Restaurant. Check splitting question.

[Anonymous]

I think the times have changed on this. It’s easy for the servers to split the check. There are only two parties. Separate checks are appropriate, just ask in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say always offer to split halfway. It’s a shared experience and I feel like it’s the cost of being social, and we are too old to nickel and dime everything (even if we have to make cuts in other areas)

I’m not making cuts in other areas to fund others meals. Pay your own way.

[Anonymous]

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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?

NP here, and I agree. I wouldn’t have dinner with another couple who doesn’t drink either. How much fun is that? No thanks.

Are you that boring?

No, I think people who don't drink are boring and I have no desire to spend my very limited time with them.

Hi, Fun Bobby

[Anonymous]

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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.

lol. No. Only the people who constantly overspend on someone else’s dime think this. The non drinking vegetarian is highly unlikely to ever be the higher spender, you just tell yourself this to feel less bad about someone else subsidizing your meal 🙄

I’m a non drinking vegetarian. I am always $20 less than my friend and that’s before tip and tax. After multiple nights out together, it really adds up.

Well, given the posts on here I'm surprised anyone is willing to have dinner with you at all given that you don't drink, lol.

I am actually SO much fun and know all the good gossip

[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.

Exactly! So uncool if this is a repeated trend OP! Friends don't take continuous advantage of each other.

[Anonymous]

In our circle, we take turns paying the entire meal.
With people we don't go out with often, we split the check regardless of what people ordered.

Going out is expensive and for these reasons, we have been declining outings more regularly than in the past.

[Anonymous]

If we are splitting the check (we don't with all friends, some friends we just go back and forth with who pays and it all basically evens out), one person puts it on their card and everyone else venmos them. Sometimes we just split it up evenly, but if one person ordered more, they pay more. Never been an issue. Usually the person who is ordering more is the one who puts it on their card. At some point or another, each one of us in our friend group has been that person.

[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.

So they expect a 20+% tip, but you can't bother them with 2 checks per table?

Also, it is not a "problem".

[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.

I use to feel this way, at a time I couldn’t imagine my life without alcohol. Extremely grateful to be 12 years sober.

If when you start to drink you can’t stop or when you tell yourself you are not going to drink for a certain amount of time but don’t make it, you may want to look at your relationship with alcohol.

My life is far from boring, and I don’t need alcohol to make it exciting.

[Anonymous]

We often go out with a friend who enjoys getting a bottle of wine with dinner. Nice wine - expensive wine. DH and I are not wine drinkers but do enjoy an occasional cocktail. As soon as the waiter approaches our friends says, "it's us two and the two of them but the wine goes on my check."
It's super easy and everyone is happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Separate checks.

This! It seems to be a lot easier these days. I go out to eat with 6 to 10 friends once a month and pretty much every place is able to take individual cards for our meals.