On that note, it’s also helpful for your server if you let them know from the get-go whether you’ll be all together or on separate checks.

Otherwise, your silence implies you’re fine with everyone’s food and drink going on one bill, with each diner being asked to contribute an equal amount to the total. If you have strong feelings about how the meal should be paid for - like if you’re not particularly hungry and don’t want to pay for anything other than the salad and water you’re ordering - speak up before anyone orders. By remembering a few simple guidelines, you and your dining companions can focus on what truly matters, like Great British Bake Off spoilers and whether or not “cauliflower steak” is a term that should be legally allowed on menus.

Figuring out how to pay the tab at the end of the night need not be complicated, and no one should walk away irritated or lamenting their cheapskate friends. Mobile payment apps have greatly improved the ritual of splitting the check, but like anything involving friends and money, it can still be a precarious situation.

ĭining with friends is truly one of life’s great pleasures - but who hasn’t had to endure a meal out with that one friend who insists on busting out a calculator to determine the exact cost of their appetizer and entree down to the cent? Or, perhaps you’ve had the unfortunate experience of throwing down a credit card for a birthday dinner of 15 people, only to be left with a hefty tab after a few people skimp on their share. Have a question or a quandary you’d like us to tackle? Drop Life Coach a line. Fortunately, your friends at Eater are here to help: Life Coach is a series of simple guides to the arcane rituals of modern dining. The world of dining and drinking is an obstacle course wrapped in a labyrinth wrapped in a logic puzzle - it’s full of pitfalls, gray areas, and bewildering questions that really shouldn’t even be questions (How do I find the bathroom?) and yet, somehow, are.

The jerk slitted sheet i sit