To think you don’t do this when someone is taking you out for a meal…?

[greedyguts18]

DH took his sister out for dinner to celebrate her birthday at the weekend - it was a nice restaurant so he knew it wouldn’t be cheap but his sister ended up ordering the most expensive food items on the menu & had 8 cocktails at £20 a go!!!

The meal ended up costing hundreds and hundreds of pounds - so much so that I’ve had to bail him out so he could get through the rest of the month.

If someone is treating me to a meal, I always make sure I don’t choose the most expensive thing on the menu - surely this is just basic manners ?!

AIBU? Or was she really grabby to do that ?

Loads of nice-ish places are over £20 a cocktail tbf
quaglinos is average priced nowadays

place I was at a few weeks ago was 20-30 minimum.

cocktail prices have risen!

You missed 8 cocktails. Of course he could not afford 8 cocktails plus other expensive items. But he and Op have been able to have a dinner in £200 in same restaurant but this time sister had just her drinks worth that amount.

True, I would be too sozzled to enjoy all the nice food after 8 cocktails. Why didn’t your DP refuse to buy her any more after about 4 of those?!

Sounds a great night!

For sister 😉

But those are real cocktails with 2/3 measures in, not the sort you can down 8 of over dinner

£400 for 1 meal for 2 people!! Yes she is cheeky but your DH should have reined her in. I certainly would not be subsidising him now so tell him to ask for a contribution from her as it was so expensive and he now has no money. What on earth was he thinking?

What did he have while she had 8 cocktails? Are you sure he didn't have 4 of them and is now blaming it on his sister?

Right! I'd be in the hospital

I would tend not to order the most expensive items unless the host was, but on the other hand I think if you take someone out, then you should assume that they might. If that's over budget, then you go somewhere cheaper or be up-front: "we could go to PoshHouse but we'll need to stick to the set menu".
I think that, especially with a sibling, it's fair enough to say "this is the last cocktail on me - if you want more you'll have to pay for them".

I always follow Dorothy Parker's lead when it comes to cocktails;

I like to have a martini
Two at the very most
After three I'm under the table
After four I'm under my host.

I actually cannot get over the 8 bloody cocktails.
maybe she was going out after because that is so insane. 8 drinks at dinner, madness

Yanbu. Sister was rude. How old is she? I’m wondering if she doesn’t normally go to expensive places and got carried away. Is he her older brother, so a dynamic where he looks after her a bit? I think she should be embarrassed. 8 cocktails is greedy and wasteful

I’m with you, OP. I don’t consciously think about it but if I’m being treated there’s usually an element of, ‘if I want the pricy main that’s got the biggest supplement on it, I’ll maybe not get the most expensive starter’. I’ll join them if they’re having wine and maybe split a bottle but if they’re having a beer, I’d probably do the same or only have a small glass of wine with my meal.

I basically would let them lead and set the tone as they’re paying.

I have to ask, though, did your other half invite it, maybe? If I was treating my bro, I might say, “Remember, tonight’s my treat, don’t worry about it, order whatever you like - go nuts!” I wouldn’t then be annoyed when he was ploughing through the lobster linguine on his fourth bottle of wine. I would set the expectations at the beginning, if I knew I couldn’t afford a blowout.

Really cheeky. I think rather than being angry , you should maybe just not bail him out

Agree with your point, but you're a bit optimistic about the Ivy!
https://ivy-menus.theloyaltyco.app/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/The-Ivy-West-Street-Drinks-List.pdf

So she thinks he has more money than he has? Or he's done this before? Or she's a p-taker....

Next year you know what she deserves - McDs or a chicken bucket 🤣🤣🤣

it seems odd to me that they are obviously close, otherwise they wouldn't be going out just the 2 of them, and yet they are not close enough for him to say ' you are going to have to pay for all these cocktails at £20 a throw". Why is he taking her out to such a flash place if she is a lush who is just going to get sick? All seems a bit off to me . . .

Have you seen the bill? The card payment on his account? Are you sure it was just the two of them? Sounds veery suspish sorry

You both have learned a lesson. Next year it’s nothing fancier than lunch at Cote.

They are both in the wrong. The sister was taking the P but your husband should have set some boundaries/ a limit.

I would be really careful this doesn't happen again and he's expecting you to end up bailing him out another time.

Hang on, so she drank 160 of booze, and the bill was over 400? And he just drank beer. That makes no sense, he clearly was doing his fair share of the consuming,

What a horrible cow! I’d never do that to my
brother.

Jesus do you want proof of the itemised receipt or something. OP already said she ordered the most expensive food on the menu. She could have also ordered starters, desserts etc.
I like how some of you are trying to twist the fault on to the man as per usual.

She was being unreasonable but why the hell did he not say after the second cocktail (jokey voice)” better make that your last one or I’ll go broke at £20 a cocktail. I’m generous but not that generous”. Seriously he shouldn’t have let her carry on ordering drinks if he couldn’t afford to pay for it.