Here’s a strange sentence: Gen Z is throwing more dinner parties than any generation in history. 

Yes, Gen Z. The generation we all picture glued to their screens, who we assumed had given up on getting together. Turns out, they are the most enthusiastic group of hosts we’ve ever seen. They’re swapping pricey nights out for fun themed dinners, potluck spreads, and cozy nights in with their friends. The dinner party, once a symbol of stuffy adulthood, is officially back on the menu. For a generation that’s battling loneliness on a historic scale, yes, it really is that serious. Dinner parties have become a lifeline. 

@ourtablescompany She never called hosting. She just said she was having people over! #hosting #dinnerparty #host #cooking #fyp ♬ I’ve Seen It – Olivia Dean

She never called hosting. She just said she was having people over! #hosting #dinnerparty #host #cooking #fyp ♬ I’ve Seen It – Olivia Dean

There’s one catch. Throwing a dinner party and actually knowing how to host one are two very different skills. A confusing, almost contradictory trend has emerged, too. Although Gen Z craves connection, the act of hosting? It stresses them out.

One study found that 87% of Gen Z hosts dread guests arriving, so much so, that 77% have cancelled plans because they felt overwhelmed. In a national survey, 49% of Gen Zers admitted that they were too uncertain of their cooking to host guests. Mid-charcuterie-board, Gen Z is beginning to realize that nobody ever taught them how to do this. 

Enter a mom from the Midwest and her Gen Z daughter. 

The video that struck a nerve

On TikTok, a mother-daughter duo behind the account @ourtablescompany has been racking up millions of views with a deceptively simple series: “Chic things my mom does as a host that change the whole night.”

The pinned video— with 1.7 million views—opens with a line that says: 

“She never called it hosting. She just said she was having people over.”

“She never called it hosting. She just said she was having people over.”

Boom. That’s it, the magic summed up in a single line. Hospitality doesn’t have to come........

© Upworthy