Restaurants aiming straight for couples’ hearts with special Valentine Day menus may be missing the target.
True, the holiday can be a goldmine for restaurants—especially this year, when it lands on a Saturday, an already busy night for dining out. But recent data from reservation platform OpenTable reveals that 57% of Americans—and 70% of Gen Zers—say Valentine’s Day is now about celebrating all relationships, not just romantic ones. And they’re putting their money where their mouths are; 60% of Gen Z diners are likely to celebrate with friends this year.
Galentine’s Day, which is typically celebrated by groups of girlfriends on Feb. 13, saw a jump of 34% year-over-year in 2025. Gender-neutral Palentine’s Day is also a thing, and 43% of celebrants plan to soft-launch a new friendship over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Solo dining keeps increasing in popularity, even on Valentine’s Day. In 2025, there was a 35% year-over-year leap in singles dining by themselves on Valentine’s Day, according to OpenTable. While 58% of all Americans think dining solo on Valentine’s Day has become more socially acceptable, younger diners are even more in favor; that figure rises to 68% and 69% for millennials and Gen Z respectively.
“Gen Z is leading the charge in making Valentine’s Day more inclusive,” said Cheryl Paniagua, VP of restaurant sales & services at OpenTable, in a statement. “From partners and friends to family and self-love, restaurants will be the gathering place as over half of Americans plan to dine out this year.”
Restaurants not yet booked for dinner or brunch shouldn’t panic. There are lots of procrastinators. OpenTable data shows that 24% of reservations are made within 48 hours and 14% just 24 hours ahead. What’s more, diners set more “Notify Me” alerts for Valentine’s Day in 2025 than for any other holiday.
Friends’ groups and solo diners may be looking for entirely different Valentine’s Day experiences than couples out on a date or married duos. But OpenTable compiled a list of the Top 100 Romantic Restaurants in America for 2026, culled by analyzing more than 9 million diner reviews, along with diner ratings, reservation trends and the percentage of five-star reviews. Steakhouses and restaurants with a view stand out as favorites.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.