Splitting the bill at a restaurant
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (43077)
Staten Island, New York
February 24, 2018 4:15pm CST
I went to a surprise birthday dinner yesterday. We were basically taking the girl out, though she had no idea who would be there. She thought she was just having dinner with another person, when there were nine of us in total.
I was thinking about getting her a gift but then decided against it, as we were all splitting the bill (paying for her as well), which would be huge as the restaurant is expensive. Good thing that I didn't get anything because no one else got a gift either. Our gift was paying for the bill.
This got me thinking... should one get a gift for the birthday person when the bill is being split among the guests?
I don't remember the exact total but the initial bill (for nine of us) was over $1000. After some calculation it was decided (I wasn't a part of that decision) that each person splitting the bill would pay $209. That is a heck of a lot of money to spend on dinner for a single person. I would never go to such an expensive dinner by myself.
Now what really bugs me is that the initial charge on my receipt was about $89. If my final total was $209, which is what I wrote in the total, then that means he tip is way more than a 20% tip. How is that possible? It makes no sense to me. However, if you multiply $209 by eight people, it seems like the total is about right, though it's hard to say because I don't remember the exact initial amount of the bill.
6 people like this
8 responses
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
25 Feb 18
Wow! That's a lot of money for a meal....that's more than a months groceries.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
My husband and I probably spend more than that on groceries in a month. But that was a lot for dinner for a single person.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Feb 18
@kobesbuddy I got an email from my credit card with the initial charge and the tip amount (which was like 134%) and total. They wanted me to make sure it's legit. I talked to my cousin and she told me the final amount should have been $209, so that's correct. As for why I was initially charged $89... she said they much have initially charged me that because they probably put the entire tip on my card, instead of splitting it among everyone.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
Three of the girls at the table decided that each one of us would pay $209. Maybe the guy had to initially charge the card with something and chose that amount. I don't know. But it still bugs me though because in reality if I am to pay $89 then with 20% tip it should come out to no more than $110. And because I paid $209 in the end, the tip is like 140% tip or something like that. My math is probably off though...
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (74571)
• East Tawas, Michigan
25 Feb 18
@lovebuglena The owner makes out like a bandit, while the waitresses do all the work, just to get by each day.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
25 Feb 18
That's quite expensive, it would be a top chef restaurant in France. It depends of the taste of your friend, if she likes good restaurants it was perfect, but maybe a $200 or $300 gift would have perhaps been better appreciated by somebody else ?
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
It was my cousin's birthday and she always wanted to go there, so my other cousin decided to take her there. Nothing wrong with that, however, you have to consider whether everyone attending can actually spend so much for dinner. Thankfully, I was able to afford that, but still. Not everyone can or is willing to spend that much.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
24 Feb 18
I did not. But it is too late now.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Feb 18
@MALUSE I asked my cousin and she said the final amount should have been $209, so if that's my final total that is correct. She thinks they told the guy to charge each card $209 so he might have done it in such a way that he put the entire tip on my card instead of splitting it among everyone and that's why my initial charge is that low. But the final charge of $209 is correct.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
25 Feb 18
I would never pay that amount to eat. I don't even like paying $50 for 3 people. Or $10 for myself.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
That was way too much. I usually pay less than that for fine dining when I go with my husband out to eat.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
@Courtlynn I don't regret going though because all the cousins were there.
2 people like this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
25 Feb 18
@lovebuglena right. Ugh. Sorry you had to pay for that.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
Zuma in Manhattan (NYC). I think it's considered a sushi bar.
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (74571)
• East Tawas, Michigan
24 Feb 18
Gosh, that was a very expensive dinner! I'd never be able to eat there:(
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
25 Feb 18
It wasn't lunch. It was dinner. But still, that's too much to spend. And I am the only one at the table that doesn't work, so for me to pay that much wasn't a good thing. Good thing I saved up over the years that I could afford it. Still, wouldn't want to spend that much on a single person dinner ever.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Feb 18
@kobesbuddy Technically $209/person. For that money, elsewhere, at least two people can have dinner.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74571)
• East Tawas, Michigan
25 Feb 18
@lovebuglena That was about $100 per person! Wow, that's expensive for one meal.
@lovebuglena (43077)
• Staten Island, New York
24 Feb 18
Usually, if a person invites others for a birthday that person pays for everyone. But sometimes, people take the birthday person out. In that case, they split the bill and the birthday person doesn't pay anything. I've heard about this before. And it happened to me, though it was my bachellorette party and not my birthday.
1 person likes this
