The cheapskate should move to Germany.

It’s pretty normal there to pay just your part of the bill, and tell the waiter/waitress what you had (often they can even remember which were your drinks/dishes).

Annoyed me a bit when we’d be out elsewhere, but with German people and they’d want to try to pay less cos they had 3 starters rather than a main, but had an extra beer or something that they forgot about, so actually owed more than they thought.  Would have been far easier to pay a single tab and chip in 50/50.

The separate tabs does help though for those that have to expense or items meals etc. on their business travel claim (with the added faff of making sure the alcohol is not on the tab cos the company won’t reimburse that bit).  We just get a fixed amount per day to cover whatever when on business.

This is not something I do very often as I never go out with work folk. However I do remember on time when it was clear sorting the bill was going to cause issues. someone suggested equal splits, someone said the didn’t have a starter ( people with hugely different incomes) so what I did was state Ok x each for mains, y extra for puddings / starters, Everybody chuck me some money, here is my £25. ( well more than my share) . I got more than enough for the bill, no one was unhappy, no one quibbled over a couple of £

I think the critical thing is to be clear and to try to be fair, If yo have had disproportionately different amounts of food / drink the equal splits is not fair. Quibbling over pennies is just tedious. Make up something that addresses both.

but what a silly thing to do

go on then…why?

In Kiwiland in the more casual eating places (which is most of them) everyone goes to the counter and hands their card over, tells the staff member their table number and what they had, and pays. No drama. But then it is also the land where tipping is considered an insult, so it all works.

In UK – I always think if there is a big table, agree how the bill will be paid in advance or ordering to stop any petty behaviour.

And yes – if people are dicks don’t eat with them again!

My pet peeve is couples who think that if one of them buys a round, that’s their turn over, and they only have to buy one round.

go on then…why?

Errr! Read the thread.

I cant remember the last time I went out for a meal with a group of mates ..but in that scenario what TJ suggested makes perfect sense ..
most of the meals we have had out recently have been large ( extended to include boyfriends/ girlfriends of our offspring) family meals where the two sides of the family ( my missus’s sister is also her best mate) just split it down the middle..no arguments from me on that score..they are so irregular happenings ..why spoil a good night out by being stingy.

Yup I’ve seen the starters and mains split between those that had them too.

I had a mate who – once he knew the bill would be split – would order the most expensive meal on the menu, side orders and loads of fizz/wine/everything.

Every time. Without fail. Great.

I know a guy always first out the taxi but holds the door to be last in the pub, he is tighter than a ducks arse. His partner is the opposite and always helps folk out but he orders the most expensive items on the menu and nips up to the bar a few extra drinks on the tab chucked down his throat if the bill is split equal, however when it suits him every penny is accounted for but everyone knows how greedy he is other than his partner

How many of the ‘splitters’ check the total? Or do you just assume it’s correct?

I ask because back in my student days a group of us (perhaps 8-10 mates) had a christmas meal, everyone chucked in what they thought they owed but it was nearly £100 short. After the most sober person going through the menu and adding up, we couldn’t understand why. We had to request an itemised bill which they staff were reluctant to hand over. Turned out they’d rung through a glass of coke for nearly £100! Had we just split the total we may never have found out.

Do you know the same guy reggie?

How many of the ‘splitters’ check the total? Or do you just assume it’s correct?

Why would splitting the bill mean you wouldn’t check it?

Why would splitting the bill mean you wouldn’t check it?

In our case the ‘bill’ presented was just the total, we had to ask for the breakdown in order to check it. Had we simply taken the total and divided by the number of people we’d have been done for £100.

This was some time ago now when bills like this were typically pain in cash. If I were cynical I’d be thinking it would have been very easy for a member of staff to make a tidy sum like this. How many large, drunk, groups would have noticed?

There was a restaurant in Edinburgh famous for this – work do – everyone kicked in and just over £50 short. The other manager and I were scratching our heads and digging into our wallets – then checked the bill again and sure enough they had charged 2 x £27.50 instead of 2 X £2.75. They just shrugged when we pointed it out and updated the bill. I got the impression this was routine stuff and a lot of people had the same story when I asked around. Its fraud really.

I have a fairly simple rule – any messing about at the end of the meal around who pays what & I’ll never eat out with them again. Life is too short for that sort of nonsense.

I have the same rule 👍. This is ok though.

Ask at the start to run your own tab.

Especially if You’ve got one if these, in fact then it becomes compulsory.

“Sirloin steak, extra fries, onion rings, peppercorn sauce, side of garlic bread and a Pellegrino”

*Pictures a pikey in a suit 👀

“Oil floy ya for a foyva”

If everyone orders similar amounts then split equally.
If some are drinking lots, and others not. Then pay for what you order.

When I was about 23 I went out with a group who were quite heavy drinkers (4 – 5 drinks during dinner). I’d have one soft drink and they wanted to split the bill. I wasn’t prepared to pay £45 when I only ordered £15 worth.

In my experience going out with mates is usually fine, it’s when you go to a do where the birthday girl has invited her sister, nephew, hairdresser and a couple of mates from work that you get the “I’ve eaten the entire menu and sunk two bottles of wine, let’s all split the bill equally” argument. Usually when I’ve had a bowl of soup or a plate of chips.

I don’t particularly want to subsidise a vague acquaintance’s meal, nor do I expect them to pay for mine. It’s all well and good if you’re flush but typically you’ve got people of mixed incomes at the table and those coppering up, there’s probably a reason for it. Not everyone is a company director.

For my part, where practical I keep drinks off the bill and order / pay separately at the bar, and will roughly tot up what I’ve eaten and round up. So your £17.38 in the OP, I’d chuck in £20 or £25 and then leave the rest of the table to squabble about the rest. That covers a tip, any rounding errors I’ve made or one twelfth of a chutney tray, and anyone else who’s a couple of quid lean.

Just for the record, the not buying a round girl never does. Mrs got the first round in at the pub and she even said awww, we should be getting you this, it’s your birthday 😬

Always seems to find money to stick up her nose though

Sounds like quite a catch. Is she single?

In Kiwiland in the more casual eating places (which is most of them) everyone goes to the counter and hands their card over, tells the staff member their table number and what they had, and pays. No drama

Having worked in a restaurant for a long while, I can tell you that, without fail, doing this in the UK will leave the last one to pay with at least 2 extra drinks and sides, if sides were shared, every single shared side will remain unclaimed until the very end.

Unless folks know its been widely disparate split the bill x ways, if you know a huge chunk of the bill is yours chuck in extra then split what’s left, if someone continuously takes the piss don’t invite them again.

I’ve got to wonder though OP how the bill ended up at 29 a head yet at least one person (possibly 3) thinking they’d spent only marginally more than half that. Something is rotten in the state

Had we simply taken the total and divided by the number of people we’d have been done for £100.

Surely noticing an extra say £20 each you’d notice it, even £10?

It’s not entirely possible some places try it on, I’ve seen food or drinks we’ve not ordered added before in various group sizes from 2 of us to large groups. Always been corrected and the odd time with extra taken off for the inconvenience.

That is the problem with fancy dining.

If you go to a Wetherspoons you can each pay separately and enjoy your meal and drinks knowing there is no bill at the end of the night to argue over.

Which Edinburgh restaurant?

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Bistromathics

Bistromathics is the most powerful computational force known to parascience. A major step up from the Infinite Improbability Drive, Bistromathics is a way of understanding the behavior of numbers. Just as Einstein observed that time was not an absolute, but depended on the observer’s movement through space, so it was realized that numbers are not absolute, but depend on the observer’s movement in restaurants.

I miss Douglas Adams almost every day.

Reminds me of my ex.
Embarrassing.

Count it as a life lesson and don’t bother going out with that group anymore

any decent group of mates, I’d just divvy up equally, have done many times no complaints

other groups containing known shirkers, make it crystal upfront what I’m paying for, round it up a bit and then say (as aP) ‘that’s mine/ours plus a bit for the tip’

Bill splitters tend to be the ones that start ordering bottles of wine.
A good friend is very astute to this and when out with him he’s ready to point out if there needs to be a split correction done for those not drinking etc. He’s still the one ordering the wine though and will typically pony up extra for his indulgence.
Bill splitting invariably taints the night for someone. Avoid.
Fortunately with multi person meals, modern pos systems allow split billing. Decent servers can figure out dynamics too.

At uni I had a friend who insisited on keeping the menu at restuarants, and took a pen notepad and calculator with her so she could keep track of who ordered what. I took great delight in ordering something and then asking to change it, and generally trying to confuse her system, as it never worked (she was poor at using a calculator it seems) and took all the joy out of a meal out. Got to the point that we went out with different friends…

In the far east if you are the one inviting (organising) others for a meal, drinks etc, you are expected to pay for all. Others will try to chip in but you have to make it clear in advance that you are paying for “1st round” and they pay for the extra whatever later on. As long as you make it clear there is no misunderstanding. The rule of thumb is that the person who invites is the person who pays. For me I inform them in advance I would pay for myself as if I don’t feel comfortable for others to pay for me. However, if you invite others but then ask them to split the bill later on that can be perceived as very rude. Nobody will go out with you in future. Also men are expected to pay and Not women unless we are all classmates or good friends. Nothing sexist about this as the women expect this too because of the custom/tradition/belief etc whatever.

Here in the UK I usually pay more of the share bill say if the bill is £25 per person I would give £30 (should include the 10% tips), and it will be up to the person to give me whatever change back to me as I am not bothered if I get change or not. Life is too short to be exact. For simplicity sake we usually split the bill equally but I am fine with that even when some order more than me. In my mind I have already factored in to pay extra after all we are friends.

Bill splitters tend to be the ones that start ordering bottles of wine.

Funny thing is that I noticed that too on few occasions. In one of my Italian colleague “leaving do”, a guy did that. I couldn’t be bothered so just paid accordingly but the Italian colleague pointed that to him about his wine. 😄

p/s: Oh ya … in the far east if you ask for the bill then you are expected to pay for all unless you have made it clear before that.

go on then…why?

Errr! Read the thread.

done that. that’s why I posted.

In Canada and other countries I expect when you ask for the bill the server (that’s a waitperson) asks if you want to split the bill. Then each person gets and pays their own bill. It’s great and takes out all the aggravation and irritation of eating in a group with different tastes and budgets.

done that. that’s why I posted.

So you read the bit that says I prefer to split the bill?

So you read the bit that says I prefer to split the bill?

edit… I can’t be bothered

The Patio, downstairs Italian place on Hanover St. This was many years ago I don’t think it is there any more.

The only rule I try to stick to after being burned a few times, is don’t be the person who has to sort the bill out.
I’m happy with any split or actuals approach, but sorting the bill is always fraught.

it depends , my last family meal out, i paid, and sent the receipt to siblings, they all paid within 24 hours, split my mums bill and added 10% tip, i actually was up a few quid :0)

usually split, i prefer going out with just mates, a beer is a set price whereas wifes and females drinking cocktails can really rack up a bill,

In general, just divvy it up equally (with correction for non-drinkers if appropriate). Nothing sucks the joy out of an occasion like a down-to-the-pence cost breakdown.

However in this case I smell a rat (insert curry joke here):

Mrs STR went out for a birthday curry last night with a few girls…

£29 each to split.

One girl counts out her ‘share’ of £17.38 exactly, another mother and (adult) daughter tried chipping in £30 for the pair of them.

How many is a few ?

At least three of them thought that they’d had ~£15 worth. Either they were wrong, or the remainder spent considerably more than the £29 each.

Sounds like some were taking the piss. (In which case, the system breaks down: I’ll pay for what I’ve had and the rest of you sort it out…).

It depends who I’m with to how I approach this. I have school friends that I don’t see often, but we always end up going for Indian food. I always drive so end up water or coke whilst they’re drinking alcohol. I have no problem splitting the bill and often end up having money thrown back at me as I give them a lift home.

We have other friends who I approach the same way if it’s just the lads, but always go solo when the partners are out. They’re sponges, every night out turns in to a competition to see who can get smashed fastest where both Sarah and I are much more moderate drinkers (read boring 🙂 ). Always go on our own tab on those nights out.

I have a fairly simple rule – any messing about at the end of the meal around who pays what & I’ll never eat out with them again. Life is too short for that sort of nonsense.

Agreed.

Try not to hang around with tight arses. They’re an absolute night-mare…

It should be what goes around comes around but some people are penny pinchers.* And put pence above friendship. It says a lot about their character.

(Genuinely less well-off people excluded.)