I'm embarrased to be asking this....

[Fantasia Sam]

...question, but I was hoping that someone else may ask it so I wouldn't have to but I couldn't put it off any longer?

"So what's the question you ask??"


Well I was wondering how we all go about paying for meals when we are in big groups? It's not that I'm shirking already it's more of a guilt thing because I eat so much and I don't want to feel guilty over groups splitting bills when one has had a glass of water and another (me) has had a milkshake and a cokefloat and a portion of fries and oh is that pie you've got over there?.....give me a break I'm on vacation !!!!

Then of course I was wondering how do the servers cope with us all paying separately?

Please don't think any less of me for asking this question I just didn't want to face any embarassment once we are there

 

[Penny12]

Oh Sam...you know that no-one will think less of you for asking! It's a good question

As for splitting...well, I guess that will depend on the size of the group and who you are with. So folks might be ok saying as there are only 4 of us and we are all friends anyhow lets just divide by 4 as it's easier. Most likely will be that people will want to pay separately - which is so easily done! When you are all seated, just make sure the server knows how you want your checks split before you order anything and she can take your orders separately from the very beginning, so to speak. If it's a large group, despite separate checks, they will still add on the 15% gratuity automatically so bare that in mind before adding on any extra tip though (if you are so inclined), however, remember splitting the checks is extra work for them - especially if it's a BIG group - so I usually tip a bit more generously with that in mind (Restaurant Board comment over )

Of course, you can just make sure you eat with me - I'll eat...I mean match you item for item - guilt sorted, hehehe.

 

[luvdsny]

Last year ( I hope noone is tired of hearing those two words from me ) we handled it many different ways.....but......

What happened more often than not is that someone would put it on her credit card and the rest of us would pay her back in cash. However, if this is going to be a credit card trip for you, as it will be for me LOL!, then obviously this is not always going to work.

So, I think as long as the restaurant lets us have seperate checks, we should certainly do that. If not, then.......I guess it will get tricky. Hmmmm......

I like that I've paid for a couple of my dinner shows through PayPal already! Takes care of this issue.

Sam, good question! It needed asked!

 

[figmentvi]

Actually it's an excellent question !!! As one who has waited on many tables in her life, I know that separate checks can be a real pain.

I've found that in large groups, it works out well to have one check and and "accountant". One person who collects the money from everyone in the group. Assuming that everyone in the group is honest and can do simple math, it usually works out well. It also works better if you collect from one person at a time. When you have a lot of people just throwing money into the middle of the table, you may sometimes come up "short" and then it's difficult to figure out who may have missed something.

I know pretty much how much my meal, drinks and a tip will be and just pay the "accountant".

Splitting evenly only really works for groups of four or smaller.

Tia...I'm all for the one person putting the bill on their credit card and the others pay in cash. That means frequent flyer miles for me !!!



Have a lovely day everyone.

Linda

 

[Mskanga]

I think if everyone knows what they are ordering and the cost, add the tax, tips and all the rest , and then they should know how much they are supposed to pay.
BTW Emma, this is a very legit question, no shame asking!

 

[CDoobee]

We won't be bringing much cash (not much cash to bring! ). We will only have a small amount of cash, small amount of Disney Dollars, and the rest I was planning on putting on the room charge. So separate checks would definitely work best for us!

Debbie

 

[Barb]

I don't remember there ever being a real problem with this. I think most places where we did the big group thing asked if we wanted separate checks and we all said yes. The biggest problem we encountered was in Norway where it took next to forever to get the checks, and then get them paid. Since we've already brought it out into the open and have discussed it, it will be easy to handle it when we actually have to pay. If we have any small group meals, those could be one check and we each pay what we owe. Our meal at Chef Mickey's, for example, is the same price for all, so just splitting it equally works for that one.
Sam, no need to be embarassed at all. It's a great question!

 

[bashful64]

I'm the same as Debbie. I bring very little cash with me when I travel.....I usually charge most things. So separate checks would work best for me.

I will have to keep this in mind when Iam getting ready to leave and try to remember to bring some traveller's checks with me.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by figmentvi
....it works out well to have one check and and "accountant"....

Just make sure you have CarolA with you in your party. Carol is great!!!!!!

Not sure if other places there do it, but we had a large group at Spoodles for a meal and the bill came on a single bill, but was labeled seat by seat, including tax. Seat, 1, seat 2, etc..... It was great, same as seperate bills, but only one for the server. We just passed the bill around the table and each person added the amount for their seat/s. And it was a large group, and a varied amount for many, high and low dollar amounts. If all else fails though, get CarolA!!!!

 

[December99]

JUST AN FYI FOR THOSE ATTENDING THE CHEF MICKEY'S MEET - AS TIME APPROACHES I WAS GOING TO POST THIS BUT MAYBE I NEED TO POST IT NOW!!!!

CHEF MICKEY'S PREFERS ONE GUEST CHECK BUT CAN DO UP TO THREE - THE COST IS $26.61 FOR ADULTS AND $12.09 FOR KIDS. THIS INCLUDES THE 6% SALES TAX AND 15% GRATUITY.

HOPE THIS HELPS SO THAT YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THAT MUCH CASH FOR THAT NIGHT! I WILL PUT THIS IN A SEPARATE POST BY THE WEEKEND SO THAT EVERYONE CAN PLAN!

 

[luvdsny]

Chris, that is great info. Thanks.

So, CarolA is our DIS accountant, eh? Good to know.

LOL Linda. I think that's what Dayna was doing last year. I mean, why not?

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Yayy I don't feel so bad for asking now

I can see we're now gonna have a fight on our hands over who is going to pay the whole bill with their credit card

I feel better for asking the question, thanks everyone

 

[figmentvi]

Thanks for posting that Chris !! I was going to post a similar one for the 12/3 Chef Mickey's group.

You're a doll !!!!


Linda

 

[figmentvi]

Kind of off topic a little.

The president of our company was hosting a large dinner party for his birthday at a very expensive restaurant and asked me to coordinate it. I made an arrangement with the owner of the restaurant to put the whole bill on my credit card and my boss would reimburse me.

The bill came to $12,000.00 My boss gave me a check the next day, I sent it off immediately and was a very happy camper about getting 12,000 frequent flyer miles.

 

[Penny12]

Like I said, none of the restaurants mind separate checks, (I've done it a number of times and the only time it was a problem was when the server forgot and did it all on one) - but you MUST tell your server this at the beginning - if you wait till the end, it's a nightmare for them and for you, looking at it and trying to figure who had what plus if it's a big group it isn't really fair to them either.

Incidently, for people who want to room charge instead of pay with cash, it's not a problem if your group decides to have just one check. Tell the server how much you need taken from the card (before tip) and they will still give you your individual slip to sign just as you normally would

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Originally posted by Disneymad
Incidently, for people who want to room charge instead of pay with cash, it's not a problem if your group decides to have just one check. Tell the server how much you need taken from the card (before tip) and they will still give you your individual slip to sign just as you normally would

Can someone just remind me......am I right in saying that if you are staying at Swolphin you can only room charge meals from restaurants in that resort and not the rest of WDW...is that right?

Thanks again

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by Fantasia Sam
...is that right?

Thanks again

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Nancy]

You won't see me fighting over using my credit card...I don't have any anymore! All I hav is my bank card and I could never use that while on vacation..DH would kill me!

 

[disneycub]

Thanks for the Chef Mickey's totals, Chris.

Norway WAS a mess with the checks last year, wasn't it Barb?

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Thanks Dan