large booking at restaurant- how to split the bill?

seven-day-weekend

PasturesNew wrote: »

Were you never single, alone, hanging out with "a crowd", a random group of people who'd potentially be available to do stuff?

Never moved to a completely new town, alone, and had to meet all new people?

Blimey.

I've spent my life alone, far away, on my own, doing what needs to be done.

Sitting here now, I've the phone number of one person within 200 miles that I could potentially pick up the phone and say "wanna go to the carvery?" to.... but they have a dog, so know random dog walkers they've met (since they moved here), so they might invite them too - and their other random/newish friend that's a few miles up the road ....

No and no. I lived with my parents until I was 21, then with my husband. I've never lived alone.

And although we have moved to a different country (Spain), we did know some people in the next village before we went. Then we met others through them.

So no, I never have, other than a wedding reception or conference, eaten with strangers.

Feral_Moon

PasturesNew wrote: »

There was something I read/saw recently about this - might've been the telly Food Uncovered programme. The question was whether the posh places made all their own food - and a lot of them don't. A lot of them DO buy in speciality stuff. Desserts etc.

They even did an on-screen test to compare the time it takes a professional chef to knock up a dessert - and then compared the costs/time of doing that -v- buying it in from a specialist supplier. The item/cost on the menu has to meet with customers' expectations of what they get for that cost - and, in the main, handmade on the premises from scratch wouldn't fit the bill.

A lot of "fresh/local" labelling is misleading, either deliberately or cluelessly. Also, what the restaurant consider to be fresh/local will vary to what diners believe it means. Common word, different meanings to "trade" and "customers".

Yes, I saw this too and you're right, many restaurants buy in ready made desserts. Probably another reason I don't tend to have a dessert when eating out.

We have a few favourite restaurants we like to eat at regularly and being in a rural location we know they source fresh produce locally, often knowing which farm or supplier it comes from. I don't mind paying for decent food and will often opt for a dish I haven't tried before, or one that I find a challenge to cook at home.

When I eat in town at one of the chain style restaurants, usually coupled with a cinema trip, then I compensate by using vouchers or some sort of deal to cover as much of the food bill as possible as I can often cook the dishes much better myself at home.

missbiggles1

Izadora wrote: »

Sometimes it's unavoidable though. I don't know all of my friends' friends and therefore end up eating with strangers, in addition to people I've known for 20+ years, if we all go out for a meal for someone's birthday.

I think it depends on your social circle though. My husband and I were always a very self contained couple and preferred each other's company to anybody else's so we never had more than a few friends and never went out with more than another two couples at a time. (Although, thinking back 30 years ago, we did have a couple of parties the year we got together.)

Neither of us cared for crowds and big groups so our social lives developed differently from many people's. Different strokes for different folks.

seven-day-weekend

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't know where you live, but I've some strange idea in my head about where it is ... and I believe it's about 200 miles from me

LOVE cats... dogs hate me. Dogs also do unexpected things which sometimes perturb me

It's hard to be polite when a dog's rolling on it's back presenting its willy to you and the host says "awww look he wants his belly rubbing". Yeah, right like THAT's going to happen!



Good lord you need to get out more (alone) .... you'll be surprised how strange strangers can be

I do go out alone...and I tell a lie, I have eaten with a stranger.....I 'met' a lady through online scrabble and we agreed to meet up in York. We saw the sights and had lunch. We have two or three regular 'jaunts' a year now, five years later, with another lady we have met through scrabble.

We each pay for our own food.


(You're welcome to come and see me too, we have very good cheap eateries in my town! We have two cats but no dog ).

holidaysforme

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Not that you're asking me but....

I can enjoy a friend's company with plates of food in front of us or I can do it just as well without - however I find it very awkward to go out for a meal with someone and sit and eat while they either stare at my food, stare at me while I'm eating or try to avoid doing either.

I don't know why this is so difficult to understand.

Absoloutly agree with you here.

missbiggles1

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't know where you live, but I've some strange idea in my head about where it is ... and I believe it's about 200 miles from me

LOVE cats... dogs hate me. Dogs also do unexpected things which sometimes perturb me

It's hard to be polite when a dog's rolling on it's back presenting its willy to you and the host says "awww look he wants his belly rubbing". Yeah, right like THAT's going to happen!



Good lord you need to get out more (alone) .... you'll be surprised how strange strangers can be

Right - invitation withdrawn!:rotfl::rotfl:

Person_one

PasturesNew wrote: »

Then there are people like me who never went to Uni and haven't been abroad.

Well yes of course, but missbiggles was suggesting that it was incredibly far fetched that someone might have a visitor from abroad. Obviously it's not an everyday thing, but it's certainly not that rare!

missbiggles1

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Yes, I saw this too and you're right, many restaurants buy in ready made desserts. Probably another reason I don't tend to have a dessert when eating out.

We have a few favourite restaurants we like to eat at regularly and being in a rural location we know they source fresh produce locally, often knowing which farm or supplier it comes from. I don't mind paying for decent food and will often opt for a dish I haven't tried before, or one that I find a challenge to cook at home.

When I eat in town at one of the chain style restaurants, usually coupled with a cinema trip, then I compensate by using vouchers or some sort of deal to cover as much of the food bill as possible as I can often cook the dishes much better myself at home.

I spend a lot of time in France and French patisserie is so specialised that all but the very best restaurants buy it in - think of the new Bake Off spin off and you'll see what I mean.

missbiggles1

Person_one wrote: »

Well yes of course, but missbiggles was suggesting that it was incredibly far fetched that someone might have a visitor from abroad. Obviously it's not an everyday thing, but it's certainly not that rare!

I bet if we did a poll it would be a tiny number (and I've both been to university and lived abroad).

ETA
Although I did go and stay in Germany with a schoolfriend when she was based there for a while.

pigpen

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's hard to be polite when a dog's rolling on it's back presenting its willy to you and the host says "awww look he wants his belly rubbing". Yeah, right like THAT's going to happen!

Some of the posters would probably itch the dogs belly with their fork and carry on eating!!