Coaches Corner: The World of Loneliness

Columnist E. J. Dionne Jr. recalls a conversation Marc Dunkelman had with his grandfather, a retired salesman, about how people discover good restaurants using an app.

They talked about how to find good restaurants in an unfamiliar city. Marc was excited about the new app that would make it easier for people to find the best restaurants in a strange town.

His grandfather wasn’t impressed. On his sales trips, he said, he regularly sought out “a friendly-looking stranger” to learn where he might find a decent bite to eat. He would often make a new friend and see him again on a return visit.

“Tha...