Group dinners should go back to just splitting the check evenly.
By @colesorta · Money
I remember when you'd go out with friends, you'd just throw your cards in and split it. Now everyone has their phone out, calculating to the penny what they owe for their half of a shared appetizer.
The full story
I feel like all these payment apps have made people stingier. We went out for a friend's birthday, a small group, and at the end of the night it was a 20 minute ordeal of 'well I only had one glass of wine' and 'can you request me for my part of the calamari'. It just sours the whole evening! It used to be that things had a way of evening out over time, and a little generosity was baked in. Now it feels like every single meal is a detailed audit among friends. I miss the old way.
How people voted
- Valid Take — 43% (9 votes)
- I’m Torn — 43% (9 votes)
- Bad Take — 14% (3 votes)
Readers are split: “Valid Take” leads with 43% — 21 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@maekay — Can't you just ask for separate checks from the server at the beginning?
@remyactually — Next time just 'forget' your wallet and see how fast they all cover you.
@zaneish — 100% agree. It feels so much more communal and less transactional when you just split it.
@leahsorta — My friend group has one person who orders three expensive cocktails and one who just gets water and then they get mad when we suggest splitting it evenly lol.
@ediey — The person whose birthday it is shouldn't be paying for anything anyway.
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