How do you manage the bill at a restaurant

[Callen]

...when out with friends. Used to be my husband and I leaned to splitting the bill but in the last few years we have asked for separate bills. I want what I want and when splitting the bill I tended to keep my choices on the less expensive side. Now if I want the lobster, I'm ordering the lobster! Unless of course we are dining out with the kids...then Daddy picks up the tab.

 

[Mr Person]

Generally, splitting. But if it's a situation like we're drinking and they're not, I say 'hey why don't we just get separate checks.'

I don't want to dickishly make them pay for my booze, and if I want a manhattan I want a manhattan, dammit

 

[Callen]

Generally, splitting. But if it's a situation like we're drinking and they're not, I say 'hey why don't we just get separate checks.'

I don't want to dickishly make them pay for my booze, and if I want a manhattan I want a manhattan, dammit

For me it's a martini, damnit!

 

[Lutherf]

Depends on who I'm out with and why. Separate checks tends to be better with multiple couples but if I invite the others out then I buy. If they invite me out then I kind of expect them to buy.

 

[Allan]

...when out with friends. Used to be my husband and I leaned to splitting the bill but in the last few years we have asked for separate bills. I want what I want and when splitting the bill I tended to keep my choices on the less expensive side. Now if I want the lobster, I'm ordering the lobster! Unless of course we are dining out with the kids...then Daddy picks up the tab.

Restaurants these days can easily separate bills at their POS. That's what we do.

 

[phoenix2020]

...when out with friends. Used to be my husband and I leaned to splitting the bill but in the last few years we have asked for separate bills. I want what I want and when splitting the bill I tended to keep my choices on the less expensive side. Now if I want the lobster, I'm ordering the lobster! Unless of course we are dining out with the kids...then Daddy picks up the tab.

It depends on the situation.

If for example it's a monthly lunch with friends, then we usually rotate who pays the bill.

If it's a one off then usually we'll split it, or tweak depending on the number of people in each party, but if it's a larger number of paying parties (e.g. more than 2) then one or more parties may simply put cash on the table (for others to take & pay by card) to reduce the cognitive burden on the wait staff.

 

[noonereal]

...when out with friends. Used to be my husband and I leaned to splitting the bill but in the last few years we have asked for separate bills. I want what I want and when splitting the bill I tended to keep my choices on the less expensive side. Now if I want the lobster, I'm ordering the lobster! Unless of course we are dining out with the kids...then Daddy picks up the tab.

No bill splitting. No "you had this I had that" bullshit.

 

[Mr Person]

For me it's a martini, damnit!

Oh, agreed. It depends on what I'm getting.

I don't really care about matching wine, but if I'm going to have clams and/or oysters with the appetizers, I want a martini for that, at least.

 

[Callen]

No bill splitting. No "you had this I had that" bullshit.

I didn't mean that nightmare. I meant two couples dividing the bill in half vs each getting their own bill.

 

[Mr Person]

Shit, this reminds me of college and why I simply stopped going on certain outings. This was as craft beers were finally becoming a thing. There was this place - I think "Sunset Grill" - in MA. Bit of a chain, but around the greater boston area. There were one or two mooches who would have some money, but would always say "oh, gee, err... I don't have enough. Can someone bum me the rest?"

To the extent I agreed, I made sure they paid me back in weed. "If I do this, you're pulling me and me alone aside for X bowls' worth".


And then I just stopped borrowing.

 

[Moon]

...when out with friends. Used to be my husband and I leaned to splitting the bill but in the last few years we have asked for separate bills. I want what I want and when splitting the bill I tended to keep my choices on the less expensive side. Now if I want the lobster, I'm ordering the lobster! Unless of course we are dining out with the kids...then Daddy picks up the tab.

Separate checks usually seems to work best.

 

[marduc]

Restaurants these days can easily separate bills at their POS. That's what we do.

If you let them know how the checks are to be split at the beginning of the visit they can ring it up that way from the onset and it is effortless at the end. Now, if one waits until the very end of the meal and says "me and my wife on the other end of the table are together", things start to get muddy.

If we are not covering the entire check, or have someone tell us that they will get it.. then it always is separate checks, that way we can order whatever we want and not have remorse if we run up our specific bill.

 

[noonereal]

I didn't mean that nightmare. I meant two couples dividing the bill in half vs each getting their own bill.

No bill splitting.

Someone picks it up. Period, end of story.

 

[Rexedgar]

I’m with whomever stated separate checks so that I can enjoy what I want.

 

[Ganondagan]

Separate checks usually. I pay if the other couples are guests invited by me.

 

[phoenix2020]

I think the inclinations of the people involved also matter. For example when I have regular dinner with friends, if we're all gainfully employed and fairly well to do, none of us are going to sweat five or ten dollars in one direction or another, it's noise. On the other hand when I have dinner with my sister, it's her nature to watch every penny (which is fine) so I know specify separate checks right at the beginning.

 

[Demon]

Seperate checks. Much easier.

 

[Fabiusbile]

It's simple for me... Many years ago, I made duplicate cards of my accounts for my wife and she uses them freely. Accordingly, almost all expenses are paid with these cards.
In my family, there is no concept of "my" money, "her" money. Of course, she earns a lot less than me, especially in the last couple of years. But I've never asked her to work.

 

[Lursa]

No bill splitting.

Someone picks it up. Period, end of story.

Yeah...that only happens once. (And they can pick it up)

Then that person/couple can go find others to eat out with.

 

[medi]

When younger it was the drink spilled on the bill technique and I can't read this now and so please give me a new bill. New bill arrives and then I can immediately go into the fact that when they re-wrote the bill they made this mistake and that mistake and get a tad louder at each point and they give up and ask me how much I want to pay and I then turn to my "partner" and ask how much she has and by pre-arranged discussion she has much less than the owner of that place wants, but has given up on this crazy couple and out the door we go nice and full of food and drink and paid much less than ...

&&& Okay, pipe dream up there. Sorry.

Reality? I only eat at cheap-cheap-cheap places that make me get a ticket for my meal before they serve even water. Like Matsuya [You'll have to Google that.]

You see, old-old-old folks like me no longer go to those fancy places. But as I try and get my braindrive working I think I remember I always paid whatever the bill was, if it was a lady (later, wife) ... if either lady or wife, I paid. I think it is just that way-way back in time it was taught that the fella always pays. Especially if it were a civilian lady type and you were taking her to the O-Club. Then you better pay, or your co-pilot and flight crew the next day would be yakking all about how stingy I was. That kind of info is hot news on the flight line. "That stingy jerk made the lady pay!"

 

[Chock Full o Nuts]

Don't eat out much, outside of wife and I's anniversary, BD's, Valentines...

If I do happen to invite whomever out, I'm getting the bill up to the point of your 3rd drink.

Now your not out to dinner, you're at the bar. Check(s) please!

 

[Mycroft]

If I'm out with friends, it's separate bills. If my lady friend is with us, we have a short discussion...we both want to pay our own and the other's bills. We end up getting separate bills.

If I'm out with just her, we settle for whoever invites the other pays for it all.

 

[Helix]

I mostly only go out with my immediate family, and I get the bill. If I went out with a number of friends, I'd like to get the bill, but my salary wouldn't make that practical except on special occasions. It would probably be a separate checks situation most of the time.

I should probably do that sometime. I haven't gone out to dinner with friends in quite a while. Not complaining, though. Having little kids keeps you very busy, but it's great.

 

[tshade]

...when out with friends. Used to be my husband and I leaned to splitting the bill but in the last few years we have asked for separate bills. I want what I want and when splitting the bill I tended to keep my choices on the less expensive side. Now if I want the lobster, I'm ordering the lobster! Unless of course we are dining out with the kids...then Daddy picks up the tab.

depends on the 'friends'

 

[dseag2]

When we are out with friends we typically take the check and split it down the middle. We and our friends typically drink about the same amount.

If we are with extended family and have several dinners out, one of us typically pays the whole bill. I'm always hoping I'm the one that pays the bill at the Chinese restaurant!