This study conceptually addresses the solo dining experience in the context of restaurants not by reducing it to individuals’ psychological loneliness, but by considering it as a multidimensional consumption practice experienced within a public and social setting. Conducted using a qualitative approach grounded in the existing literature, the study aims to reveal through which components the solo dining experience in restaurants is shaped and how this experience is interpreted by individuals. The analysis demonstrates that solo dining is not a uniform phenomenon; rather, it acquires diverse experiential meanings through the interaction of individual motivations, social norms, the physical environment, the presence of other customers, and service interactions. The findings indicate that the solo dining experience in restaurants can generate positive values such as a sense of freedom, focus on food, and allocating time for oneself, while simultaneously encompassing negative dimensions such as public visibility, perceived social judgment, and discomfort. Accordingly, the study proposes a holistic conceptual model to explain the solo dining experience in restaurants. The proposed model emphasizes the moderating role of both the components shaping the experience and individuals’ ways of interpreting the experience as positive or negative on behavioral outcomes. Within the scope of solo dining in restaurants, the study offers a conceptual framework to the literature and provides a foundation for future research.