Who pays what?

[MotherOfOlafs]

Couple A have a voucher for a very nice seafood restaurant that was given to them as a gift, it’s for £100. They want to treat themselves to a platter for £75 because why not.

Couple A have invited good friends couple B to join them. Couple A will pay for their own food and put the rest towards whatever couple B order, so around £15-20 after accounting for soft drinks.

Couple B have asked if couple A will use the voucher then whatever is left to pay is split between both couples equally.

Couple A think that on one hand it’s their voucher so their items are covered, but on the other hand they did invite couple B to join them.

Which is the best option?

You split the bill 50/50 but your voucher covers your part unless you told them you have a voucher and were going to take them out it could look a bit tight to not share.

@MotherOfOlafs I think couple A do not have to pay a penny towards couple B ! They only invited them to join them not take them out for a meal . If my friends invited me to join her in a restaurant , I wouldn’t expect them to pay for me , I’d take my own money .
couple A is nice enough to donate the rest of the voucher to couple B so that’s just a nice gesture towards them which they didn’t have to do either . So no , couple B has to pay for their own food , sorry .
like I said , couple A only invited them to join them , and never said they are taking them out for a meal and treating them . Couple B sound entitled only because they have been asked to join 😑

How do couple B know about the voucher?

Couple B pay for their own unless couple A said 'our treat!'. Voucher belongs to couple A, if couple B were hard up, do not accept invite.

Couple B are cheeky fuckers. Couple A should probably uninvite them.

I wouldn't invite anyone else on this occasion, go by yourselves and enjoy your voucher otherwise they will feel a bit put out/resentful that your meal was cheaper and you might feel guilty unnecessarily. I KNOW people shouldn't feel that way but there's a good chance they will because they already have asked. Just say you're making it a date for the two of you.

This. Say you can't make the original date and never reschedule as a 4!

Couple B are CFs to expect Couple B to pay towards their meal. Couple A are already being generous by offering to donate the unused portion of their voucher to Couple B.

I suppose if Couple A have press ganged Couple B into joining them and it's not really their thing or they can't afford to go to a quite expensive restaurant, that might be relevant, but realistically if that's the case then it's up to Couple B to politely decline.

When you say Couple B have asked if couple A will use the voucher then whatever is left to pay is split between both couples equally.

do you mean they have asked whether you intend to pay or have they asked you to pay? And in what context?

I presume the voucher was a birthday gift. Therefore, it’s to be used in lieu of money.

Therefore, A pays for their share, and B pays for their share.

(Unless A offered to lay for Bs meal).

If you've texted them inviting them out for dinner and told them about the voucher, and they've replied asking if you will be sharing the voucher with them, then maybe they're not CFs and just trying to work out what you are offering (as maybe you didn't need to mention the voucher).

Just tell them what your intentions are then they can decide.

Alternatively if it's too awkward just cancel!

Couple B asked if couple A had any nice gifts from a recent celebration, not in a cheeky way just general conversation. Plus at the restaurant couple A would need to tell a member of staff they had a voucher to use.

If couple A had been given cash, couple B wouldn't expect to spend it for them. The same should apply to the voucher.

Pay own food and drinks simple.

Couple A have really confused this dinner invitation

Come and enjoy us spending our voucher

In this instance I think put voucher towards bill and split the rest of the costs.

Next time couple A get a meal voucher perhaps spend alone to avoid this confusion

I think Couple B might also wish to share seafood platter... I'd be using the voucher on a different night, thus sparing any sharing /awkwardness at all, if that's your dilemma.

Couple B sound really cheeky. You’ve already been kind saying you’ll pay anything towards them. Rearrange - go just the two of you, and then either go again there or somewhere else with your friends when you don’t have the voucher.

I probably wouldn’t invite others to join my partner and I when we have a voucher and just arrange different plans another time just to not complicate things.

Yes, just say you have used it. Then pay cash and keep the voucher..

I think it depends how clear couple A was about it.

If they are clear in advance that they want to go to this specific restaurant because they have a voucher and can offer £25 off Couple B’s food then it’s up to Couple B to either accept or decline on that basis and is cheeky to ask for it to be split.

If Couple A just whip out a voucher at the restaurant, I would feel a bit blindsided as Couple B.

How did you invite them along- was it "oh we have a 100 voucher for restaurant do you want to join us?"

If you asked them to join you, with the implication that you were sharing the voucher, then I think its implied that you would split the payable excess 50/50 (or all choose dishes that were in budget so that there was no excess). Obviously that is a very generous thing to do, and you are under no obligation to do so. But if you don't want to share the voucher, then I wouldn't use the voucher when out with other people, I'd just go as a couple to use it.

It might well be that this restaurant is not somewhere the other couple would have chosen if it was not for your voucher - especially if it is very expensive and out of their budget. It's a bit much to land them with an expensive bill because you want to use your freebie to yourself.

Perhaps change the venue for this meal out to somewhere you don't have a voucher for and split the bill in the normal way, and then use the voucher for yourselves another time.

I think in this instance the voucher couple should go alone and invite couple B to join them on another occasion. Saves any awkwardness

Uninvite Couple B.

I think couple A were not thinking much. Why mention the voucher at all? Why 'invite' another couple? Couple A aren't hosting so why the unnecessary 'fanfare' of the voucher. Messy, clunky, awkward. All useful words to describe what couple A has wrought.

What is the usual arrangement when you/couple A meets with couple B to eat out?

The only way out of this is to give couple B the cash to put towards their meal (in the amount you/couple A said they would) - and then do not split, pay for yourselves by couple.

The better way would be to cancel, couple A use their voucher on their own and then meet up with couple B on an equal footing.

We have a similar voucher and will not be asking anyone else along! TBH its your gift, and not anyone elses .It would seem to me to be impolite to ask someone along and expect them to pay for themselves !