If the restaurant bill is $300 between 3 people, should each person pay $100 evenly, or only pay for what each person ordered?

Question

Saw this stirring up some chatter on Facebook and was curious about what people on GAG would do.

Talon364 · Accepted Answer

Guys just split it three ways. We don't care who had what. We think enjoying that experience with friends is what is most important. And we feel like stopping that flow to count nickels might ruin that momentum. Also it makes us feel cool and manly to just throw our card down with others without even looking at the tab. It says we care nothing of money! This brotherly comradery is what is important here!!
Finally. We have thought the whole process through because we come from the sex that traditionally has more tab paying experience. I mean previous generations

Here's the bottom line:

Is that $15 more dollars you're paying in, because they all had salads and you didn't, worth telling your friends that you're putting in less because you shouldn't have to pay for something you... blah blah.
You just sound like an asshole. If you are that stingy with money, you shouldn't be eating out at restaurant in the first place. It's just not that important to be exactly equal and accurate at the risk of being rude to your friend Bob. I mean c'mon. Is Money that important?
Its Bob!. You've known him since Clown College. He supported you when you made the transition. You rescued him from that Morman cult. You introduced him to 3 if his wives!

zeitgeist057 · Accepted Answer

I would do either solution as long as each of the three people hadn't gone "over the edge" in terms of how much of the bill they actually ran up.

If the restaurant bill is $300 between 3 people, should each person pay $100 evenly, or only pay for what each person ordered?

For example, if one person just sat there and ordered an appetizer and drank water, while the other two had a bunch of alcoholic drinks and full meals, then I think it would be fair for the two "hogs" to pay either there actual costs or make a fairer split, like say $130 each and $40 for the smaller eater/teetotaler.

If the actual costs were
Person A: $120
Person B: $75
Persone C: $105

then I would say no big deal for Person B (at least if it was me) to pay a little extra toward the group.

AmandaYVR · Accepted Answer

Depends on the relationship between the three people, if any informal agreement was decided before, and how they normally pay with each other present.
Was a bottle of wine involved? Does one person drink more or eat more than the other?
There is no one answer to this.

Restaurant Servers: When the customers ask to "split the bill", do you take that as an equal split, or you divide it based on what they each ordered?

laurieluvsit · Accepted Answer

I don't eat much but if I did, I would not expect anyone to pay for any portion of my food and likewise I would not expect others to expect me to pay for theirs.

That being said, my friends know that I normally try to insist on paying for everyone when they are with me. I have to do something good for someone every day or I feel bad. Maybe my girl scout training... lol

MrOracle · Answer

People should pay for what they ordered. If you ordered appetizers or desserts to share (meaning everyone agreed to share, not that you just assumed that they would), then those can be split.

If I went out with 2 other people, and I ordered food that was $25.00 with tax, I'd probably put in $30 PLUS a separate, generous share of the tip - but I'm not going to pay for someone's 4 drinks and surf & turf if I ordered a chicken sandwich and a Coke. I'm assuming here that I didn't promise to buy someone's meal - like taking them out for a birthday meal or whatever, because in that case, of course I would pay for their share as well.

But I will also say this: if some entitled person screws me with the bill once, I will never dine out with them again, period. People have been permanently dis-invited from my events for crap like that. The friends I choose to hang out with aren't assholes.

ChrisMaster69 · Answer

It varies, if it’s with our social group, then someone would just pay it, or we might just split evenly. We don’t care if someone ordered an extra drink or a starter, we are friends and it just comes around again.

if it’s more complicated and 12 guys on a night out on the piss then for an ‘Indian’ is fucking complicated, we do it by food bill but also deduct whatever cash was left in the ‘kitty’. It’s a rough split as we get a bit pissed off when someone complains theirs should be £24.50 and not £25.

Drink bills are the worst, as for some reason there is always some fuckwit picks a stupid drink when everyone is on pints or wine.

i have a tab at my local for stuff as well lol, which is really dodgy as I forget who the hell was there lol.

slatyb · Answer

It depends on what they ordered and the relative difference. My friends and I are are all fairly well off, so we don't worry about $10 when splitting a restaurant bill. We figure it will all even out in the end. None of use wants to take advantage of another.

horatiohornblower · Answer

I only see splitting if it's a shared meal. Like all of you grabbing from the appetizers, sushi platters for the table, pitchers of beer, bottles of wine and such like that. Although drinks should be separately split out for those who don't booze or just order their own meal at the table.

Adam_DoesArt · Answer

Unless stated before hand, where person A, invites persons B, and C, and outright states B and C's meals will be covered by A, you should always pay for your own meal.

Imagine you order something small, and cheap, but your two friends order large, and expensive meals, how could you possibly justify it, that you have to help pay for their meals? This is silly.

Bee-Hatch · Answer

Ok it depends

If the bill is just a meal and a couple of drinks each - yes you split equally.
If the bill is 3 meals, you're driving so had a couple of cokes, while your friends have a couple of bottles of wine each then you're not obliged to split equally. If they're friends they should be smart enough to see how this isn't fair.

ohshee · Answer

It all depends if I asked the two other people out to go to dinner then I'm going to pay for it but if we all decide hey let's go out and get something to eat then I think we should split it three ways end I would even leave tip cuz I do anyway cuz I want to make sure that they're tipped right

TrueConfection · Answer

Just split it evenly. It seems so petty to pass around the bill while everyone double and triple checks the amounts of their food and drinks.

I have only encountered one abuser who drank $60 worth of alcohol along with his wife. In that case, the right thing would have been for him to offer up an extra $60 and then split the bill. He didn't and some glances were inappropriately exchanged by other members of our party.

Skip the pettiness, please.

Novacane · Answer

This is a question that needs to be established, I feel like if we all had essentially the same then yeah we can split the bill evenly, but then if you have someone who didn't really order much and everyone else orders a lot then it wouldn't be fair for the person who didn't order much but then again that should be mentioned in the beginning before getting started and maybe that person can have their own bill or just have them pay what they ordered.

MuddyMole · Answer

I wouldn't be too bothered either way, so probably split it evenly, as I know it's a hassle for the restaurant staff otherwise (especially if they're busy). If that's a problem, you probably shouldn't be eating in a place where the average meal is $100 in the first place.

MCheetah · Answer

You should always only pay for what you ordered, especially if you're a woman and you want "equality" nowadays. Why the hell should I pay for someone else's food when I only had water? I'm not your sugar daddy. So yeah, I agree everyone should always only pay for their own meals.

libsaretards · Answer

Each person pays for what they ordered. If I bought a salad, someone else bought a chicken dinner and the third bought the most expensive steak in the damn establishment then why should the person who bought the salad pay more than what their meal would cost while the steak fucker gets a discount? Not sure if you intended to or not, but your question shows the essence of capitalism vs. communism.

Moose304 · Answer

The answer to this question is actually VERY simple. I have done this many times. I remember a close to $600 meal in NYC several years before Covid. You discuss the meal beforehand. That night I was with a lady that no way could she afford that meal, not even her part. There were 5 of us at that table and we split the bill 4 ways and the server separated the tab. One reason the tab was so high was we enjoyed some expensive wine!

BrosephBrostar · Answer

I think what most people who are saying "duh, you pay for what you ordered!" are forgetting are things like appetizers, which aren't obviously claimed by an individual on the table (unless they explicitly do so), but even still, that's a smaller portion of the bill, and it's not that difficult to parse out who had what of which appetizer.

Anonymous · Answer

I'd prefer to pay for what I order. We all have those friends who order appetizers, a salad, alcohol beverages, and dessert. I typically only order an entree and maybe a dessert. I drink water 99% of the time. Then when the bill comes, it's unfair for me to pay for a bunch of stuff I didn't even order or want.

Shark_61695 · Answer

Split equal unless one person is taking the piss. Given the currency is dollars, they can give the optional (read compulsory) tip.

Any split should be confirmed with your server before ordering so they can keep the bill separate. If you know you are going to be spending significantly more or less, this could be a good option. Just flag this with the server when ordering and keep your bill private.

Danny_dan92 · Answer

Yeah, unless one person got an insanely expensive dish while the other two got a moderately priced one.

For example.

If one person’s dish cost 150$ and the other two were 75$ a piece. Then that’s how the payment should be divided

Anonymous · Answer

I think each person should only pay for what they ordered - UNLESS all the food was shared among the three people, such as at a sushi restaurant or a "family style" place like Bucca Di Beppo. In the case where the food is shared, then each should pay $100.

BruceJender · Answer

It really depends.

I went out with three friends recently. We ordered good for the table and individual drinks. We ended up paying €15 each, which was fair.

However, you can't expect someone who has had one dish and a drink to fork out €100 if the others have had far more.

Hypnos0929 · Answer

Depends on how everyone ordered. If you got liquor, a desert, and a dinner I'm gonna say split by what you had but if we all had a generally equal amount of food then I'd be ok with $100 each.
Personally I can't see a scenario where my food is $100. I spent $50 yesterday on food for 4 people including myself.

foxrider77 · Answer

They should pay for what they ordered unless it was a buffet style. We all know those that order the whole menu and order all the alcohol in the restaurant. I only order what I’ll eat not order for the next three meals like half my friends.

PrettyPriya · Answer

Pay for what you ate. If I have a salad and another guest at the table has lobster, should I pay for such a pricey meal?

bubbles328 · Answer

Depends if one of them ordered silly things or if you are all relatively equal. Usually there’s always that one person that orders the most expensive stuff because they think the bill will be split equally

CarolineW · Answer

Depends what each person had. I think people should pay for the alcohol they consume. If you're a light drinker and the others get through 3 bottles of wine, then you shouldn't have to pay for that

pleasestopthis · Answer

Each one should pay for what they ordered. Some people take advantage when the bill is split evenly, and then someone who only had a glass of water has to pay for someone else's fancy drink, totally unfair.

AdithyaR · Answer

Unless it's a all you can eat kind of thing with a fixed price for each, everyone pays for what they eat.
I have a larger appetite than most of my friends so obviously I order more and eat more, why would they pay for that? I'd pay for what I eat

Citizenkirk · Answer

How on 🌎🌍🌏 do you run up a 300 restaurant bill! Are you eating truffles and caviar and Crystal because all that expensive s*** really does taste like s*** you know.

DizzyDesii · Answer

Im payin for what i ordered. They shouldn't have ordered more than they can afford. They better call up daddy and ask for his credit card

AviatorTom · Answer

This should have been discussed beforehand. Assuming there was no discussion, then split the bill, including a tip agreed by all, into three equal pieces.

Adam1978 · Answer

You pay what you ate and drank. Plus any tip if that is the culture. You never split the sum. Because that is never fair.

HighValue · Answer

Each person should pay for what they ordered. If one person ordered $150, one ordered $100 and one of them ordered $50 it wouldn't be fair to split the bill $100 each.

MTC29 · Answer

BTDT. Split the bill into equal portions and pay up. The guy who wants a separate check... that's you Dave, isn't asked back.

douride2 · Answer

I always pay for what I ordered. Even if we all ordered the same meal there is always at least one person that has a few drinks or more. Why should I pay for their drinks.

bowenw · Answer

If everyone has had basically the same meals and number of drinks, especially if a bottle of wine was shared, I would split it equally, otherwise ask the server to split it.

purplepoppy · Answer

Once you add up starters, main meal, dessert and wine it usually balances out even if one person has a more expensive course.

bolverk · Answer

You pay for what you ordered plus tip,  I see no reason to subsidise some one who ordered expensive items from the menu.  If they don't have the cash they can go wash pots.

jamesgoldman · Answer

Pay your own way I've had expensive meals on other people's payment so as they won't take my money or couldn't in one case, I'll cover the tip with the difference

Agape93 · Answer

Well I'm not paying $100 if all I had was a sandwich and tea.

Anonymous · Answer

Might depend on the relationship of the 3 people. But also whatever everyone agrees to. To be "fair", everyone should pay for their own. Then there's no "debate" or question.

Flower7 · Answer

I feel like it should be separate checks with each person paying for what he or she ordered.

CindyRuns · Answer

If it's close, I'd say yes, if one person obviously ran up the bill, then no !!!

donnny2367764 · Answer

Slit the check. The server if experienced should have little to no trouble doing so for you guys to do so. It's also polite to ask a server to do so before ordering your meals

MysticDevice · Answer

You pay for what you ordered. That way you're not paying for something you didn't even get. That would be Communism and that doesn't work.

TacosRAwesome · Answer

Depends on the price differences between the orders. If it's within 10%, then the bill can be split evenly, if not each pays for their own.

annabananna · Answer

Normally if it is split we just pay for what we ordered.

exitseven · Answer

I have never been in this situation but would split the bill according to what each person ordered.

Freespirit777 · Answer

If it is not a date or you agreed to pay, I would say separate checks. You pay for what you eat. It is easy to get burned in this situation.

jahaims · Answer

In my friend group we take turns covering the bill. When we have a group it's easier for one person to pay.

jasco · Answer

yea i split that type. now if its me and a girl i am interested in, i may pay for it

KostasKouvalis · Answer

$100 a piece and no tip for the overpriced bastards.

call_me_scar · Answer

I would say you should only pay for your own meal unless it's a special occasion like a birthday

OddBeMe · Answer

like the friends episode, it only matters if money matters. If a friend has money issues, I'd offer to pay for them.

007kingifrit · Answer

if you want to split the bill between 3 people you can ask the waiter that at the BEGINNING of the meal

TexasRed95 · Answer

Only pay for what you order. This is a Democracy not Socialism.

SamsonT · Answer

pay what you ordered (your share) plus your share of the taxes and tip

Jamie05rhs · Answer

That depends whether you're a libertarian or a socialist.

Wise4myage · Answer

Yes and a lot more unless the tip was already included.

CuriousMufuxka · Answer

300 dollars? Hope that was prime steak and vintage wine!

Jhonrembo · Answer

Whether it's friends or family eating together surely. This is most true in my opinion.

nawtee_me · Answer

If I asked everyone out than I would pay the whole bill...

If the restaurant bill is $300 between 3 people, should each person pay $100 evenly, or only pay for what each person ordered?

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