I do think it’s rude to want to split the bill equally at a restaurant if some people in your party order very pricey dishes or drinks while others order more reasonable items.
How would you feel if you went out to eat with your friends, the grand total was outrageous, and they expected you to simply split it evenly, even though you ordered the cheapest things?
This woman recently went to a restaurant with her friends, and there was no prior communication amongst them about how they would divide up the check at the end.
She got water and a salad, and her total for that was approximately $18, meaning she spent the least amount of money at the table that night.
“Everyone else ordered appetizers, multiple drinks, expensive entrees, [and] desserts. The bill came out to $300 for 6 people,” she explained.
“Someone immediately said let’s just split it evenly, it’s easier. I said no and asked to pay for what I ordered. The table went quiet like I’d said something offensive.”
“I’m not made of money, and I don’t think I should pay $50 for a salad I didn’t eat and drinks I didn’t drink. I said it politely, paid my portion plus tip, and left feeling like the villain.”
Following that dinner, two of her friends who were there have ignored her texts since they think she destroyed the mood by not wanting to subsidize the meals of everyone else.
While she initially didn’t think she was in the wrong for refusing to split that $600 equally, since she’s been given the silent treatment by certain people, it has her doubting herself.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
She’s left wondering if she’s the jerk for wanting to just pay for her salad, or if her friends are rude for anticipating that she would want to help them cover all of their costs.
First of all, these people are not her friends if they’re angry at her for not wanting to help pay for all of the elaborate things they ordered that evening.
If they were her friends, they would be sympathetic to the fact that she was trying not to spend a ton of money, especially when she ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, and nobody else did.
It sounds like they’re using her since they’re so upset that she wanted to just pay for her salad. There truly is nothing wrong with how she handled the dinner, and it was a reasonable request on her part, in my opinion.
What do you think? Does it sound like she should be getting new friends after how this dinner with them played out? Or do you think she should have just coughed up the cash and paid what they wanted her to?
You can read the original post below.
By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
