I received the same advice as you did OP. Those being hosted shouldn't take advantage of the hosts. For a number of reasons, we take a lot of people out to eat. I can only remember one really bad example...when my daughter was about 12, she invited a friend out to dinner. The girl ordered a steak, appetizers + dessert + wasted a lot of it. We never invited her out again. ( Her family owns a restaurant in DC, so she must have been used to ordering whatever she wanted).

I would order a dish anywhere between low price and mid price but not highest price. I tell my kids to do the same.

Order what you want. Don’t be obnoxious and get alcohol, an appetizer, and a dessert. But truly, a host is going to want you to pick a meal you will enjoy. Most people aren’t going to care what you order

I’m aware of it. Like, I’m not getting some fancy steak twice the cost of their dinner but if it’s a few dollars difference I don’t think that’s rude. Hopefully not!

In the situation with friends, I think it’s fair for a teen to order something more expensive than the cheapest item their friend likes. But they should use common sense and not order something more expensive than the parents imo

Don’t order the lobster when it’s 30 dollars more than the next most expensive item.

Don’t swear ordering the pork chop that’s 3 dollars more than the chicken that the host ordered.

Don’t order an additional course than the host.

You don’t need to worry about the wine because if you’re having a bottle the host will select it.

If they order by the glass, just take one of what they’re having.

This isn’t complicated.

Order within $10 of what others are ordering at a nice restaurant. So don't get filet mignon with lobster if everyone else is getting pasta with shrimp.

My boys were big eaters and from an early age they ate off the adult menus. When out with friends they’d order what they normally would with us and on a few occasions the host told the to order off the kiddie menu. No biggie.

Also, I don’t think there’s a difference between a $30 and $35 meal, so I wouldn’t blink an eye.

The only @sshole behavior is to buy a $200 bottle of wine on someone or to split.

Anonymous wrote:In the same ballpark as everyone else is fine. If the host orders something that is $25-30, nobody will blink if you order a $35 entree. Just don't get something double their cost, an outlier on the menu, or extra courses/drinks that they aren't getting.

This.

In the same ballpark as everyone else is fine. If the host orders something that is $25-30, nobody will blink if you order a $35 entree. Just don't get something double their cost, an outlier on the menu, or extra courses/drinks that they aren't getting.

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe people are taking OP out to dinner as much as she says.

Where does it give a figure for how often?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sil is younger than us so we pay every time she is in town. She will order an appetizer, the most expensive item on the menu, a side, dessert, and a drink when the rest of us order an entree only. Please don't be that person.

Is she obese?

No. It's also disgusting because she eats with her mouth open and hums when she eats. We are done eating and then we have to wait for her to eat her mountain of food. It was fine when she was in her 20s, but now she's in her 40s. Come on!