Imagine having a normal dinner with your friends at a restaurant, and then the bill comes. What are you going to do? Should you bring out your own debit card and pay for it entirely, or ask everyone to contribute their share to make it easy and economical? Well, this TikToker started an online heated debate after he started screaming at everyone for being asked to split a bill that amounted to $4,600. To be absolutely fair, it also depends on the company, as well as the food. Sometimes, you might want to impress a prospective client, so you pick up the bill. But most often, especially with such a big amount, people expect everyone to split it. Not TikToker Viccgotti, whose real name is Victor Christian, though.
How Far Should You Split The Bill?
The person shooting the video also has to be given credit- for they knew what each person was going to do. It also seems that the question of splitting the bill must have arisen before them a few other times, for they were all in their element, trying to make their voices heard over the dinner. Interestingly, the TikToker later confided that the group “probably did maybe over-exaggerate a little bit for the camera,” but he swore that the argument was absolutely real. In any case, the video showcased the TikToker screaming at his friends and telling them that some of them had been ordering stuff from the more expensive side of the menu. And since the bill did reach a hefty $4,600, it was definitely a pricey menu.
Christian later questioned his followers if his friend, who “wanted everyone to split the bill for her birthday dinner,” was in the wrong or if he was wrong for not wanting to split it. Needless to say, his followers were pretty quick to put out their thoughts, and while quite a few people agreed with the TikToker, while others believed that splitting the bill was the only way to go ahead. One excited individual commented, “I would not be arguing! I would pay for my food plus tip! Period! In my car going home!” Another individual argued, “If everyone gets something similar I’m all for splitting but if some people are going extra hard with food or drink then it’s not fair.”
How Much Is Too Much For Friendship?
Quite a lot of his followers stated that they would be willing to share the cost of the birthday girl’s food, as well as pay for their own, while others thought differently. One wrote, “I thought the birthday girl was supposed to pay the WHOLE bill since she invited you to her birthday?” Christian stated that he had ended up paying $24.58 for his own meal, but the argument had ended his friendship with the birthday girl.
But this begs the question, how does one deal with a situation like this? Especially in the event when your friend has had a Porterhouse steak and a couple of martinis while you are on your first salad. Or when the check comes, and you realize that everyone has been enjoying a nice glass of Dom Perignon except you. Who pays, and who abstains? Daniel Post Senning, the co-author of “Emily Post Etiquette, The Centennial Edition,” informed CNBC, “The last thing you want is a situation when the bill arrives at your table.” Hence, there are three strategies that one can employ which will ensure the group splits the bill evenly without having any issues underneath.
Read: Delivery Driver Shows How Customer’s $92 Order Was Sitting For Hours After No Tip
How To Deal With Splitting Huge Bills That You Didn’t Have A Part In?
1. Communicate Your Thoughts At The Earliest
If you find yourself in a group of people whose tastes are different and more expensive than yours, try to voice your opinions at the earliest. Daniel mentions, “The key to good etiquette is good communication. Sooner is better.” If you believe that the bill would not be split evenly, try speaking about it earlier- “Hey, I am wondering how we are planning to split this up anyone have any ideas?” or, “I’m going to keep things really small tonight, so I’m going to ask for a separate check.”
2. Advocate For Yourself When The Bill Comes
There is a possibility that you were looking out for everyone before the bill came, but then the meal became as uneven as humanly possible. Why are you expected to cover the slack? Well, when the server approaches the table, address them directly. Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and owner of the Protocol School of Texas, mentions, “Don’t look at your friends or your neighbor at the table. Say. ‘I’m covering these two’- that way you’re telling the server, not the table.” If you are exceedingly chummy with your friends, then there is no harm in informing them. But either way, communicate your intentions clearly to avoid any misunderstandings. Gottsman states, “We should be discreet advocates for ourselves- for both our comfort levels and our budgets.”
3. Settle Expenses With Friends
With the introduction of certain apps like Venmo, settling expenses with friends has become much easier. There have been times when one individual would pick up the check, and the rest would split the bill equally through the app. But this begets a problem- sometimes, people pick up the entire check with the expectation that someone would be paying for them. But as it turns out, people can often forget to pay, leading to issues within the friendship. Thomas Farley, an expert on etiquette and the author of Mealtime with Mister Manners, mentioned, “People probably have their phones out anyway. You can pay while you’re walking out of the restaurant. Get it off your plate, off your mind, and pay it right away.“
One also has to make sure that they are paying the exact amount. Gottsman mentions, “Cover your costs, including tax and tip. They’re not going to come back to you and say you were $6 short. That person is the one who could end up being short-changed.“
Also, if you are the one paying for the entire crowd, don’t keep harassing them for the money. Senning mentions, “The ideal sweet spot is paying people back before they ask you. The money gets returned before it becomes an imposition on the person who lent it.” But it could get a little rude to ask your friends to pay you back before they even reach the parking lot. Senning advises that one should let it breathe for a minute.
Splitting the bill can often turn into a problem if one wants it to be. Else, all one has to do is be straightforward and settle things straight. Pay for what you have eaten.
Keep Reading: Large Group Of Teens Tips Waiter Only $3.28. A Few Days Later This Note Is Handed To Him
Sources
- “Man who refused to split $4,600 dinner bill sparks heated debate.” Unilad. Emily Brown. July 19, 2023.
- “Splitting the bill? This situation is ‘the last thing you want,’ etiquette experts say.” CNBC. Ryan Ermey. November 13, 2022.
- “Should You Really Split The Check? 5 Etiquette Tips for Restaurants.” Real Simple. Erica Lamberg. August 8, 2022.