Split Checks?

[U2_rocks!]

I had to choose "other", because my answer depends.

If we're a group out to dinner and generally having similar enough things, we'll split it evenly.

If it's 2 or 3 families eating together and there are varying numbers and ages of kids etc., we will get one bill per family.

If it's a bunch of friends but one says up front she's seriously watching her pennies and needs to be frugal, she'll get a separate bill for herself and the rest of the group will split their bill.

I have on occasion been the only one in a group who wanted expensive cocktails, and I have offered to cover them separately, wanting to be fair to the others.

The bottom line for me is fairness - a few dollars here or there is nothing, but if there's a big disparity between the eating and drinking habits of some of the diners, I don't assume we will just split the bill evenly - I'll usually seek to clarify what the group wants to do.

 

[shortbun]

1. All you had was water and they expected you to pay something? Hard to believe

2. There was NOTHING you could eat from the menu? Also hard to believe.

3. My friends and I split the bill unless someone drinks a lot and other don't drink at all OR it's someone's birthday and we've agreed to leave them out of paying. When couples dine together, we ask for separate checks ahead of time.

4. I suggest you discuss the bill ahead of time in the future but these people expected you to chip in and you only had WATER? Don't dine with them again, they are bizarre.

 

[Janepod]

How do you do separate checks when there are bottles of wine, shared appetizers, that sort of thing?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We usually try to either split it or take turns paying the entire bill. The latter seems to work out better. We typically won't order appetisers or alcohol, and some of our friends ALWAYS do both. So, their portion of the check is consistently higher than ours. Somehow we feel less "cheated" if we take turns than splitting the bill every single time. It makes no sense, but works for us

 

[shortbun]

Separate checks. I let the waiter/waitress do the work or separating it out instead of me doing it after the fact, they are the one getting paid to serve me after all. I don't care if they get annoyed by it or think I'm cheap. I'll pay for what I consume and nothing more. There are aspects of my job that annoy me but I do them because, well, it's my job.

I live in the Cleveland area but I travel a lot and will do this wherever I am. DC, NYC, Chicago, or the middle of nowhere.

Obviously, you are not a waiter. lol! Let's hope you see fit to leave a gratuity.

 

[Allison]

separate checks

 

[SaraJayne]

There are a number of establishments that will not split checks here - even printed on their menu.

We just always split bills evenly. It works for us and people we know.

All the places we ate in downtown Chicago didn't bat an eye when we asked for separate checks.

 

[Arielle22]

I picked other.

If I am out to lunch with my most of my sisters we split the bill evenly. If we are out at work we pay according to what was ordered.

I have one sister who is a gluten free vegan. She doesn't eat much so when we go out in a group she pays for what she ordered and the rest of us split the remainder.

My daughters have learned to be careful going out with friends. They have been burned in the past by friends not having enough money. Now they ask that before they order the money is put together for the check. This way it avoids shortage.

 

[U2_rocks!]

How do you do separate checks when there are bottles of wine, shared appetizers, that sort of thing?

What we've done is have one family offer to get the wine, particularly if they were the ones really pushing for it, and another pick up a shared appetizer etc. There is usually a discussion anyway about who wants wine, so we can decide if to order by the glass, get a red or a white etc., so at that point we usually decide how to pay for it. Similarly, there's usually a discussion about who's getting appetizers, what kind, are we sharing etc. We haven't really found it difficult.

 

[pixiewings71]

We pay for what we order, with most of our friends we will share an appetizer and dessert, that we will split among us but we pay for our own entrees and drinks.

 

[Janepod]

What we've done is have one family offer to get the wine, particularly if they were the ones really pushing for it, and another pick up a shared appetizer etc. There is usually a discussion anyway about who wants wine, so we can decide if to order by the glass, get a red or a white etc., so at that point we usually decide how to pay for it. Similarly, there's usually a discussion about who's getting appetizers, what kind, are we sharing etc. We haven't really found it difficult.

But doesn't that make the server crazy? Do you point to each shared item and say this goes on her check, this goes on mine, this goes on his, etc.?

 

[mhsjax]

But doesn't that make the server crazy? Do you point to each shared item and say this goes on her check, this goes on mine, this goes on his, etc.?

That is what we do, no problem what so ever. When we order the item to be shared, we are the one ordering so it goes on our check. If someone buys wine and we share it goes on their check, no problem at all, how is this driving a server crazy.

 

[U2_rocks!]

Another thing - a lot of us don't carry much cash anymore, so splitting a bill means asking the restaurant to take several credit cards to cover one bill. Some places are used to doing that and they don't blink an eye, but other places get thoroughly confused or just don't want to do it. Separate checks is easier for paying by credit card. And I pay every single thing by credit card that I can in order to earn airmiles, so I deliberately don't go and get cash before going out to lunch/dinner.

 

[FireDancer]

But doesn't that make the server crazy? Do you point to each shared item and say this goes on her check, this goes on mine, this goes on his, etc.?

You do it when ordering. You let the server know you will be doing separate checks (the two of us on one, him on his own, that couple on one, etc) when you first sit down. If I am going to order a bottle of wine for us I'll just say "I'll take a bottle of the Bordeaux and put it on my bill". It isn't really that hard.

Another thing - a lot of us don't carry much cash anymore, so splitting a bill means asking the restaurant to take several credit cards to cover one bill. Some places are used to doing that and they don't blink an eye, but other places get thoroughly confused or just don't want to do it. Separate checks is easier for paying by credit card. And I pay every single thing by credit card that I can in order to earn airmiles, so I deliberately don't go and get cash before going out to lunch/dinner.

I can't remember the last time I paid cash for a sit-down meal, 1998 maybe? I want to earn the cash back and often restaurants are a bonus category earing double or even quintuple cash back.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I don't think of it as a reginal thing, but more of a personality thing. Some people are concerned with it being exactly even/fair. Some are more casual and are happy throwing an approximate into the pot with the assumption that it would be within a few dollars of what they would have paid if you had whipped out a calculator. Some are clueless about the prices so will split amongst the number of people, some want to pick up the check. As long as I know which I'm dining with, I'm fine with whatever (but probably favor the throwing in the pit, taking turns on picking up the check scenario as the easiest)
Now, sometimes I see people post about how when they go out to dinner, they never order the appetizer, order water only(soda and drinks way over priced), possibly share an entree between the couple (portions are huge) and maybe share one dessert amongst the table, and figure the tip at exactly 15%, unless the wait staff was slow to refill the water, or didn't bring the rolls over fast enough- then can drop the tip lower. If I went out to dinner with someone like that - of course I'd pay more on the bill - because I definitely would order more, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't go out with them that often. I'd be very self conscious, and feel like they were mentally adding in their head every time I ordered a glass of wine or wanted to try the interesting soup.
We're more laid back (personality wise, and money wise) so tend to hang out with more laid back people as well, who will help drink the bottle of wine and order a few apps for everyone to try, so the separate check or exactly paying what you owe doesn't come up that often.
Just like people who are very conscious about exactly how much they spend probably hang with people who feel the same way. Yeah, now and then my path crosses with a separate check type person, and I go along with it for their sake, but that's because I know how much it bothers them to just throw $$$ in the pot, and I don't want them to feel uncomfortable. I'm easy, so doing it their way doesn't bother me.

This exactly. You typed out everything I was thinking. I chose the "split evenly" option in the poll because that is what I do most often. Honestly, I am usually the person who orders the least but I always find it easier to split it evenly.

Mostly I try to avoid hanging out with the type of person who would order 3 bottles of wine and the most expensive item on the menu and then insist on splitting evenly. None of my friends or usual dining companions are like that. Generally, it works out in the end.

 

[MissMichigan]

This post seems to be asking in the event of a sit down meal at a restaurant, in which case the only way i've seen it / done it is getting separate checks. I was raised in Michigan and currently live in Arizona.

But as a PP mentioned, in the case of grabbing a pizza or chicken or something to bring to a party / eat at one person's house / whatever, we just split it evenly.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

We always split the check evenly. We've also taken turns on picking up the check if it's the usual person/people and it's a common occurrence.

I am not opposed to everyone paying their own if it's mentioned ahead of time and the waiter/waitress is aware of this. However, I do have a problem with a group taking someone to lunch for their birthday, celebration, etc. (treating) and someone wants a separate check and then wants the guest of honor's meal/drink/etc. broken down to the penny so it can be added to their portion.

I'm from the NYC area.

 

[U2_rocks!]

But doesn't that make the server crazy? Do you point to each shared item and say this goes on her check, this goes on mine, this goes on his, etc.?

How we've done it is to tell the server taking the order that there will be, for example, 3 checks. We don't go around the table when we order, we order by check. i.e. Write down family A's order, then family B's then family C's. If we know who's ordering the wine or appetizer, it will just get ordered by the family who's paying for it, and we just ask for X number of glasses. If after the initial orders were taken we add anything, we just tell them which check it's going on. It has never caused confusion.

 

[Janepod]

How we've done it is to tell the server taking the order that there will be, for example, 3 checks. We don't go around the table when we order, we order by check. i.e. Write down family A's order, then family B's then family C's. If we know who's ordering the wine or appetizer, it will just get ordered by the family who's paying for it, and we just ask for X number of glasses. If after the initial orders were taken we add anything, we just tell them which check it's going on. It has never caused confusion.

Thank you for explaining it so clearly. As I said upthread, I've never been to dinner when people have requested separate checks. This makes sense.

 

[minniecarousel]

Ordinarily, I'd say split it evenly, but in a case where someone isn't drinking alcohol, having appetizers and desserts, I'd not expect tht person to do a full share. Most restaurants don't want to do split checks.

We sometimes go with a group where DH & I have one drink and many of the others have tequila shots and multiple drinks. We don't help pay for those drinks, and they don't expect us to.