The bill when going out eating with friends
Discussion
Baryonyx said:
Split it without argument. But if you've had a £25 steak when everyone else had a £10 burger you should put some extra down.
ThisBut definitely no argument about splitting it, if you are only talking about a few quid either way.
The person having the steak should at least offer to chip in a bit extra...it's only fair
Wacky Racer said:
Baryonyx said:
Split it without argument. But if you've had a £25 steak when everyone else had a £10 burger you should put some extra down.
ThisBut definitely no argument about splitting it, if you are only talking about a few quid either way.
The person having the steak should at least offer to chip in a bit extra...it's only fair
To contrast, 10 of us went out and one of the party knew the restaurant owner. The restaurant knocked off 10% of the bill - the chappy who knew the restaurant owner considered that as his contribution. The others were not impressed.
Further to my earlier response of "we just split it", I have just remembered the sheer tightness of one of our mates...
He has always been exceptionally tight, doing things like turning up to a house party carrying the absolute bare minimum of drinks that he would require to drink, and then incredibly, leaving at the very end of the party taking with him a couple of unopened alcohol bottles, despite them not being his!
When we ate out, we began noticing that he would always add his cash to the plate last and then hand it in to the waiter for payment.
Eventually we discovered what was happening:
We were all rounding up when paying so as to leave a little tip each, for example if our food/drink split came to £18.50 each or suchlike, we were all just dropping a £20 into the pot. He was getting the pot last, and adding it up our money, and then just adding a few quid on top of our money to make the bill up to the bare minimum without tip! He was using our tips to pay his portion of the bill!
Quite incredible.
We called him out on it big style in one restaurant and he hasn't done it again... Normally I wouldn't put up with the kind of person who does that sort of thing, but we have all known him a long time and he has had his share of bad luck in the past. Plus, it just gives us yet another thing to take the piss out of him about
He has always been exceptionally tight, doing things like turning up to a house party carrying the absolute bare minimum of drinks that he would require to drink, and then incredibly, leaving at the very end of the party taking with him a couple of unopened alcohol bottles, despite them not being his!
When we ate out, we began noticing that he would always add his cash to the plate last and then hand it in to the waiter for payment.
Eventually we discovered what was happening:
We were all rounding up when paying so as to leave a little tip each, for example if our food/drink split came to £18.50 each or suchlike, we were all just dropping a £20 into the pot. He was getting the pot last, and adding it up our money, and then just adding a few quid on top of our money to make the bill up to the bare minimum without tip! He was using our tips to pay his portion of the bill!
Quite incredible.
We called him out on it big style in one restaurant and he hasn't done it again... Normally I wouldn't put up with the kind of person who does that sort of thing, but we have all known him a long time and he has had his share of bad luck in the past. Plus, it just gives us yet another thing to take the piss out of him about
NinjaPower said:
Further to my earlier response of "we just split it", I have just remembered the sheer tightness of one of our mates...
He has always been exceptionally tight, doing things like turning up to a house party carrying the absolute bare minimum of drinks that he would require to drink, and then incredibly, leaving at the very end of the party taking with him a couple of unopened alcohol bottles, despite them not being his!
When we ate out, we began noticing that he would always add his cash to the plate last and then hand it in to the waiter for payment.
Eventually we discovered what was happening:
We were all rounding up when paying so as to leave a little tip each, for example if our food/drink split came to £18.50 each or suchlike, we were all just dropping a £20 into the pot. He was getting the pot last, and adding it up our money, and then just adding a few quid on top of our money to make the bill up to the bare minimum without tip! He was using our tips to pay his portion of the bill!
Quite incredible.
We called him out on it big style in one restaurant and he hasn't done it again... Normally I wouldn't put up with the kind of person who does that sort of thing, but we have all known him a long time and he has had his share of bad luck in the past. Plus, it just gives us yet another thing to take the piss out of him about
You are very forgiving, I would see that as stealing, stealing from me personally, had I given money as a tip, anyone who did that to me would be totally PNG, and told so. He has always been exceptionally tight, doing things like turning up to a house party carrying the absolute bare minimum of drinks that he would require to drink, and then incredibly, leaving at the very end of the party taking with him a couple of unopened alcohol bottles, despite them not being his!
When we ate out, we began noticing that he would always add his cash to the plate last and then hand it in to the waiter for payment.
Eventually we discovered what was happening:
We were all rounding up when paying so as to leave a little tip each, for example if our food/drink split came to £18.50 each or suchlike, we were all just dropping a £20 into the pot. He was getting the pot last, and adding it up our money, and then just adding a few quid on top of our money to make the bill up to the bare minimum without tip! He was using our tips to pay his portion of the bill!
Quite incredible.
We called him out on it big style in one restaurant and he hasn't done it again... Normally I wouldn't put up with the kind of person who does that sort of thing, but we have all known him a long time and he has had his share of bad luck in the past. Plus, it just gives us yet another thing to take the piss out of him about
Wacky Racer said:
Baryonyx said:
Split it without argument. But if you've had a £25 steak when everyone else had a £10 burger you should put some extra down.
ThisBut definitely no argument about splitting it, if you are only talking about a few quid either way.
The person having the steak should at least offer to chip in a bit extra...it's only fair
ttish enough to order more than everyone else but only chip in the same amount. I've paid the bill a few times if its just 2-3 of us dining, usually the other folk dining pick up the tab next time round and so on.
Just split it. There are people we don't go out with or get invited anymore because of this exact issue.
Not sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
Not sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
Bullett said:
Just split it. There are people we don't go out with or get invited anymore because of this exact issue.
Not sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
This x100 . I'd rather pay the whole lot than see people argue over 70p.Not sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
For my 30th birthday, we had agreed with the venue that we'd settle the bill ourselves (10~adults) and that they'd print a menu without prices. Funny how many people want a steak when they don't know the price / aren't paying. But that was the idea - stops all the animosity and the idiots who only order a side salad and a water order a proper meal.
carreauchompeur said:
100% split it. I've witnessed tables of women working their individual contributions out to the level of pence and think it's pathetic. Not the kind of pedantic aholes I'd want to dine with!
I was in one place recently beside a table of 6 women, obviously work colleagues from the conversation that we couldn't help but overhear.holes I'd want to dine with!They got the bill not long after we arrived and decided to each pay for their meal separately. The whole process took about 20 minutes with the various discussions about who'd ordered the side salad and who'd had garlic bread etc.
The waitress was summoned and asked to put £17.70 on this card, £16 cash, £15.50 on that card etc etc
The total payments came out a few quid short so they went through the whole thing again re-working out who'd actually had what. The waitress was helping them go through it and in the end they just chipped in the extra between them rather than making one or two stump up the difference. It was all getting a bit tetchy at the table towards the end between the ladies but I hope they left a good tip too, the waitress was exceptionally calm and patient.
Thing is they'd all spent roughly the same amount each - dividing the bill by 6 would have saved them about 30 mins each and someone might have been down the cost of a drink at most.
ETA - if we're dining with friend then we usually agree to split the bill before we eat so everyone can relax a bit. Life is too short.
Edited by arfur sleep on Monday 6th October 14:25
Splitting is fine if everyone doesn't take the piss. I go out with a group of my mates around once a year and there is always one who orders foie gras to start, lobster main, etc. If we weren't splitting the bill they'd just have had a burger but thinks it is reasonable to get everyone else to pay for their excess which winds me right up.
Depends on the restaurant and if anyone has had noticeably more of something. 9 times out of ten split it.
Saying that, I was out for dinner a few weeks back and one bloke had x4 £15 JD and cokes, most expensive dinner on the menu, starters and desert - when everyone else had a couple of beers and just a main course.
When the bill came everyone chucked their share in and he wasn't too happy he was stuck with £100+ to pay on his own.
Think most people saw straight past his plan to split it and there was like an unspoken agreement to not split it on that occasion.
Saying that, I was out for dinner a few weeks back and one bloke had x4 £15 JD and cokes, most expensive dinner on the menu, starters and desert - when everyone else had a couple of beers and just a main course.
When the bill came everyone chucked their share in and he wasn't too happy he was stuck with £100+ to pay on his own.
Think most people saw straight past his plan to split it and there was like an unspoken agreement to not split it on that occasion.
It's never an issue with friends, I just split it.
I have had an argument with my partners work collegues over this though. As soon as we decided to split the bill, the eyes of a couple of the less well paid lit up. Sure enough, the bottles of red appeared (I don't like wine and prefer a nice beer), the initial main dishes changed to steaks, etc. It ended up that our bill came to £36 for the both of us and we ended up being asked for £80! I wasn't going to argue over an extra £10 here or there but that's quite a mark up for the p1ss takers.
Now if I'm out with people I don't know so well, I just say I don't drink wine or have starters so I'll just pay for what I eat and that way the others have the option of splitting the remainder between them. My mistake was not doing this up front before the orders are taken. I've had a few people do that to me where they don't eat a lot and as long as it's clear, there's no problem.
I have had an argument with my partners work collegues over this though. As soon as we decided to split the bill, the eyes of a couple of the less well paid lit up. Sure enough, the bottles of red appeared (I don't like wine and prefer a nice beer), the initial main dishes changed to steaks, etc. It ended up that our bill came to £36 for the both of us and we ended up being asked for £80! I wasn't going to argue over an extra £10 here or there but that's quite a mark up for the p1ss takers.
Now if I'm out with people I don't know so well, I just say I don't drink wine or have starters so I'll just pay for what I eat and that way the others have the option of splitting the remainder between them. My mistake was not doing this up front before the orders are taken. I've had a few people do that to me where they don't eat a lot and as long as it's clear, there's no problem.
If anyone doesn't want to split equally they should state it at the start of the meal. They can then put in for only theirs at the end and the rest split evenly.
Everyone just paying for their own always ends up about 10% short for some reason and someone ends up having to fork over the extra. Not fair IMHO.
Everyone just paying for their own always ends up about 10% short for some reason and someone ends up having to fork over the extra. Not fair IMHO.
Bullett said:
Just split it. There are people we don't go out with or get invited anymore because of this exact issue.
Not sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
Yep Bullett, I hear yah! including the (long story). No win situation. A cringe-fest........got the tshirtNot sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
Bullett said:
Just split it. There are people we don't go out with or get invited anymore because of this exact issue.
Not sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
Yep Bullett, I hear yah! including the (long story). No win situation. A cringe-fest........got the tshirtNot sure if this is a generational thing or not. Certainly it seems a lot people my parents age(edging 70 now) don't do the split thing. We are out for a meal for my mums birthday with a large group of her friends/relatives soon. I know this will be a work it out meal which just makes me want to curl up and hide in a corner to the point where I'd rather just pay it all (It's a £10 for a main course type place and no-one is a drinker) I've been banned from paying the whole thing by my wife (long story). Just the stress of the bill paying will not let me enjoy the meal.
and breathe.
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