h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Often a hot topic and one that arouses fierce opinions. At a mates leaving do (moving to Australia) the other week a whole load of went for a curry.

Stupidly we didn't agree on "bill protocol" before we started. And as we'd been to a fancy cocktail bar before the meal most of us were well oiled! So the bill came and we split it, leading to a couple of people to feel massively aggrieved because they had only had one beer or something.

So what should people do, I do understand why people eating or drinking much less than everyone else could feel annoyed at subsidising others (I personally couldn't really give a hoot about this rarely more than a couple of quid).

On the other hand I *hate* the process of splitting a bill that is for more than 2-3 people. When it is a large group it is always unsightly. Also people always make mistakes, forget things they ordered or don't account for poppadoms and sundries. It always seems to happen when doing this that the bill is either under, or there is no tip despite several people weighing in far more than their meal cost.

So my considered view is that when dining in a large group you should either:-

Agree in advance to split bill
Request an individual bill and just pay that per person

Obviously it is possible to do a combination of the 6 people splitting and two having their own bill say.

But I am convinced this is better than trying to split a 15 person bill and all calculators out and arguments when everyone is a bit sozzled. That always ruins a night for me.

So what do hootooizens think?

FB

Split the bill.

If the people you go out with don't want to split the bill, they're clearly boring, penny-pinching gimboids. Find new people to go out with. And then split the bill.

However, if you've ordered something stupidly expensive and nobody else has, you're duty bound to throw in the difference (rounded off to a note) before the bill is split.

IE: 12 of you are out for a meal. 11 order quiche at £5. Colin orders lobster at £23. Colin throws in his £20, and then the remainder of the bill is split.

There's probably a collaborative entry in this.

Sorry, split the bill *equally*. I didn't make that clear.

What we do here is usually that everyone pays for what they ate/drink themselves. So if they had for instance a beer and a steak they pay for exactly that and not more or less. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone splitting a bill like you described above.

Personally I prefer to see the bill divided equally. It's a group event and how much *you* ate or drank is irrelevant, the bill is for the shared experience. The only exception to this would be if one or two people are taking the piss - ordering expensive bottles of wine for their own consumption or the like, in which case it's reasonable to expect them to kick in extra.

Well TBH, I normally do only go out with like minded pals on the bill splitting thing. My close group all tend to be of the opinion that such things even out over the course of a friendship and being a bit down or up on one split bill matters not.

But obviously one has less control over "special occasion" type things where wider groups of people get invited. Birthdays, leaving dos etc.....

FB

Ah Bistromathematics

Someone ought to invent a theory on it - you never know what might be achieved

*toys with a bit of chicken*

Tavaron - sounds like there's far too much maths involved there.

As the accountant in the bunch, it usually falls to me to divvy up the bill. It's certainly much easier if everyone agrees to an even split, but it's perfectably acceptable for someone to object and say "but I wasn't drinking and had the cheapest main course!"

I propose the next time you decide to go out as a large group you all go to McDonalds for a happy meal.

Personally I feel robbed of the group social experience if the evening doesn't end in disputes and fisticuffs.

Other options include eat as much as you want buffets (chinese restaurants are good at this).

Split the bill, equally, between the number of people present, so everyone pays the same, irrelivent of what they've had. I have walked out before from a post-group meal 'discussion' on the bill, in disgust at peoples squabbling over who had what and who didn't have X, Y or Z...

The only exception to this, equal divvying of the cost, is where one person just pays, I.E., 'treats' everyone to their meal, which is often what we end up doing when out as a 'family' group, (useually to a curry house), and it's a 'special occasion', like a birthday or round Christmas time, etc., one in the group, will useually just throw their credit card at the waiter, to pay for everyone, hmm.... which I suddenly realise I've now done the last two times I went out with my Family

I've done that too, 2legs. My friends are fairly laissez-faire about the whole dining thing, although we will all stump up extra if we're ordering something substantially more expensive. However, L's friends are a different kettle of fish.

I walked out of a restaurant once (having left enough to cover my meal, drinks and tip) because one of her friends was arguing and triple checking receipts so he didn't pay too much.

You see, if we'd have split it equally, he'd have paid £2.65 more than he otherwise should have.

In Salford, we have an expression for people like that. It's "tighter than a fish's [bum]hole".

I flippin hate stinginess with tips. I always give a minimum of 15% and usually round up.

swl, are you sure you're Scottish?

"tighter than a fish's [bum]hole".

Tighter than two coats of paint.

The weird thing is, I think, at least, is I've seen people, having 'discussions over the meal price split', who are argueing over a small amount, two three, four or five quid, who yet, don't bulk for a second when doing rounds in the pub, when each round is a few quid to the benifit of the person drinking the expensive juice...

I used to love our massive sort of half family, half family's workmates, curry nights... we'd be seriously out on the raz, and not even a massive group, we'd useually get to well over the £400 mark in the Indian, which would be after the first pub we met in, and then we'd head off to the bars after the meal mind, never quite the same when they had to take away and ban the ash trays on the table in the Indians

If it's between actual friends, we generally go for an even split. The difference will only be a couple euros anyway, so why bother?

On the other hand, you have my English speaking group and the like :
- it is made up of people I don't know very well outside of that,
- some of them only come very occasionally,
- and some of us only have a coffee while others will have dinner as well.
So everyone will pay for their own drink/food. The waiters know it, the members know it. It's pretty clear to everyone.
... Except the guy who left without paying. Twice.


Although, if you have trouble with divisions, but you can do additions...