Why I'm Never Splitting The Restaurant Bill Again
As I’ve gotten older, splitting the bill at restaurants has become more of a regular occurrence. Apparently, everyone has a job now and can afford to make an equal contribution to the total bill no matter the amount.
As someone with a small appetite and big financial goals, this never works in my favour. I always find myself going over my spending budget for that day, and paying far more than I would have paid if I had only paid for what I ordered.
This is why I HATE splitting the bill at restaurants. I can’t be the only one?
My horror story
January 29th was the day I decided I’d NEVER split the bill again. It’s the day I went out for my friend’s 24th birthday meal.
We went to a fairly high-end restaurant in central London. The prices were higher than any restaurant I had been to, but it was fine. I had a look at the menu in advance and found a meal that suited my budget.
The plan was to travel to the restaurant with the birthday girl. The birthday girl was running late, so we arrived at the restaurant 45 minutes into the booking. Most of her friends had arrived on time, so they ordered cocktails and starters while they waited.
As planned, I ordered a half lobster and chips for £30 – one of the cheapest meals on the menu. Many of the other girls ordered steak, which was significantly more expensive. They also ordered quite a few cocktails, which I avoided as I only drink water with meals.
Right before it was time to pay the bill, I quickly ran to the toilet. I came back to find that everyone had started paying £70 each to cover the entire bill.
£70? I couldn’t believe it! This was more than double the amount I thought I would be paying. There was nothing I could do about it because half the group had already paid, and I didn’t actually know anyone (other than the birthday girl) to make a big scene.
I had to pay the £70 in silence. Luckily, I could afford to, but it hurt nonetheless.
And to make matters worse, on the way out of the restaurant half of the girls started talking about how “cheap” the bill was. They were shocked at how much money they had saved.
…So yeah, I definitely won’t be splitting the bill again anytime soon!
Cons of splitting the bill
If it wasn’t clear already, one of the main cons of splitting the bill is that you have no control of your finances. I’m someone who likes to plan my spending in advance. I hate surprises, so I hate splitting the bill.
As someone with a small appetite, I don’t see how splitting the bill will ever benefit me. I’m not the type of person who will spend lots of money on food and cocktails; I literally can’t stomach it. At my friend’s birthday meal, there were people who should have paid over £100. I don’t understand why I should pay £40 extra to make their expensive meal choice more affordable.
How I'm never splitting the bill again
Okay, I might be exaggerating with the word “never,” but I’m definitely going to avoid splitting a restaurant bill as long as possible. I plan to do this by:
- Being open: If any of my friends invite me out to eat, I will let them know that I am on a budget and therefore will not be spending more than the amount I have planned to spend.
- Being selective: I will not go out to eat with just anyone. I will only dine with people I feel comfortable sharing my budget with. This way, I will never feel forced into paying for something I am uncomfortable with.