to expect my pals to pay for themselves at a meal for MY birthday?

[jeangenie]

have invited 5 couples out next w/e to celebrate my bday. Know them all fairly well, 3 of them VERY well and two quite well. I never even thought anyone would expect me to pay until I read a thread on here today.

Bloody hell, is this going to be awkward? I can't afford to pay for them all...

(nobody has ever paid my bill when I've been out to celebrate a bday, but then I haven't done that many)

[SaintsFever]

A close group of my friends have always gone out for a meal, we all pay for our except the birthday person and we split there's between us. Or occasionally one friend might not have been able to buy a present so they pay for themselves and birthday person and the meal is the present.

I've never come across the birthday person paying for everyone, bizarre to me as well

[SimoneD]

Ive just been out for a meal with 10 friends for my bday. Everyone paid for their own meal. Agree that its bizarre that anyone would expect the birthday girl to pay for everyone. I have never experienced this, ever.
If anything I would be more likely to expect people to chip in for the birthday girl/boy and pay for their meal. Thats what I do for my parents and sister.