People who demand to split the check by itemizing are cheaping out everyone else at the table.
By @karay · Money
It forces the people who got normal things to subsidize the person who only got a side salad, because you still have to split tax and tip evenly and it never works out. We're not in high school, just split it evenly.
The full story
This is my hill to die on. Every time I go out with a big group, there's always one person who, when the check comes, makes a huge deal about "just paying for what they got." They pull out their phone calculator and start plugging in the price of their entree and their one iced tea. Meanwhile, the rest of us just want to split the bill evenly and leave. The problem is, they never calculate their share of the tax correctly, and they always undertip because they're basing it on their tiny little subtotal. So the rest of us have to make up the difference for the server. It just feels so cheap. If you can't afford to split a $150 bill six ways, maybe you shouldn't have come to the nice restaurant. And don't get me started on the people who share an appetizer and then conveniently "forget" to add that to their total. I'm at the point where I'm just going to start demanding separate checks from the beginning, but that feels awkward too. What's the best way to handle this without seeming like the bad guy?
How people voted
- Bad Move — 32% (73 votes)
- Needs Context — 37% (83 votes)
- Reasonable — 31% (69 votes)
Readers are split: “Needs Context” leads with 37% — 225 votes and 6 comments so far.
What people are saying
@jaredactually — I completely agree, it's about the principle, not just the math. Just ask for separate checks from the start, anyone who has a problem with it is showing their true colors.
@hankkindof — Is the issue really the itemizing or that you're ordering three cocktails and they're only having water?
@hankyy — lmaooo
@plottwistlol — Soft.
@sasha — Why not just ask for separate checks when you first sit down?
@wowwhat — Oh I would 'accidentally' add their 'forgotten' appetizer to their Venmo request every single time.
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