Bill Splitter

[Queynte13]

AIBU to think that the person who suggests splitting a bill evenly is usually the person who benefits from it the most?

Went out for a meal last night. I was driving so I wasn't drinking. I've not been very well lately, which means I'm struggling to eat large amounts so I just had a starter and a side dish. Genuinely not a budgetary issue, I didn't even finish all my food.

The others at the table were drinking bottles of Prosecco and pints.

The bill comes and someone says "that's £30 each". Mine came to £10! This person was drinking and I noticed their portion of the bill was the highest out of everyone (others refused to split evenly in the end).

The worst bit was that everyone scarpered and the waitress returned to the table and told me the bill was short!

@Winemewhynot

I’m happy to pay individual or split, but money isn’t an issue. What I hate is when people agree to split and then quietly seethe and come ranting on here about it, if you’re happy use you’re mouth and speak up! Stop being such a passive Polly!

When I've seen similar threads, I've always thought I'd speak up. I'm not passive usually. But when you're in the situation, completely sober, and a stranger is telling you you owe £30, it's not that easy to say no. I didn't want to cause a fuss on my friends night, in front of her friends and family.

So many times I have been for a meal where there has been shared bread/wine/olives or whatever, and the same couple every time conveniently forget they had any of that, or just add on £2 for two glasses of wine when the bottle was £20. Then we’re short at the end and everyone has put in another couple of pounds. I hate it, the going over the bill down to the last penny spoils the meal for me.

Yep, got stung like this a few years ago one of our table was drinking wine like water had one of the most expensive steaks on the menu and then said let's split the bill...I spoke up and said its ok we can pay for our own ,one lady who I never met before was pg and only spent £7:50 .
I ended up bending to pressure and forked out the £15 extra, and was made to feel like crap the rest of the night...never seen them since despite texts of 'we must get together again" bugger that !

I've always found this strange when I was living in the UK TBH.

I'm from Canada. The bill comes to the table already pre divided per person with a cumulative total at the end. So there may be 6 small bills numbered throughout with what each has and then the grand total should someone be treating the group. Or you can easily work it out by couple. No awkwardness. When they type it in the system they just type it under Person 1, Person 2 etc. No extra work.

Seems fairer in my opinion?

I'm liking the app ordering we are doing now on the back of the Covid restrictions. Makes it so much easier to pay for your own food and drink

I always split equally unless I have a steak or something and I’ll put a few quid in extra although it tends to get given back to me so gets added to the tip

I did have dinner a few times with a couple I’d known for years. Bill (him again) came and I was asked for x amount. I thought bloody hell that’s expensive. 2nd time I thought the same again

On the 3rd time (over many months) I asked to see the bill. Turns out for them 2 and me they were charging me 50% of the total. They really couldn’t see this was wrong. I had a chat with them 🤣

@MeadowLines

Why are you all sitting there with calculators? When you ask for the bill or go up to pay, you ask to pay individually. You may have to tell them what you've had, but then the server tells you how much you owe. I dont understand all this clutching pearls and overpaying. I am generally the less well off person, or one of then, and I dont want people subsidising my meal or paying for it all because they dont have the patience to wait an extra minute for a individual bill. You may be able to afford it, but I am not a charity case that needs an affluent friend to pay and cover up any awkwardness they create because Im not willing to pay for some of their meal!!

Again, that’s they dynamics of your friendship group not mine. None of us would see the kindness of a friend as awkward or a charity case. I’ve been the poor one, especially when my children were small and I was on yet another maternity leave, and my friends often treated me to lunch or dinner. Now that I have spare money again, I’ll happily pay for theirs. But then we’ve paid for each other to go on holiday before, and would happily do so again. We see money as something lovely to be able to spread around. 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Queynte13 I think being sober would spur me on to say’ sorry but no, I’ve not been drinking, I’ll just pay for what I’ve had thanks’

I get it being awkward with it being someone you don’t know but I wouldn’t let a stranger take advantage of me.

@KatherineJaneway

If you only want to pay for your own dishes, you need to say this at the beginning of the meal in my experience. That way no one gets upset or pissed off or thinks you'll pay for their steak and champagne while you have salad and water.

Sorry but the onus is on the champagne and steak consumers to not be dicks and get a cheaper meal.

@Sparklingbrook

Why are you all sitting there with calculators

Well it's phones in my case but because it's quicker for 12 people to add up their bill than one server to add up 12 bills. Speed mainly.

Yes I agree, I wonder what is wrong with people who are baffled by the mechanics of calculating bills. You pass the Bill down the table or you have a the person who is beat at maths to say "Sandra owes £13, Steve owes £22" etc

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop why should someone order cheaper because they're out in a group? If they're happy to pay they can order 3 bottles of champagne. What an odd idea

Depends on thd friends! I have friends and we gently argue over splitting the bill in order to not underpay!!

So they'll point out they had an extra beer, but then I'll point out we had an extra side, but they had a more expensive main, but we had an extra pint of soft drink. Its a much nicer way if arguing over a bill. Once we did splint every penny equally and it was about 40p difference so I we usually split it.

We do have friends we don't split with mind as we've been stung before by them!

@OnTheBoardwalk

I'm liking the app ordering we are doing now on the back of the Covid restrictions. Makes it so much easier to pay for your own food and drink

I always split equally unless I have a steak or something and I’ll put a few quid in extra although it tends to get given back to me so gets added to the tip

I did have dinner a few times with a couple I’d known for years. Bill (him again) came and I was asked for x amount. I thought bloody hell that’s expensive. 2nd time I thought the same again

On the 3rd time (over many months) I asked to see the bill. Turns out for them 2 and me they were charging me 50% of the total. They really couldn’t see this was wrong. I had a chat with them 🤣

Cheeky fuckers

@TheLovleyChebbyMcGee

Depends on thd friends! I have friends and we gently argue over splitting the bill in order to not underpay!!

So they'll point out they had an extra beer, but then I'll point out we had an extra side, but they had a more expensive main, but we had an extra pint of soft drink. Its a much nicer way if arguing over a bill. Once we did splint every penny equally and it was about 40p difference so I we usually split it.

We do have friends we don't split with mind as we've been stung before by them!

My friends are mainly like this. I usually only suggest to split the bill if I know my friend isn’t as well off as me so I pay more. Which makes me sound like an utter tosser but some of them have suffered financially during lockdown whereas I haven’t.

[quote Nohomemadecandles]@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop why should someone order cheaper because they're out in a group? If they're happy to pay they can order 3 bottles of champagne. What an odd idea[/quote]
I didn't say they should order cheaper, I said they should make it known if they want to split the Bill - especially if they are planning to order expensive things I fusing 3 bottle of champagne

Sorry but the onus is on the champagne and steak consumers to not be dicks and get a cheaper meal

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop that's exactly what you said!

I would always split the bill - if someone doesn't drink I would knock £10-20 off their bill. I've been caught by people working out their bills, chucking what they think is their contribution down and leaving, only to find out that they have underestimated and not bothered to add service, leaving a few of us to cover for them.

[quote honeylulu]@LunaBunaTuna

Yes, I'd forgotten this but CF dad (see above) would also use the tips people put in to offset the bill so he always paid the least and the staff ended up with no tip. Another reason why we started to pay at the bar for what we'd had.[/quote]
@honeylulu

That’s just awful behaviour and I can’t understand the mentality, behind it. It’s clearly deliberate and not a just case of ‘oh, I just forgot, silly old me!’

I have been in the position of splitting equally, or paying individually or - most commonly, an adjustment. So it’s not unusual for us to split the food and soft drinks equally but then split the alcohol only between those who were drinking.

However - I have never been the only one left at the table, at the end of a group evening, before the payment is totally finalised.

@Nohomemadecandles I meant if they absolutely insist on splitting they should get a cheaper meal. People can order what they like providing they're gonna pay for it.

Use words and say "no. Mine comes to a tenner" and nobody leaves until the bill is done.

People who just pay for their own often forget to calculate their share of the bottle of water, bread/olives and service charge. The bill ends up short.
I'm not a bill splitter - but have frequently been forced to fork out £10 - £15 over and above what I've spent. I'd rather just pay one at a time - unless I'm hosting.

@Cocomarine

I have been in the position of splitting equally, or paying individually or - most commonly, an adjustment. So it’s not unusual for us to split the food and soft drinks equally but then split the alcohol only between those who were drinking.

However - I have never been the only one left at the table, at the end of a group evening, before the payment is totally finalised.

I don't really know how it happened. People just got up and went outside (to smoke, I think) without waiting for everyone to pay. The last two women to pay wanted to check that I'd not paid the extra as suggested by the other person so we were sat chatting while they paid. One of them then asked the waitress to check so maybe she suspected something. I didn't ask. The waitress said it was short so I gave her what I'd left for the tip.

In my experience people who pay for themselves often underestimate. Not always, but often people pay for their food and underestimate what soft drinks cost (less than alcohol but they’re usually not cheap) and don’t leave a tip. For that reason if not splitting I think people ought to wait till the bill is sorted before leaving, if possible.

Sometimes though - and this is partly just a devil's advocate point - if youwere to go to a restaurant and order a galss of water and a starter they wouldn't serve you. No restaurant can survive on that. They'll only allow Ms Tap Water and Salad for dinner because the other eight people at the table have spent £40 a head. (Like people who go to dinner with others and bring a bottle of "what I'm drinking" - eg water - and think that's fair while they happily tuck into a prawn starter, steak main and chocolate pudding!!)