Splitting the check evenly versus separate checks.?

Question

Some of my friends like the idea of splitting the check evenly no matter what each person actually got. Others think each person should only pay for what they ate (Assuming meal prices are not the same). What are your experiences?

Answer 1

My experience when my friends do that is I order an entree and eat the entree.  Maybe I'll have a soda or maybe I'll have a water.  That's it.  My friends order 2 appetizers, an entree each plus added sides, a desert each, and usually 3 or 4 alcoholic beverages each.  When I order I tell the waitress to give me my check separately.  If the rest of my friends want to split there's evenly that's fine but I refuse to spend $50 when I only ordered/ate $10-$12 worth.

Answer 2

I usually do this. "I will get this one, you pay the next one." it works well among my friends but it doesn't work for some people. SO I ask for separate checks for situations like that. It is much easier.

Answer 3

Split the check!  It's really lame when you get a soup & salad and some one else gets appetizers and an entree and you both have to pay the same.  That's not right.  The bills are done mostly on computers so it's NO issue to ask for seperate checks anymore.

Answer 4

I am familiar with this scenario and it used to really annoy me. Fortunately these days I make it very clear my intentions. Eventually for the friends who expected to split the bill, I told them at the beginning of the meal that I was not very flush, so could only pay for what i ordered. They thought I was stingy, but I don't see these friends anymore now, so i don't really care. Now if it is a group I always suggest a share the main meal restaurant ie: asian or indian. This is a bit more fair. My friends and i are a bit easier on each other these days and if it is a large group thing we try to organise a set price. Fortunately most restaurants in Sydney are BYO, so there is no problem there. Unless it is a special event I think it is rude and in bad taste to split the bill these days. The polite thing is to work out how much each person owes and do it that way or do the set price meal thing. Unless you have loads of money and don't mind shouting your friends.

Answer 5

My friends and I never split the check evenly, and I don't think it's fair to do so, mainly because not everyone has the same income.  For example, maybe one of my friends wants to treat himself to a big juicy steak, but another one of my friends just lost her job and gets a salad.  It's not fair that she should have to pay for part of his steak, or that he gets to pay less because she got a salad.  I think it's just courtesy to only pay for what you eat.

Answer 6

me and my friend just split the check

Answer 7

There are less hard feelings with separate checks...especially if it is people you go out with all the time...it is usually the same people who always order the most expensive thing every time you go out.

Answer 8

You should pay for what you ordered.  I've known people who like to order very expensive items just because the check is split evenly.  I've also known a person like this who complains when someone else orders something expensive, and tries to be sly about ordering his...

Answer 9

Each person should pay for what they ate.