For many people, it is one of the worst parts of business travel. After spending all day in meetings and negotiations, you fancy a relaxing meal in a nice restaurant. Trouble is, you have no dining companion.

No matter how self-sufficient you are, it is hard to escape the pathos of the solitary diner – seated at a low-rent loner’s table, perhaps reading a book or, increasingly, clicking through a spreadsheet on a laptop. It’s like being in a latter-day version of Hopper’s “Nighthawks”.