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Restaurant check splitting protocol: Itemized or even split?

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If my meal is more than the average I offer to pay for my own. If my meal is less than average I suggest that we split. Everyone in our group does pretty much the same thing and every time we end up splitting. 99.9% of the time we split evenly then whoever had the most expensive meal would pay the tip or buy us a drink afterwards. Or not. In the long run it always evens out.

If anyone abuses the system I stop going to restaurants with them.
 
Petrie said:
Disagree with this part. You should check beforehand because you simply don't know what their computer system can and can't do. For instance many systems can't split an actual item, so if you order a bottle of wine or appetizer for the group, it simply can't be split. It has to go on one person's check.
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I would never expect them to split a bottle of wine or any single item. In fact I didn't even know that was possible.

I'm talking about a bill coming to, say, £200 and me wanting to pay £100 on one card and my friend £100 on another and them saying no.
 
Always itemized. Splitting is unfair when other people order more expensive items. Usually someone at the table other than me will alert the server of such before we even order.
 
We usually just keep track when ordering food. It's not bad. I immediately look at prices when ordering anyways. So I just add 50 cents or round up to the next dollar to keep tax even and then give at the end to the payer.

If its my close buddies where we all know roughly how much each other is getting.....even split, there's no arguing between close friends on switching off every time.
 
It's not bad if everyone just pays attention to what they order. I have a running tab in my head and just add 20% or so for the tip and leave the cash on the table.
 
Itemised. I'm not as well off as my friends, so I order what I can afford, not 1/X of what everyone buys.

Easier to split evenly? I guess, but not by a huge amount.
 
With my friends, we just itemize. It's just makes more sense and everyone pays for whatever they wanted to spend on. Not for someone else's more expensive meal.
 
Pay for what you order unless the difference in cost is minimal between separate people, at which point you split it evenly. As it should be done. Always. Restaurants should make it a lot easier for this to be done using cards.
 
bitizenbon said:
Always itemized. Splitting is unfair when other people order more expensive items. Usually someone at the table other than me will alert the server of such before we even order.
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Haha I always ponder what was going on with a poster that not only dug up a year old thread but felt compelled to respond to it broadly and bump it.

How did this happen haha? It will forever be amusing for me though.
 
Itemized if it's really out of balance. Why should someone who ate a salad and had water to drink have to pay 1/2 the check if the other person had a lobster and wine?
 
I don;t order drinks and apps. You better believe I'm only paying for my entree.

Or if it's a big group, I just casually tell the waiter to separate my bill from the start.
 
glaringradio said:
Pay for what you order unless the difference in cost is minimal between separate people, at which point you split it evenly. As it should be done. Always. Restaurants should make it a lot easier for this to be done using cards.
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I mean how easy it is pretty much depends on a lot of factors. If you have a party of 12, with different people paying for different people, and no one informs them prior, things are going to take a bit to sort out. Even with the best system.

If it's 2 people or things are made clear ahead of time, shit is pretty easy to itemize and split because it will be categorized as they go.
 
Jonm1010 said:
Haha I always ponder what was going on with a poster that not only dug up a year old thread but felt compelled to respond to it broadly and bump it.

How did this happen haha? It will forever be amusing for me though.
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Juniors can't make new threads, so they bump threads they want to participate in.

Happens all the time.

This is only a year old or so. It's funny when they bump a 5 plus year old thread.
 
entrement said:
Juniors can't make new threads, so they bump threads they want to participate in.

Happens all the time.

This is only a year old or so. It's funny when they bump a 5 plus year old thread.
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Well I get that but I'm more talking about why are you even looking at thread a year old and then bumping It to give a year late suggestion to the op(you in this instance)?

I understand asking a new question or something but these sort of bumps are always slightly fascinating to me in that they don't make much sense and are a bit funny.
 
Jonm1010 said:
I mean how easy it is pretty much depends on a lot of factors. If you have a party of 12, with different people paying for different people, and no one informs them prior, things are going to take a bit to sort out. Even with the best system.

If it's 2 people or things are made clear ahead of time, shit is pretty easy to itemize and split because it will be categorized as they go.
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With large parties "how are you planning on sitting the bill?" before ordering. If everyone wants to pay for what they order, take their card/cash at the point of ordering in some sort of pre-allocated "large party" payment tray. Simple.
 
When eating with poor friends, I pay for the whole bill and tell them to give me what they (think they) owe in cash. I'm always shorted, but I do this because I'm sick of seeing waiters get stiffed. The bigger the group, the more likely it is that people will pay less than they owe and not include a tip at all.

Friends who have enough income to not feel the need to break out the calculator and green accountant visor to make sure every cent is accounted for, we just split it evenly. It all more or less balances out over time anyway.
 
Me and whoever are paying the bill almost always do an even split. Even if there is a difference in the amount we each ordered/ate. A lot of times we order everything to share anyways. Mostly service industry friends who like I go all out at every meal.
 
Calamari41 said:
When eating with poor friends, I pay for the whole bill and tell them to give me what they (think they) owe in cash. I'm always shorted, but I do this because I'm sick of seeing waiters get stiffed. The bigger the group, the more likely it is that people will pay less than they owe and not include a tip at all.

Friends who have enough income to not feel the need to break out the calculator and green accountant visor to make sure every cent is accounted for, we just split it evenly. It all more or less balances out over time anyway.
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You sound like a great friend.....
 
deejay8595 said:
You sound like a great friend.....
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Paying for chunks of my friends' meals who don't have a good income? That is pretty nice I guess.

It certainly beats having the waiter come back to tell us that the amount we gave doesn't cover the pre-tax, pre-tip total, and then having to go around re-litigating everyone's portion and finding out who needs to cough up more money.

This happened once with a group of 10 where we were $40 short of the total before tip, and I put in way more than I owed to begin with. What was in there was supposed to cover the tax and tip as well. That one was kind of the last straw.
 
When I was in my teens we itemized but as an adult (nearly 40) we split evenly. The only time it doesn't go down like that is when someone orders an expensive bottle of wine and not everyone drinks it. Then that person pays for part of it.

The good news is that some of my friends can just expense some meals to their companies so they pick up the tab.
 
I always get separate checks with friends or coworkers. With family it's usually one person picks up the bill and everyone else covers the tip.
 
most of the time we split evenly, but without the wine, why? Because i don't drink wine and it would be unfair to make me pay way more for it (especially when they choose a 75$ bottle)! But if i invite my friend to the restaurant, sure i will pay for it too!

sometime one person pay because we feel generous, sometime we split evenly, sometime one pay more than the other so we make it even an other day or we simply buy him drink the rest of the evening

we have not any particular rule about it, we never fight about it
 
Itemized or separate checks. I typically don't get very expensive food, and I don't drink beer, which is way more expensive then soda or water. Splitting the check even is just a way for me to pay for other peoples food and drink.

Unless the check is really close. I don't mind doing it when a friend and I are going out and getting food and splitting the check in half results in me spending a few more dollars. But when it's a group it can add up.
 
It depends:

- Asian friends: split evenly (but it makes sense as dishes are shared most of the time)
- European friends: split by item
 
glaringradio said:
With large parties "how are you planning on sitting the bill?" before ordering. If everyone wants to pay for what they order, take their card/cash at the point of ordering in some sort of pre-allocated "large party" payment tray. Simple.
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Im not sure what is being debated here?

Most restaurants operate like this: Regular party of 2-4: take order, bring items, ask customers if they want to split checks at the end - split checks or not.

If you are pressed for time just tell them at the onset. It will cut down some time.

If its a big party(6+) typically the server will ask before the meal unless it is a fine dining place where it can be considered rude to do so.

Nothing about the process seems too inefficient to me. In fact asking everyone for cards/payment at the onset seems a bit odd to me and unnecessary. Unless it is a huge party that has a complicated split, splitting checks typically only takes a few dozen seconds more.
 
Even split unless i order more than others so I'll pay extra. Sadly, no one I've been out with has extended that courtesy.

It totally blows when you drink water and get a $20 plate when everyone else is getting mixed drinks and expensive dishes and check comes, everyone throw in $50.
 
alcohol consumption is usually uneven enough that we do itemized. the dude who drinks the most would never ask the rest of us to subsidize it.
 
If everyone at the table has a job, an even split is easier. If there are people who are in-between blessings, itemizing/separate checks since they more than likely picked a $5 appetizer and drank water so there's no reason for their bill to be 30 bucks + tip.
 
Radec said:
Then let's add something to spice things up.

How do you guys tip while splitting the check?
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I lock eyes with the person who suggested we tip, slowly rise from my chair, lean over the table and slap the ever loving shit out of them for daring to utter the word tip in my presence.
 
Just fucking spit it evenly and everyone tips 20%. Otherwise someone always shorts on their end and someone has to pay more than their fair share and bad feelings happen.

The exception is if the server splits it and brings everyone a separate bill. That's often a PITA when out with friends because of things like appetizers and wine bottles.
 
I tend to spend anywhere from 60+ bucks on alcohol at friend oriented dinners. I'm not sticking them with that bill regardless that I enjoy sharing.

Everyone gets a bill, it takes the waiter like 2 minutes to split it up.
 
I've never seen any friends or coworkers do even split. Cash registers can itemize easily. If a friend just drinks a glass of wine from one bottle thus he has 1/5 on his receipt while the other two have 2/5 each. I don't comprehend at all why you would do an even split. Pay what you get. If you feel generous, take the others receipt and pay for them.
 
My group of friends we all just pay for what we ordered. Hell here in Brasil the servers usually go this route automatically unless you state otherwise, especially in big groups. I'm surprised so many people who prefer even split seem to be so hostile towards those that do it itemized. Is it really that much beyond your realm of comprehension that I don't want to pay for your meal which is more expensive than what I ordered in total? Jesus.
 
With friends one of us usually picks up the check.

Any other time itemized. Drinkers always want to do an even split, non-drinkers don't. Not hard to figure out why. Alcohol can easily almost double the bill. As a non-drinker, I hate subsidizing other people's drinking.

And there's always "that guy" who orders an expensive app, the lobster dinner, and dessert while drinking top shelf liquor. "That guy" ALWAYS want to split the check.
 
A decent point of sale software can handle multiple checks per table. I never really understood why some many people frown on doing this and insist on one bill for the table. It needlessly complicates things.

Edit, didn't realize this was a necro oops!

Anyway, I've read through more posts. The scenarios posited here are weird, I've been in large groups and we have simply started the dinner by telling the waiter that it will be separate bills. It's all itemized from the get go so there is no arguing about who owes what. I can't imagine what restaurant doesn't know how to manage this. Maybe it's a cultural thing?
 
Trouble said:
Just fucking spit it evenly and everyone tips 20%. Otherwise someone always shorts on their end and someone has to pay more than their fair share and bad feelings happen.

The exception is if the server splits it and brings everyone a separate bill. That's often a PITA when out with friends because of things like appetizers and wine bottles.
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How is this not the case with splitting evenly if someone is paying a part of someone else's meal?
 
bitizenbon said:
How is this not the case with splitting evenly if someone is paying a part of someone else's meal?
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Because you don't need to pay attention to how much your meal is vs the bill. I mean if someone is the type of person to do the mental calculations and be upset that their meal was less expensive, then I don't really want to go to dinner with them anyways.
 
Split. If someone wants to itemize, I'll throw the extra few dollars in just so they shut up and I can split it. That will also probably be the last time I go out with them.

I mean fair enough if you get someone that doesn't drink or can't, but usually that's not the case. Usually the person that wants to split will pay for their meal then forget tip and/or tax.

Just split the bill.

Edit: egh, usually I'm good at spotting the necro bumps
 
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