large booking at restaurant- how to split the bill?

Kim_kim

Andypandyboy wrote: »

Good friends tailor their venues to the pocket of all concerned and order accordingly. However, if someone suggested a venue they really could not afford I would expect them to decline, as I would in their position.

Nor do you eat out with the same set of friends every time (or at least we don't) so it is not a question of never going out but going where suits your pocket. Is that not what everyone does?

I think the whole point of this thread is that the person who wishes to pay for what they had, CAN actually pay for what they had.
They don't want to (or can't afford to) pay for what others have had.

There is a huge difference between not being able to afford to pay for your meal in a fancy restaurant to not being up for subsidising big eaters & big drinkers.

74jax

Meal Alert........

So we went last night. About 14 of us, I didn't really know many.

My DD ordered a starter, I didn't , I think maybe another 3 did not sure.

Made no difference to the enjoyment, I didn't feel I had to have one.

I ordered my drinks separately and paid for those, others I think just added to table as and when the waitress came round.

Couldn't tell you what others ordered, made no difference to what I ordered.

Bill came, host announced x amount per person, I said it's ok I'll just pay for mine, hubby and DD, she said ok, re-worked everyone else's out, announced new figure. All paid.

Seriously no biggy.

They all paid by cash, I paid by card.

All left £2 tip.

Simples.

Person_one

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I don't have friends who are fabulously wealthy and I don't have friends who are desperately skint - some have more than others but not at any sort of extreme. I think that's quite common really.

It probably is fairly common.

However, people exist who have very little money indeed. They do matter too.

splishsplash

74jax wrote: »

Meal Alert........

So we went last night. About 14 of us, I didn't really know many.

My DD ordered a starter, I didn't , I think maybe another 3 did not sure.

Made no difference to the enjoyment, I didn't feel I had to have one.

I ordered my drinks separately and paid for those, others I think just added to table as and when the waitress came round.

Couldn't tell you what others ordered, made no difference to what I ordered.

Bill came, host announced x amount per person, I said it's ok I'll just pay for mine, hubby and DD, she said ok, re-worked everyone else's out, announced new figure. All paid.

Seriously no biggy.

They all paid by cash, I paid by card.

All left £2 tip.

Simples.

Simples? Just curious...

Was there enough of a difference in the amounts you paid to make it worth the hassle of your host having to rework the bill?

Incidentally, wouldn't it have been more polite for you to have done the work as you were going against the general consensus? I hope you at least offered?

Did you pay £2 or £6 as your contribution to the tip?

duchy

Peter333 wrote: »

Is thinking that cheap is always better, any worse than thinking that expensive is always better?

Ah there's always those who believe paying more (and insisting on informing everyone they pay more) gives them some kind of status.......Although the status they believe it gives them ........and the one it actually does are somewhat different

duchy

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I don't have friends who are fabulously wealthy and I don't have friends who are desperately skint - some have more than others but not at any sort of extreme. I think that's quite common really.

I think a lot of it depends on where you live as well as your attitude.

You used to live in London - the social and financial range of your friends was probably far broader than it is now .

Thinking about it though I've kept my friends from my more socializing London days so maybe I still meet a broader range of people so the financial range is broader too . Interesting thought- Maybe I just don't care what people earn/have though <shrug>

missbiggles1

Person_one wrote: »

It probably is fairly common.

However, people exist who have very little money indeed. They do matter too.

Of course they matter (I expect most of us have been there at some point in our lives) but it doesn't mean that they should expect to be able to go on holidays and have meals out in the same way that those who have money do, given that those things are luxuries and not essentials.

It's that feeling of entitlement rather than managing with what you have that leads so many people into debt.

SingleSue

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Precisely! I have one particular dining friend who's as adventurous and foodie as I am and we wouldn't think twice about dining at a restaurant with a tasting menu of £75 offering 5/6/7 courses.

But I have other friends who would never entertain paying that much for quality food, along with the dining experience. They're quite happy to dine at Hungry Horse or similar where they can get a full plate full for £5.

If it is a one off or a special occasion, I would probably gulp at the price but put my name down for it and then save like mad...we only live once as they say and at times, it's nice to throw caution to the wind and live a little.

We did that last year, a new place opened up where we go on holiday. It's not cheap but the reviews it has had have been amazing, so we seriously put money by for it just to experience it.

We are going to repeat the exercise this year, it really was THAT good.

duchy

Person_one wrote: »

It probably is fairly common.

However, people exist who have very little money indeed. They do matter too.

And people's earnings change.

I imagine there were plenty of people who didn't bother socially cultivating an unemployed struggling single Mum in a rented flat yet today would fall over themselves for an introduction to Joanne (JK) Rowling

Jagraf

74jax wrote: »

Meal Alert........

So we went last night. About 14 of us, I didn't really know many.

My DD ordered a starter, I didn't , I think maybe another 3 did not sure.

Made no difference to the enjoyment, I didn't feel I had to have one.

I ordered my drinks separately and paid for those, others I think just added to table as and when the waitress came round.

Couldn't tell you what others ordered, made no difference to what I ordered.

Bill came, host announced x amount per person, I said it's ok I'll just pay for mine, hubby and DD, she said ok, re-worked everyone else's out, announced new figure. All paid.

Seriously no biggy.

They all paid by cash, I paid by card.

All left £2 tip.

Simples.

Without being funny, if I had just worked out the bill and someone had then said they would pay for their own and I then had to rejig it, I would be a bit miffed.