Splitting the restaurant bill with many people?

[eclectics]

When I go out with a group we are always asked how we want the check before we order. Now if you are making ressie have the person who call ask if it can be done. I think it is more of the norm now because alot of people bill with CC or Debit Cards. Alot places like Applebee's it's divided on the bill even if it has one total.

Kae

That's a good point. The earlier the request is made, the better. Don't spring it on the server at the end of the meal!

 

[Beth76]

That's a good point. The earlier the request is made, the better. Don't spring it on the server at the end of the meal!

noted. thanks!

 

[LadyyRedd]

I agree that separate checks is best. 99% of restaurants have the ease and capability in their system to do this. Just tell them upfront so it's all that much easier on the server.

If you feel uncomfortable asking for 10 checks, perhaps you could "buddy up" with the person next to you and have the server make only 5 checks and then you and your 'buddy' will only have to figure out from 2 people on the check?

Kimya

 

[Imzadi]

When I was younger and would go out to dinner with the ladies in my office, they would order tons of wine and expensive meals. Myself and this other girl would order a salad and appetizer because we were on a tight budget. It would really upset us at the end of the meal to be asked to cough up $50 because they split the bill equally.

I just think everyone should keep track of what they ate and pay for that plus tax & tip. Only way it should be split equally is if everyone ate around the same amount.

Yeah, this gets me too. I don't drink alcohol & I don't order sodas as I don't want all the sugar. I don't like paying extra to subsidize someone else drinking.

The waitress MAY be able to write up two separate checks if you ask her nicely before hand and if you gals organize yourself, seating-wise, to make it easier for her to do that. This way, if a couple people on a budget sit together and are on the same check, they could figure out what they owe and pay for their meals that way. The other check could be for those who want to split the bill.

 

[pearlieq]

I would definitley discuss this as a group before you go!

What we've found easiest is separate checks. They're not that hard for the wait staff if you let them know right when you order--today's computer systems are a lot better than they were. I think it actually works to the waiter's advantage. When you're in a group and people are stingy about ponying up, the waiter usually gets less of a tip too.

If the restaurant is being stinky about doing separate checks, we use a modified "split the bill" method. What we do is get the bill, take out the alcohol, then divide by the number of people. Then the people who got drinks just add back in for their bar tab. This works out well for us and we figure it all evens out since we usually order the same number of courses.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If people have a history of not paying--setting it up with separate checks is the way to go. The restaurant will surely have a problem with them not paying.

 

[Poohnatic]

I've worked in two different restaurants as a server. One had software in the POS that could only split up to 8 (Pizzeria Uno), so the poster's idea about pairs would work well there. The other, we had to do them manually, but it wasn't too big a deal.

As a server, I loved it-the tips ended up being a bit better!

Suzanne

 

[jipsy]

First I would have this discussion with all 10 people beforehand and see how many people want to bother with separate checks every time you go out and how many don't. If everyone wants separate checks, then ask ahead of time but be prepared just in case they refuse to do separate checks and bring a calculator and a notepad in your purse.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant that split the bill 8, 10 ways. Besides, I think it takes the fun out of being with friends.

Why not just add the tip and then divide by 10? If you are all friends, who cares if someone orders more than another. It usually works its way out in the end.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Whenever we are on trips, we just assume it will all work out in the end. Life is too short to worry about the fact that the person next to me had a meal that was $5 more than mine.

But then again, I am pretty laid back as are the couples we hang around with.

I know a lot of nicer places in Chicago will not split the checks.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

We just always take the total and divide it by the number of us. Just makes is soooo much easier.

 

[eclectics]

Whenever we are on trips, we just assume it will all work out in the end. Life is too short to worry about the fact that the person next to me had a meal that was $5 more than mine.

But then again, I am pretty laid back as are the couples we hang around with.

I know a lot of nicer places in Chicago will not split the checks.

I can see your point, if everyone is at least somewhat on the same track. If the bar bill is separate (very rare) then I wouldn't mind so much. I don't feel I should have to pay for someone's alchohol (not a cheap item these days!). Same with an a la carte dessert. An expensive place is different. Unless it's lobster tails or something, the entrees are generally within a certain price range with each other. In a moderate restaurant however, you can order a grilled cheese or you can have a N.Y. Cut steak dinner. Big difference.

 

[disykat]

I bet if we did a poll that matched what people order vs how they want to split the bill - we'd find the "just split the bill, what's the big deal?" people are not the ones ordering an entre and a glass of water while the rest in their group order drinks, desserts, etc.

I'm glad that around here splitting the bill is done by what we order. I'd get pretty tired of paying for the appetizers, drinks, and desserts of my friends. I would be staying home a lot more due to my budget.

I have never had anyone even suggest splitting the bill evenly. If the bill isn't split by the waiter, everyone puts in the money for what they ordered and their tip. To me that seems easier than one person doing the math and telling everyone to pay x amount. I like it this way, because I'm 44 years old and have never once been the big spender at a group meal. My order is usually several dollars less than everyone else because I prefer to drink water.

 

[aprilgail2]

I can see your point, if everyone is at least somewhat on the same track. If the bar bill is separate (very rare) then I wouldn't mind so much. I don't feel I should have to pay for someone's alchohol (not a cheap item these days!). Same with an a la carte dessert. An expensive place is different. Unless it's lobster tails or something, the entrees are generally within a certain price range with each other. In a moderate restaurant however, you can order a grilled cheese or you can have a N.Y. Cut steak dinner. Big difference.

I once went out with a group of friends and my 12.95 chicken dinner ended up costing me 75.00!! After that night I said I would never again go out with a group and split the bill! I don't drink wine or alcohol or eat red meat or lobster, all things they all ordered...and it was wine by the bottle, not even just a glass, there were plenty of bottles ordered. Sure it was a great deal for them to split the bill but me and another person that also didn't drink got the shaft!

 

[annegal]

I go out with a group of 6 for lunch quite frequently. Getting seperate checks is never a problem.

 

[Stacerita]

If you can't get seperate checks, then I would suggest you keeping track of what you owe and dont be the one collecting the money. The person collecting the money always gets stiffed in the end. Know what you owe, check the bill first, and put it down for the others to deal with.

I do not like the idea of splitting it evenly. That may be easy, but it just ins't fair. I dont drink soda and I dont always order something that costs a lot, so its not fair for me to chip in my share, my tip plus the cost of someone elses meal. That happened to me a time or two and I refuse to do it. Its not a matter of being cheap, but its a matter of whats fair.

In college I had one friend who had a very hard time when it came to the bill. It wasn't that he didn't want to chip in his share or that he was trying to get away with something. It was just that he didn't know better. He had never been on his own before and his parents up until then had always taken care of the bill. So when on his own finally, he didn't really pay attention to anything other than the price of what he ordered. Just the entree though. If it was $7.99 for a burger, he would put in $8.00. Thats what he thought his part was. After it happened a few times, we as his friends confronted him that his drink, his sides, tax and tip also needed to be included. He honestly didn't know. After we told him, things got better.

 

[Lanshark]

As soon as you begin ordering ask for separate checks. It shouldn't be a problem.

For those who don't understand the big deal about splitting the check consider the following.

Person 1: Orders a steak, 2 glasses of wine and dessert. $50 + $10 tip
Person 2: $25 + 5 tip
Person 3: $15 + 3 tip
Person 4: $55 + 11 tip
Person 5: $35 + 7 tip

Add and divide 5 ways = $180 + $36tip = $43 a piece
Person 4 who should have paid 66 for their meal paid $43
Person 3 who should have paid $18 also paid 43

 

[wdwpluto]

I once went out with a group of friends and my 12.95 chicken dinner ended up costing me 75.00!!

I would have thrown in a $20 (at most) and refused to pay the rest.

 

[vetrik]

Splitting the bill is the hardest part about going out to eat in a group. I think the easiest is definitely to ask the server at the beginning of the meal to have separate checks. Then everyone is responsible for themselves.

My friends and I have never actually done that though. We tend to vary between splitting the check equally and just having everyone look at the bill and put in what they owe depending on who is there, what we ate, and how many people are there. Splitting the bill equally is nice and easy, but it can be unfair if people don't eat/drink in about the same range. That method always ends up being more expensive for DH and me because we don't normally get appetizers, but groups we eat with always do. We end up eating them anyway, since we know we'll be paying for it whether or not we eat it, but I could definitely do without them. Also, DH doesn't drink and if I do I usually only have 1, so I know our bill is cheaper than other people who have 2 or 3 drinks.

When we have people just put in what they think they owe, there's always that one person who doesn't put in enough money. Then you either have to make it uncomfortable by making an issue about it, or other people have to cover the shortage, which makes them feel upset about the whole situation.

 

[Linda/MA]

I went away with 4 of my girlfriends this past spring for a week. Instead of asking for seperate checks, which I hate to do, or everyone pulling out cash at every meal or trip to the supermarket, we just took turns paying the check. When we got back to the condo, we wrote down on a spreadsheet, that my accountant girlfriend printed up, how much we paid. At the end of the trip, she tallied up the total of what we spent, how much each person paid, and whether they owed someone money or if they were owed money. It actually worked out great! I hate carry around a lot of cash. It also helps to have an accountant in the group!