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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think you don’t get out of paying the bill because you don’t drink?

458 replies

ThatHardyWaspAgain · 09/04/2025 19:58

I’m sure this has been done many times before by people in similar scenarios.

I went out for a bit of lunch with two friend’s and one of them brought another friend along that I’ve never met but was nice enough.

However, when it came to the bill, she said ‘’Can we please calculate it all with the alcohol you’ve had separately paid for? Because I only had classical cokes’’

So, we did as she asked. Added up everything but removed the drinks. So 3 of us paid for our drinks in a split, and then did another split for the rest with her and her food and classical colas.

The annoying bit is, she had 3 of them. And they weren’t really much different in price to most of our alcohol.

We all had the same roast and mango cheesecake.

I wouldn’t mind but she kept insisting we all had a dessert so she didn’t feel alone in having one. We’re adults after all but it is a bit annoying

Separate thread to come to see if I would be U to tell my friend not to bring her along again

She also didn’t tip.

OP posts:
AthWat · 09/04/2025 20:32

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 09/04/2025 20:30

That only happened because you lot weirdly didn’t agree to just pay your own bills and overcomplicated the maths of it.

Show quote history

No, it happened because she asked for the alcohol to be removed and paid separately, but not her soft drinks. They should have refused, but that's what she asked for.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 09/04/2025 20:31

BobbyBiscuits · 09/04/2025 20:31

I don't really understand. She asked that she only pays for her own food and drinks? Surely that's reasonable.

Why not just stick with that. You pay for yours, she pays for hers.

Lol at 'classical' cola. Maybe it's really expensive because it comes with a full orchestra?

No, everyone paid for her drinks.

BobbyBiscuits · 09/04/2025 20:31

I don't really understand. She asked that she only pays for her own food and drinks? Surely that's reasonable.

Why not just stick with that. You pay for yours, she pays for hers.

Lol at 'classical' cola. Maybe it's really expensive because it comes with a full orchestra?

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 09/04/2025 20:30

ThatHardyWaspAgain · 09/04/2025 20:03

Our alcohol total was £12.50 and her cokes all came to £10.12

So it’s okay for us to sub her drinks just because they’re non alcohol?

That only happened because you lot weirdly didn’t agree to just pay your own bills and overcomplicated the maths of it.

Strangecat · 09/04/2025 20:30

No one forced fed you the pudding. You are an adult and made your own decision on it!
Secondly, you guys can’t sort out a simple bill. sorry to say, but this pathetic.
I don’t drink Alcohol and would not pay for my drinking friends. We usually split the bill like Adults! pay for what I eat, drunk and give extra for service charges that are included on the bill.

IAmNotASheep · 09/04/2025 20:27

ThatHardyWaspAgain · 09/04/2025 20:03

Our alcohol total was £12.50 and her cokes all came to £10.12

So it’s okay for us to sub her drinks just because they’re non alcohol?

I was going to say it wouldn’t be ok on the non drinker but based on this cost update then she was being unreasonable.

Well you know next time someone invites a friend….

RickiRaccoon · 09/04/2025 20:27

She sounds a bit of a pain but no big deal to split the bill. She probably thought the cokes would come up as much less compared to the alcohol. You also should've just not ordered a dessert if you didn't want one.

NC28 · 09/04/2025 20:27

I want to know more about the classical cokes. When she ordered them, did she ask for classical cokes? Never in my puff have I heard Coke called this.

AthWat · 09/04/2025 20:26

TheJollyMoose · 09/04/2025 20:01

YABU. I don’t drink and I won’t facilitate other people drinking either.

I don’t split the bill - I will pay for what I’ve eaten and drank.

Oh and no, I don’t tip either. You aren’t helping when you tip, you know. You aren’t being kind or a good citizen.

You’re part of the problem and you’re keeping wages low by tipping because employers have no incentive to up wages when mugs like you will flash the cash to make yourselves feel good.

You've missed the point, she doesn't mind paying for her own alcohol, she doesn't see why if she is doing that she should pay for her friend's cokes.

HateThese4Leggedbeasts · 09/04/2025 20:26

I don't think people are reading the opening post properly. It is definitely not right to split 1 person's drinks across the group and not someone else's.

I am a non drinker and don't really like it if I'm made to feel I have to chip in for lots of wine or spirits but when it's a glass of wine Vs a similarly price soft drink then of course I pay my share (either specifically or evenly as the rest of the group decide).

iwentjasonwaterfalls · 09/04/2025 20:26

I can't drink so I'd resent paying for other people's alcohol unless I'm deliberately buying a round, but she didn't do it right by including her soft drinks as part of the split.

I don't understand why people don't just pay for what they've ordered. It's easy enough - the bill arrives, phone out, calculate what you had, pay that plus a tip, problem solved.

Flutterbyby · 09/04/2025 20:25

TheJollyMoose · 09/04/2025 20:01

YABU. I don’t drink and I won’t facilitate other people drinking either.

I don’t split the bill - I will pay for what I’ve eaten and drank.

Oh and no, I don’t tip either. You aren’t helping when you tip, you know. You aren’t being kind or a good citizen.

You’re part of the problem and you’re keeping wages low by tipping because employers have no incentive to up wages when mugs like you will flash the cash to make yourselves feel good.

You've misunderstood, you're wrong, and you're cheap AF

Mumtobabyhavoc · 09/04/2025 20:25

Why not solve by asking for separate bills from the start? 🧐 Is it really awkward to do that?
I'm in Canada and restaurants present bills already separated and have done it for years now.

Basketslipper · 09/04/2025 20:25

I'm not convinced by the argument that coke is the same price as alcohol either. Even expensive places coke is about £3. Beer is £6/7, wine is £7/8 and spirits with a mixer more.

PurpleFlower1983 · 09/04/2025 20:25

Whoever split the bill messed up, she should have paid for her classical cokes.

despairdespair · 09/04/2025 20:24

Alcohol bill very low. A glass of wine in our area is £9 !!

DorothyStorm · 09/04/2025 20:24

PerfectPennyKilledMyHusband · 09/04/2025 20:09

Please stop calling them classical cokes!

You should have just said "ok no problem, you pay for what you had and we will split the rest".

Show quote history

This. Why not pay for what you had?

KatyaKat · 09/04/2025 20:24

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 09/04/2025 20:05

So many people with poor reading comprehension on this thread.

This, can't quite believe how many people have completely misunderstood OP's post 😂

No @ThatHardyWaspAgain YANBU, you either all pay for your own food and drinks, or, remove all the drinks (& each pay for what you had, so CF pays for all 3 of her 'classical colas"), and the food is split between you all. Not, you pay for your drinks and then split the food + colas between you all, that's not on

StartAnew · 09/04/2025 20:24

Everyone should have paid for what they had in this situation. Makes no sense take some items out of the bill and then divide the rest.

Namechangean · 09/04/2025 20:23

@CottageGoblin Well, it was on the news recently that non drinkers ie those that drink coke or soft drinks are paying almost as much as those that are drinking alcohol now. theres not much in it at least

I don’t find this to be true, I only drink Diet Coke when we go out, my bills is always significantly cheaper than the people who drink wine or cocktails. You better believe I’m not paying for someone’s alcohol when I don’t drink. Everyone should just pay for what they had.

I don’t care if I’m only down a fiver, because if I’m going out a lot then I’m constantly subbing other people’s meals.

But it’s weird that she took off the alcohol but didn’t take off her cokes. If she wanted to split the bill and she did that I think I would have said oh don’t forget your £9 for those cokes will you

NC28 · 09/04/2025 20:22

TheJollyMoose · 09/04/2025 20:01

YABU. I don’t drink and I won’t facilitate other people drinking either.

I don’t split the bill - I will pay for what I’ve eaten and drank.

Oh and no, I don’t tip either. You aren’t helping when you tip, you know. You aren’t being kind or a good citizen.

You’re part of the problem and you’re keeping wages low by tipping because employers have no incentive to up wages when mugs like you will flash the cash to make yourselves feel good.

Why do you not “facilitate” others to drink?

It’s not like it’s going towards a bag of smack.

CandelabraCat · 09/04/2025 20:21

Eldermilleniallyogii · 09/04/2025 20:08

You don't need to keep calling it a classical coke OP

Hard disagree 😂

Zimunya · 09/04/2025 20:19

ReplacementBusService · 09/04/2025 20:04

But why did you all pay for her cokes? You just didn't split the bill correctly!

Exactly this. Take the drinks off the bill, allocate the correct costs to everyone (including the coke drinker) and then split the food by the appropriate number. Don't order dessert if you don’t want it.

Watermill · 09/04/2025 20:19

It’s not her fault you (or whoever did the maths) fucked it up is it?

Bepo77 · 09/04/2025 20:19

TheJollyMoose · 09/04/2025 20:01

YABU. I don’t drink and I won’t facilitate other people drinking either.

I don’t split the bill - I will pay for what I’ve eaten and drank.

Oh and no, I don’t tip either. You aren’t helping when you tip, you know. You aren’t being kind or a good citizen.

You’re part of the problem and you’re keeping wages low by tipping because employers have no incentive to up wages when mugs like you will flash the cash to make yourselves feel good.

As someone who’s worked in the service industry I appreciate your philosophy, however in the real world: please tip

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