Re: Separate checks ??

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Kitty Galore wrote:
@Effie54 wrote:
While it's nice to have separate checks.....we never ask for that. It appears cheap. Unless the wait staff automatically give separate checks, we just split the bill.
@Effie54 Actually that is how we both feel , it appears cheap also it appears as if we aren't very good friends . The 3 of us don't drink only him, so it isn't that. Maybe it's just we don't care what others are ordering we enjoy dinning out with friends and family we split the check with everyone else we dine with even amounts to each couple . We do not go over the bill and itemize what a each person ate, that's crazy !

@Kitty Galore Nothing cheap about it. But it gives everyone the freedom to order what they want. If I want something expensive and my dining partners don't I want the freedom to order what I want and not feel bad about them footing the bill for me.

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

@Biftu wrote:
Wow, I see I am in the minority here. I didn't realize separate checks was that popular. Never have we done this, whether it be with other couples or I go out with friends. We do not eat out that often and when we do we either pay, or the other couple pays. Just glad to have their company and I don't care what they order.

@Biftu

i dont count or care either. i think if it did i would not go out at all with anyone. if a FRIEND of mine wants i dessert and i dont, i dont care. if they want to order a meal that is more expensive that night, i dont care. if someone wants a nice glass of wine, i dont care.

also, when we go out with our kids, we always pick up the check. they can order whatever is on the menu.

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SurferWife · ‎12-12-2010

We really have only one couple with whom we go out to eat, so we take turns picking up the check, or we just pick it up. We don't eat out often so when we do, we don't mind picking up the check.

Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. It isn’t how long you live that matters; it is how well you are prepared to die. ~~Colonel Robert B. Thieme, Jr.

bonnielu · ‎03-11-2010

We aways ask for separate checks when we sit down so the waitress or waiter knows early on. I don't see it as an insult. It would be an issue I would think if the check were split in half and one couple or person had a very expensive meal forcing a possible awkward situation. Often WE HAVE PAID THE ENTIRE BILL but we don't want to be put in a situation that upsets anyone including ourselves. Might be the end of a friendship OR the last time we all go out to dinner with the others.

bikerbabe · ‎03-09-2010

It’s normal in my experience to have separate checks.
I’m puzzled that some even think it’s an issue.🤷🏻‍♀️ Some people are on a budget or a diet and there could be a big difference in orders. It’s definitely not rude and it’s not being cheap, it may simply be the most practical option.

Zoe · ‎06-10-2015

@Kitty Galore Hospitality household here...Telling the server upfront was actually very kind of this gentleman. It allows the server to set up the tabs in the system from the start instead of weeding through a larger check and then splitting it off (hoping they caught everything and got the right items to the right check) -- and splitting a table once it's been in the system may require a manager's approval, depending upon price-point & restaurant procedures.

As others have pointed out, it's not an uncommon practice to split a check. Nothing to take offense to or feel hurt by. Different people have different financial comfort levels. And coming from a family who makes a really big deal out of "fighting" over the check when it's presented (*eye roll*), avoiding that show very much appreciated.

AuntMame · ‎10-16-2010

I have girlfriends I love to go out to lunch with. There are a few who order the full shebang...multiple appetizers, full meal, drinks, desert-to-go...with the intention of taking a lot of food home for later meals. I rarely order much, just soup or salad. As an older woman on a retirement fixed-income I feel taken advantage of when someone who's ordered a tableful of food says "Let's split the check." So now I specify separate checks when orders are taken. And feel relieved when a companion specifies the same. That's just me. When I was younger I would pick up dinner bills but I can't do that any longer. I don't care if I look cheap.