How Shanghai’s Ikea cafe became a hangout for Chinese seniors

Forget timeless dumplings or other hot dogs covered in mustard, Shanghai’s Ikea eatery is getting a new look… Or old, it depends. In an AFP report dated December last year, we learned that seniors occupy the restaurant space to meet and more if there are relatives. A phenomenon that is growing in a country where the isolation of the elderly is a real problem.

Tuesday meeting

In China, it is known that it is not good to be an old person, often under uncertain circumstances. Visits to restaurants or cafes are kept to a minimum, making it more difficult to meet people, be it friendly or romantic. However, a quarter of the 297 million Chinese aged 60 and over are single, according to official figures. With these difficulties in mind, the elderly in Shanghai decided 10 years ago to invest in a new place that was surprising to say the least: the cafeteria of an Ikea store. A true weekly meeting, these meetings attract several dozen people, newbies or regulars, who come with the specific purpose of meeting their partner. Widowed or divorced people, men and women, are now alone because their children have left home and therefore have time to spare. Every Tuesday, some people meet in this room, which looks like a school cafeteria with white tiles and Formica tables, and talk for hours, incurring the wrath of IKEA.

Word of mouth

Initially limited to a circle of insiders, these meetings gradually became institutionalized through word of mouth. Ikea then wanted to counterattack by hiring security guards to evict the elderly who were guilty of pulling and shoving regular customers in their eyes but also not consuming. True, they prefer to bring snacks, teas, tangerines and… alcohol from home. But in recent years, the Swedish brand has come out, telling AFP that it is “aware.