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#Post#: 78952--------------------------------------------------
Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: vintagegal Date: March 17, 2023, 6:53 am
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I was reading an article in New York magazine, a "new rules"
kind of compilation (don't ask someone where they got Covid, if
you ghost someone don't come back later to ask for a favor..)
One of them was, "Just split the bill evenly in a restaurant."
Maybe people had extra drinks, or someone just had a salad - if,
over time, you keep splitting the bill evenly, the drinkers will
cut back and the salad eater will order fries or something
(really!). I disagree. People who like a lot of drinks with
their meal, that's just the way they are. People who eat light
and not going to eat more to get their money's worth.
Don't most restaurants have fairly hi-tech POS systems, where
everyone (or each couple) can get separate checks? Also, this
"tip" assumes everyone is flush with money all the time. What do
you think?
#Post#: 78955--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: Hmmm Date: March 17, 2023, 9:02 am
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[quote author=vintagegal link=topic=2477.msg78952#msg78952
date=1679053989]
I was reading an article in New York magazine, a "new rules"
kind of compilation (don't ask someone where they got Covid, if
you ghost someone don't come back later to ask for a favor..)
One of them was, "Just split the bill evenly in a restaurant."
Maybe people had extra drinks, or someone just had a salad - if,
over time, you keep splitting the bill evenly, the drinkers will
cut back and the salad eater will order fries or something
(really!). I disagree. People who like a lot of drinks with
their meal, that's just the way they are. People who eat light
and not going to eat more to get their money's worth.
Don't most restaurants have fairly hi-tech POS systems, where
everyone (or each couple) can get separate checks? Also, this
"tip" assumes everyone is flush with money all the time. What do
you think?
[/quote]
I agree with you that people's habits won't change just because
of the way bills are split. It also seems to be built on the
premise that you are dining with the same group of people most
of the time.
I usually just go along with what the majority want to do. I
used to work with a group of women who'd get out the calculators
to divide up the cost which drove me a bit batty. I've also
noticed when I was younger that when lunching with the guys,
they were all more likely to through in enough to cover their
meals and then some except for the one guy who'd order a $10
meal and through in $12 forgetting about tax and his drink. My
preference is to get it close to accurate per person but I don't
want to itemize it down to the last dollar. For instance if 3 of
us are having lunch with similar priced entrees and two of us
have a glass of wine but third has dessert, I'm fine with
splitting the bill 3 ways. But if the third doesn't have dessert
then I'll suggest splitting but the two of us will pay the tip.
Some POS systems do allow the wait staff to enter in the orders
by seat number which makes splitting very simple and also makes
it easy for the food runners to give the correct items to the
correct person. But other places just enter everything in by
table so splitting up the check is a bit harder. There are still
restaurants that we go to that don't split the check but are
willing to run as many credit cards by amount as you'd like.
Where I do think just splitting equally works well is when there
have been shared items. For instance we were at brunch with
another couple and a single guy. We split two apps for the
table, Lori and I split an main between us, we each had a beer,
we had a shared dessert and we also had one very high ABV beer
that we shared amongst 4 of us. This was a place that entered by
seat number so when the waiter came back to ask us who's tab
each of the shared items should go on we told him to just bring
one check and we'd split it up on the cards. He's look of relief
was evident.
#Post#: 78958--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: Aleko Date: March 17, 2023, 9:38 am
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Whenever I read a list of "the new rules" on anything, it's a
fair bet that I'll find at least one thing that I think is
idiotic or outright outrageous, e.g. 'It's not necessary to RSVP
unless you plan to come'; 'full stops in emails are hostile';
and - incredibly - 'at the end of a stay at someone's house,
offer payment'! (If anyone offered to pay me for a stay in my
house, I don't think they'd ever darken my door again.)
This one is idiotic if it's meant to be taken literally and
applied in all circumstances. Yes, as you say, people who for
example don't drink will always be subsidising the people who
do; that won't even out, unless the drinkers refrain from
ordering the glass of wine or post-prandial brandy they enjoy.
And why should they forgo that pleasure just to obey this
"rule"? (Plus, even if there are no deliberate cheapskates there
are always people who simply fail to notice the discrepancy.)
What I would say is that if everyone has spent roughly the same,
it's more graceful and a lot simpler to split the bill evenly
than have everyone spend an age totting up what their meal cost
- and much less likely to leave the 'treasurer' of the group
having to make up the shortfall because somebody forgot their
second drink or their side of onion rings.
#Post#: 78961--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: jpcher Date: March 17, 2023, 3:46 pm
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Late last year I went to a buffet brunch where it was a set
price for food and added on costs for drinks like bottomless
mimosas ($5/person!), specialty coffee and such.
The party consisted of my two DDs, SIL (son-in-law), SILmom and
a bunch of their friends. About 20 people in all.
Towards the end of the meal (some people were still eating,
others were enjoying a last cup of coffee, conversation was
still strong) SIL went up to the cashier desk. I thought "Cool!
He has this covered. How nice!"
SIL came back to the table and announced "I paid for me and best
friend. You all can go up to the cashier whenever you are
ready."
Okay. I guess . . . that's a good way to settle on how the
bill's going to be paid, each paying our own way. Except SILmom
looked at him with a question face, pointing at herself. "Did
you pay for me?" DD#2 piped up "You didn't even pay for your
WIFE?"
Boy-o-boy did he look chagrined (maybe embarrassed would be a
better word). He said "We're all going to Top Golf! (a driving
range) DD#1 and I are paying for that!"*
Okay, I get it. He didn't control the matter at the restaurant
in the best way. I ended up paying for my DDs and SILmom (I
insisted).
I think that when a group of people go to a restaurant (or any
like kind of event) the quandary of bill payment should be
discussed before-hand. "Are we getting separate tabs or
splitting the bill?" That way there are no surprises.
*DD#1 and SIL paid for the range time. Any extras (food and
drink) were paid on separate tabs.
#Post#: 79040--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: lowspark Date: March 28, 2023, 8:21 am
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I'm in the camp of, it's fine to split evenly if everyone had
roughly the same cost, or if you go with a regular group and
sometimes you order more, sometimes they do. In other words, if
it actually DOES even out, either the once or over time.
Back in the day, many restaurants refused to give separate
checks. In those days, we used to have to sit there and figure
out what everyone owed. When everyone paid in cash, it was up to
the customers to figure out what they owed and put in the right
amount of cash, get change from the pool if needed, etc.
But when we all started using credit cards, the nightmare
transferred over to the server. I used to have a group of
friends who would go out together regularly and one of us would
gather everyone's CC and write on the back of the bill each
person's name from their card and how much to charge to that
card. I always felt sorry for the server to have to plow through
that. So much easier to just hand us each a bill and let us pay
it separately.
But now, I can't remember the last time a server refused to
honor a request for separate checks. I think they figured out
that doing separate checks from the get-go was a lot easier than
being handed six credit cards and charging each a different
amount.
So yeah. It's best to ask for separate checks at the time of
ordering. I don't want to subsidize other peoples' meals and I
don't want them subsidizing mine.
#Post#: 79041--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: Rose Red Date: March 28, 2023, 11:26 am
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Is there a reason why some restaurants refuse the do separate
checks? I never understood that.
#Post#: 79042--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: lowspark Date: March 28, 2023, 11:30 am
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[quote author=Rose Red link=topic=2477.msg79041#msg79041
date=1680020762]
Is there a reason why some restaurants refuse the do separate
checks? I never understood that.
[/quote]
I really think it harkens back to the day when everyone paid in
cash. One check. Customers work out how to split. Less work for
the server.
Nowadays though, with everyone pulling out a card, it has to be
less work for the server to do separate. Yes, still more work
than before, but less than presenting one bill and then having
to charge each card a different amount.
On the other hand, separate checks probably make it harder for
the kitchen to coordinate all the food coming out at the same
time.
#Post#: 79049--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: STiG Date: March 28, 2023, 10:19 pm
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My DH, our DD and SIL, MIL and I went out to dinner the other
night. The server put the order through as one order and then,
when we were ready for the bill, asked us how it was to be
split. I indicated the DH and I were on one bill and we were
covering MIL as well. DD and SIL spoke up and said to put 1/2
of MIL's bill on their bill. (It was MIL's birthday.)
When we got the bills, each bill had MIL's order on it with a
50% notation. It was perfect! Not every restaurant has that
option, I'm sure, but that was definitely the way to go.
Years ago, a group of us would go out for food and drinks after
our vollieyball night. We'd pass the bill around to figure out
what we owed but most of the guys would say, 'Just tell me what
I owe!' I could figure it out quickly in my head and could give
everyone their total + 30% (15% tax, 15% tip) then rounded up to
the nearest dollar. We did resort to this method after one
particular couple always shorted what they owed. They'd cover
their bill but rarely put in enough for tip. Once the
restaurant allowed separate bills, we went that route.
#Post#: 79056--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: VorFemme Date: March 29, 2023, 9:34 pm
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One group that I belong to meets for lunch about once a month -
we were originally meeting at a buffet place that we could pay
individually as we came in the door - moved to a second buffet,
then back to the original location under new management. Over
time, it has changed - next a separate party room with one
waitress & an assistant server for the group with individual
checks passed out after we'd finished eating for a while then we
moved to a gourmet burger place with ordering at the front when
you come in and paying at that point (including an almost
two-year break in 2020 & 2021 when we weren't meeting at all).
As time has gone by - the group has gotten smaller - so the
number of tables needed has declined (maybe 50% or 55% of the
number of people showing up this year as compared to 2007).
I have to admit that it's easier to use my debit card instead of
stopping on the way there to get cash - even when the buffet
place was in the same parking lot as my credit union....
#Post#: 79137--------------------------------------------------
Re: Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By: TootsNYC Date: April 11, 2023, 10:20 am
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Some kitchens track the food by using a single ticket/check, so
that all the food comes out at once. If they arrive on separate
slips, there's a high chance that the meals won't be paced or
timed to come out close together.
And then if they have to rewrite the check, it's too time
consuming.
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