We had this same conversation at my house last night. I think there's a difference between sitting with others at a place like Biergarten, where you are at a traditional table with other guests, and at a hibachi, where you are at a horseshoe shaped table with other guests, but you aren't facing anyone but the grill & chef. At Biergarten, you actually are thrown into conversation with others, but at a hibachi, you normally don't have conversations with the other guests...just pleasantries as a PP said. We eat at a japanese restaurant in a neighboring town often, and I can only think of a time or two when we've ever said more than a couple of words to the other guests at our table. We've booked TE for our June trip, and we're super excited!