How would you split this meal costs?

[SplitTheMeal]

3 adults, 1 child. All related.

A (60s) orders main no starters or puddings. Cost £12.

B (late 20s) orders a starter, and a main and pinched a bit of Ds pudding. Starter was £6, Main £12 so total without the bit of Ds pudding was £18.

C (early 30s) orders a starter and a pudding. Starter was £6, pudding was £5. Total was £11.

D (under 7, Cs DC) has a childrens main and a childrens pudding. Main and pudding were on a deal for £8.

Everyone got one drink free with their meal apart from B who paid a bit more to have an alcoholic drink which added a £. C and D had an extra drink each which where £2 each.

Total meal cost was around £54. I’ve rounded meals up to nearest £.

So how would you split it?

A says adults pay for their own meals and drinks, all put in £3ish for Ds meal and drinks. So A pays £15, B pays £22 and C pays £16.

B says we split it between 3 adults and all pay £18.

C says we split it as per own meals; so A pays £12, B £19, and C £23 (as they pay for Ds meal).

We did resolve this and I am one of the adults. But not saying which or who we went with. I am curious to see how you'd split the meal.

c

Assuming C is the parent of the child, option C as default. Everyone pays for their own, parent pays for child, unless A or B want to put in for it. If I was B I would not choose option B though as then A is putting in and I am just paying for my own. Doubt B isn't able to pay extra by their food and drink choices so that would make them look tight.

Option D) A pays for the lot and stops being so flipping mean to their own family.

This sounds painful.

In my family we’d all be trying to pay the whole bill but I understand that when people have less money they can’t necessarily afford to do that or even split 3 ways if they’ve deliberately ordered something cheap. So in your case I’d say everyone pays their own and the parent of the child pays for the child.

B knew they were spending more. If I were B, I would only suggest splitting equally if I then also said I would leave the tip. It's not great to be make someone else be more generous than you, which they did to A.

If I were C, I would suggest what C said and (in that situation) push for it. I would struggle to accept splitting equally to my own benefit unless it came from the person who was most disadvantaged by that.

I find A's suggestion a bit weird.

Dear God, life is too short!

Whoever the child belongs to, pays for the child, obv.

Just take that off and split the rest 3 ways.

It’s pretty straight forward. If the grandparent isn’t offering to pay the full bill (and they shouldn’t have to buy some grandparents are wealthy and that’s their usual practice) then each pays there own and the child’s parent pays for the child.

Or you all stay at home.

Their^

I am wondering why age matters as per OP's post?

Either one person pays it all as a treat, or each pays their own with the parent(s) covering their child's meal. Depends on occasion/context/what you normally do.

Weird world we live in. B, always

C should pay for her child and D should pay for his mum who's not exactly an expensive date at £12.
Otherwise B and C split it equally because it's not worth arguing about.
But nobody begrudges their mum a cheap lunch, surely?

I would gladly have paid all of it to avoid this pathetic quibbling.

C

In our family A would insist on paying 100% of the time. About 10% B&C would manage to override A and split the Bill 50/50 between them. We never found kids.

For example B&C in my family go out for coffee once a week snd take it turns. It’s mostly just them but if any offspring join (age 19 to 3) whoever’s turn it is pays and said offspring eat like they have worms!!!

I'd expect the parent of the child to pay for the child's meal, unless the grandparent was treating the child. And then I'd probably split the bill 3 ways.

(Although in my family this situation would never happen - my mother would insist on paying for all of us).

B unless A offers to pay it all as parent/grandparent.
If not I would not eat out with these people again, family or not, life is definitely too short.

@Nohomemadecandles

That sounds painful. I'd pay it all not to have to go through that calculating again!

Same here!

I’d go with B. I couldn’t be bothered to quibble over a few quid and neither could any of my family or friends.

C

Whilst it'd be nice to take turns to cover the bill I've been caught out. Once had a 'friend' who only ever wanted wetherspoons when it was her turn to pay, but would throw a tantrum and try and demand expensive restaurants when it was mine. I cottoned on fast.

Hmm having read your later posts OP, if I was you I would have offered to pay what i and DC had since it costs a bit more. If I was your sibling I would have wanted to split evenly to cover the child
meal too. I think it is nice your family contributed to your DCs meal.

C

£20 each to cover child and tip. Easy peasey.

Or covering bill and tip £17 each for a and b and £25 for c if paying for her own child.

I'm an A, and my kids struggle to pay anything if we go out for a meal. They earn and I'm by no means rich, but they have far less disposable income than me.

If my B&C were determined not to let me pay the full bill, I'd still insist on paying for the DGC's meal