Restaurant. Check splitting question.

[Anonymous]

My DH and I happen not to drink wine, beer or liquor and we also drink tap water.

It has been our custom to Split the Bill when eating out with another couple.

Often, they have spent $50-80 on cocktails, mocktails and bottled water.

Should I/we:
—request separate checks
—suck it up
—have other couple pay entire tip
—other?

What do you do?

[Anonymous]

I am in the same dilemma with some friends. I ask for separate checks.

[Anonymous]

We generally just suck it up and offer to split the check down the middle in these situations. Most people we know would then offer to pay the tip or pay more to cover their drinks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We generally just suck it up and offer to split the check down the middle in these situations. Most people we know would then offer to pay the tip or pay more to cover their drinks.

This. I figure that picking up some of the cost of someone else's fancier meal is just part of socializing. And maybe someday yours will be the more expensive one and someone will cover you without thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Just ask for separate checks. Easy. I would never expect somebody else to pay for my $80 alcohol bill when they’re just drinking water.

[Anonymous]

I would split the check but I’d also probably not go out with a couple who doesn’t drink. If for some reason I did find myself out with a couple who didn’t drink and I had 2 cocktails, I would offer to pay extra.

[Anonymous]

Separate checks.

[Anonymous]

If I were you, I would get a separate check.

I’m the drinker and my friends not the drinker and if she wants to split the check for some odd reason, I always say well. Let me pay the tip.

If your friends who are drinkers, want to split the check and have no way of resolving the fact that they are drinkers and you’re not, I would split the check.

[Anonymous]

I would be on the other side of this, and would absolutely never expect OP to split that bill. That's absurd. OP, they don't offer to pay more?

[Anonymous]

Split the check by paying with two credit cards. Not all places make it easy for server to split a check.
Take the check home if you must and Venmo your friends later after you figure out how much. That's what young people do nowadays. Love it! They actually venmo at the table and only one person pays.
The friends should offer to tip on your part of the chek. If they don't, you have no business being friends.
What a coincidence that you don't drink along with seeing it as a problem to pay $25-$40 for your friends. I'm poor, but don't have such problem.
Don't take your problem to the restaurant, specially when they are busy.

[Anonymous]

My Spouse and I would be the drinkers in this situation. We ALWAYS offer to cover our drinks. Especially if the other funds dint drink. It's just the right thing to do. Everyone knows drinks add significant costs to the tab.

[Anonymous]

People who are drinking offer to pay more. We are the drinkers and always pay more. We never split 50/50

In your situation I’d do separate checks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Split the check by paying with two credit cards. Not all places make it easy for server to split a check.
Take the check home if you must and Venmo your friends later after you figure out how much. That's what young people do nowadays. Love it! They actually venmo at the table and only one person pays.
The friends should offer to tip on your part of the chek. If they don't, you have no business being friends.
What a coincidence that you don't drink along with seeing it as a problem to pay $25-$40 for your friends. I'm poor, but don't have such problem.
Don't take your problem to the restaurant, specially when they are busy.

[Anonymous]

I don't drink either, and on weight loss meds I don't tend to order much food either. DH will have one beer. So when we go out with another couple, it's usually the scenario you mention -- they have ordered a lot more $$$ worth of stuff than we have.

I could not care less -- we just pay half the check. Unless the other folks get concerned about it and insist on having the check split differently; in which case we respect their wishes and pay only our share.

I'm all about just splitting checks down the middle. But we can afford it easily. There was a Friends episode about this, so I do try to be open to doing whatever the other people want to do if others ordered less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would split the check but I’d also probably not go out with a couple who doesn’t drink. If for some reason I did find myself out with a couple who didn’t drink and I had 2 cocktails, I would offer to pay extra.

What?