine being unable to find a decent place to have dinner or a cup of coffee, as the majority of places are family-only?
A few days ago, a non-Arab colleague of mine invited me to dinner and left me to choose the venue. I thanked him for his kind invitation but found myself in a dilemma because I usually visited restaurants with my family. I had initially thought I would not have a problem selecting a venue. However, all of the restaurants we visited hung “For Families Only” signs.
Neither our age nor our respectful appearances were able to guarantee us a table. I felt the same hurt, which was experienced by an old friend of mine who, although a grandfather, was not allowed to enter a restaurant because he was not accompanied by his wife or grandchildren.
This is just one side of the problem. Sometimes you visit a place with a friend to have a cup of tea and are then told that as it is dinnertime you are welcome to order food or otherwise leave.
How does this leave one feeling when one has spent more than an hour looking for a place. The problem is further exasperated when one knows that it is only just after 5 p.m., far too early for dinner? Such habits are reflective of a lack of organization and planning in the food and catering sector. These practices also, unnecessarily and unjustifiably, allow the tightening of grip around singles.
We are now in the summer vacation season. If this is how elderly gentlemen are being treated, then how are young men, who have nowhere to go, being treated? The only option left for them are fast-food restaurants, which some youths do not prefer and are usually overcrowded.
The youths are left feeling bitter and unwanted. Although they represent a large segment of our society, they have few options to pursue innocent fun, including a decent meal at a good restaurant that does not have a single section.
This does not happen anywhere else in the world except in our country. Many foreigners who live here — including university lecturers, medical doctors, academics and dignitaries — find this practice unusual and peculiar. When we go to their countries, whether with our families or alone, we have no trouble finding restaurants that serve families and singles at the same time.
Categorizing places for families and singles is having adverse social results. This divides society into the acceptable and unacceptable categories. It is as if single men are accursed.
