The most embarrassing thing that could possibly happen at a birthday dinner happened at mine.
By @lanekk · Friends
My friends insisted on taking me out to a super nice steakhouse for my birthday. I thought they were treating me, but when the bill came, the night took a very weird and very expensive turn.
The full story
For my 30th birthday last week, my friends made a whole production out of it. The group chat was buzzing for weeks. 'We're taking you OUT,' one friend texted. 'Don't you dare even look at your wallet. This is your night.' They picked this incredibly fancy steakhouse downtown, the kind of place with a water menu and where the waiters wear vests. The dinner itself was amazing. We're all laughing, telling stories, they're ordering multiple appetizers, a couple of expensive bottles of wine for the table. I'm feeling so incredibly loved and celebrated. They even arranged for a cake to be brought out, and the staff sang. I literally made a little speech about how much I loved my friends and how grateful I was. It felt like a movie. And then the bill came. Our friend, the one who did most of the organizing, takes the little leather folder. I'm just sitting there, beaming, full of steak and gratitude. He opens it, and his face gets serious. He's looking at it for a long, long time. Then he pulls out his phone. I figured he was just calculating how to split it between the rest of them. No big deal. But then my own phone buzzes. It’s a Venmo request. From him. For $128. The caption is 'Steak, apps, wine.' I just stared at my screen, confused. Then another buzz. A request from another friend for $128. Then another. And another. They were all, at the table, sending me requests for their own individual meals. The organizer then clears his throat and says, 'Okay, so your meal plus your share of the wine and the cake-cutting fee comes to about $150, not counting tax and tip.' They had not only NOT treated me, but they expected me to pay for my own expensive meal that I didn't even choose, and then do the math for them. I was so stunned and humiliated I didn't even know what to say. I just took the bill and paid the whole thing — over $900 — on my own credit card just to end the most awkward silence of my life. I haven't spoken to any of them since.
How people voted
- Valid Take — 34% (61 votes)
- I’m Torn — 42% (75 votes)
- Bad Take — 24% (43 votes)
Readers are split: “I’m Torn” leads with 42% — 179 votes and 8 comments so far.
What people are saying
@mmkay — This happened to me on my bachelorette trip, except my sister expected me to pay for her flight.
@inesfr — Love that they did the math for you. True friendship.
@zoeyok — Something tells me they've picked up the tab for you many times before and this was their breaking point.
@marayk — you should venmo request them back for the therapy you need now
@paigefr — Did you ever talk through what 'taking you out' actually meant beforehand?
@mostlyokay — This reminds me of my bachelorette party where my maid of honor said everything was 'handled' and then sent me a spreadsheet for my share of the airbnb.
@yaraee — I would honestly Venmo request every single one of them for the full $900 and caption it 'thanks for nothing'.
@niakk — bruh
Keep reading
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