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)

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

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.