sharing restaurant bills in a group

Dumbe

Bit surprised no one has yet said the other option which we do a lot..

Particularly if is two couples, we pay for the whole meal in turns , so if one couple pays one time another couple pays the next time ( for the whole meal and drinks)

If it's work colleagues at lunch or something we just split it equally if it's table service or if you go up to order (bar food) then we just pay for our own

Big group then we just split it if it's dinner out and everyone adds extra for the tip.

Woolwich_Kim

Dumbe wrote: »

Bit surprised no one has yet said the other option which we do a lot..

Particularly if is two couples, we pay for the whole meal in turns , so if one couple pays one time another couple pays the next time ( for the whole meal and drinks)

That only works if you know them and see each other regularly enough to make that set up quite equal.

I tend to only do this with people I know well or on first few dates.

glider3560

I always insist of paying for what I've eaten, regardless of what everyone else wants to do. Works well for everyone, IMO, and no-one has every complained. Also allows me to control what tip I want to leave.

The only time this doesn't apply is when I'm with my very close friends where we usually take it in turns to cover the whole bill. That works well because we know each other well enough.

There are some people (family members mainly) who deliberately order expensive meals and/or lots of sides as they know when the bill is split equally, it will work out quite a lot cheaper for them.

tibawo

This is a hard one. When our family goes out we used to split the meal and drinks per head. However I always came out worse as there is one adult, two kids and one of them will eat like a sparrow. One time we went out I had to cough up 45 for a curry, two kids meals and as three drinks which would have come to around 20.

We set the rules before we eat now so everyone knows and there are no arguments later.

mutley74

as said its different when you out with really close friends or family, just when you out with new friends or those you don't meet so often.
I am organizing 2 meals over the next few weeks, so will be interesting what happens, but usually stipulate beforehand pay your own drinks!

bagby

I've read somewhere that you put in what you think you owe (mental calculation) and if there is a shortfall then divide that up between the full table so if everyone is trustworthy it shouldn't be really anything as I know I would put in a bit extra which would cover the tip. I've never done it but it seems like a good idea. I've recently been out and the other couple were quick to say how much they owed but then forget that they ordered extras like chips and forget that they had an extra drink. Hmmmmm.

cattie

When I eat out with friends I drink only tap water & I think my conditioning doesn't allow me to choose the most expensive item on the menu.

I do feel a bit hard done by though when the bill is split equally between us all & the others have had perhaps 2 drinks each & maybe coffee after the meal as well. Especially as I live alone & only have my small income to support me, whilst the others are either part of a couple, or widows with a husband's pension paid to them on top of their own pension, so they have more money to spend on non essentials than I do.

Last time we ate out in a group, one of my friends brought her granddaughter along, so us adults had her share of the bill, which included soft drinks added to our share. I really wasn't amused by that. The other thing that annoys me is that one of our group always decides how much we should make the tip, now she can be quite generous with tipping so it can make you feel mean not to agree with what she decrees as a good amount for us to leave.

All I do now to try to reduce the costs is not eat out with them quite as often as I once did.

vikingaero

Colleagues - work out what you consumed and pay for it. Some of my colleagues are either notoriously tight, on a tight budget because of divorces etc or some will take the mick.

Close friends - divide by X. Lifes too short and your friends are too important.