To think you don’t get out of paying the bill because you don’t drink?

[ThatHardyWaspAgain]

I’m sure this has been done many times before by people in similar scenarios.

I went out for a bit of lunch with two friend’s and one of them brought another friend along that I’ve never met but was nice enough.

However, when it came to the bill, she said ‘’Can we please calculate it all with the alcohol you’ve had separately paid for? Because I only had classical cokes’’

So, we did as she asked. Added up everything but removed the drinks. So 3 of us paid for our drinks in a split, and then did another split for the rest with her and her food and classical colas.

The annoying bit is, she had 3 of them. And they weren’t really much different in price to most of our alcohol.

We all had the same roast and mango cheesecake.

I wouldn’t mind but she kept insisting we all had a dessert so she didn’t feel alone in having one. We’re adults after all but it is a bit annoying

Separate thread to come to see if I would be U to tell my friend not to bring her along again

She also didn’t tip.

If someone is being invited then that's by the host and the host is paying. Problem solved then.

Meeting up with people for a meal where everyone pays for themselves requires no invitation because it isn't one.

Why are you taking this so personally that you need to be rude and make unfounded assumptions about somebody you don't know?

I have a group of friends that have always split our bills when we go out for dinner. One friend, let’s call her Alison was a very big drinker, ordered multiple bottles of wine, always had a cocktail and a floater coffee to finish-we always split the bill evenly (even though often someone wasn’t drinking for one reason or another), no one made any comment about it, just a happy, friendly thing to do.
Alison has recently given up all alcohol following an illness (not alcohol related). She has been extremely evangelical about this and tells everyone constantly how bad alcohol is (which I don’t doubt) this has been a bit annoying as there’s always now a big fuss if the bar/restaurant doesn’t have alcohol free wine.
Anyway, we all recently went for dinner and Alison had several alcohol free beers and an alcohol free cocktail. She also had extra sides. When the bill arrived Alison insisted that as she hadn’t had any alcohol the bill should be split by what each person had eaten/drunk.
Her bill was considerably higher than everyone else’s (mostly because she had more items). The look on her face was a picture!

No OP, YNBU. You've all paid towards her coke bill and she knows it

pisses me off when I'm out for dinner (I don't drink) and fiends have couple of glasses of wine - and then split the bill equally. However, friendship is more important to me then saving couple of quid.

It’s simple really. You should’ve added up your drinks and split between the drinkers, then added up her cokes and told her she needed to pay for her non alcoholic drinks.. I wouldn’t have added the cokes to the bill that was split….
f splitting the bill I believe drinks shouldn’t be added to the tab .. she should’ve ordered and paid for her own drinks separately!
if she comes again simply say at the start that everyone is to pay for their own drinks to avoid people paying for cokes they didn’t have!

You should have taken off all the drinks, she pays for the cokes, the rest pay for the alcohol. No big deal.

This is the exact reason why I always ask for a separate bill when I go out with friends. Then I can either be as lavish or as stingy as I want, knowing that I’m only paying for myself anyway.

If I was just drinking water or something I'd want to split. But for the small difference. I might have argued she had a set budget, but if she could afford pud...

Or you can just ask for seperate bills at the start before ordering. Job done, no counting no discussions

So someone who earns minimum wage and does their job properly goes out to eat in a restaurant where they are expected to pay someone ( who earns the same as them) extra money to do THIER job properly? Crazy

It's really weird that you didn't split the bill so she paid for her her cokes.

People who work in 24 hours garages do. As well as people in fast food restaurants. And shelf stackers in the supermarket. None of them get tips

YANBU but why on earth didn’t you take the cost of her cokes off too and get her to pay for them separately? Plus then she’d have looked like an idiot when she realised her drinks bill was only £2 cheaper.

I can’t believe she had three cokes over lunch…that’s soooooo many calories!

I don't know if you are BU or not, but I do know she wouldn't be invited again.

I think some people feel so virtuous and superior if they don’t drink alcohol that they genuinely expect others should subsidise whatever non-alcoholic drinks they indulge in (and 3 full sugar cokes is deffo indulgent!)

Split it to include her 3 cokes.

Anybody who refers to a non-drinker as being 'virtuous and superior' obviously has a problem with their own alcohol consumption.

Nobody gives a hoot what you drink, live and let live.

Sounds like you have "issues" about those who chose not to drink alcohol. Nothing "virtuous and superior" about not actually liking the taste of alcoholic drinks.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe

i don’t give a shit when I’m out with friends if they don’t drink alcohol. If they neck three cokes and expect the drinkers to pay then I do give a shit! Big difference.

Missing the point of the thread but who could drink 3 cokes with food. Blergh.

Then what's the 'virtuous and superior' about? Your post doesn't make sense if that's what you actually meant.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe

im just speculating as to what on earth OP’s friends thought process was to try to get out of paying for her three cokes!

I'm still not getting it, sorry. What's virtuous/superior about drinking cokes or not drinking them? Regardless of who pays for them?

My interpretation of your first post was that people who don't drink alcohol are behaving as they're virtuous and superior. That as why I posted. I don't drink alcohol, I don't like it. It doesn't make me virtuous or superior.

No. People with your attitude were THE worst, most entitled customers I served when I worked in restaurants as a student.

A tip is for extra vare and attention, not the level of service minimum wage gets you.