How To Split the Dinner Bill
We’ve all been there. You’re out at a lovely dinner with friends or colleagues and everything is going great until the check comes. For those of us that despise math and uncomfortable talks about money, splitting the bill can be an uncomfortable experience but it doesn’t have to be.
Prepare For the End
“This is a common dilemma that we all experience,” says Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert and the owner of the The Protocol School of Texas.”The good news is that you already know it’s coming.”
Gottsman says the time to consider payment is at the very beginning of the meal, not the end. She suggests the savvy diner to discuss getting a separate check with the server prior to ordering, especially if you’ve planned the outing. In a CNN “lunchtime poll,” more than half of the respondents preferred to ask for separate checks at the beginning of the meal.
This comes in handy, especially, when you know you’re not going to be ordering much that night. Meanwhile, a friend treats themselves to a steak dinner and a few glasses of wine. “If you consistently go out with someone that orders extravagently, tell the server upfront that you’ll have seperate checks,” says Gottsman. For a group situation, she shares the following trick: Annonce that you may have to leave early, allowing the server to bill your meal separately with no fuss or uncomfortable discussion of who had what.
When In Doubt, or It’s Awkward…Split Evenly
If there are no separate checks, best to avoid busting out your calculator to itemize the bill. Gottsman advises that if separate checks can’t be given, it’s best to split the check evenly. Business etiquette coach Patricia Rossi agrees. “You don’t want to nitpick,” she says. “If you’re with friends, or people you dine with regularly, a couple dollars here and there really sort themselves out over time.” If you’re not the best at math, let someone else do it to save the table time and your frustration. Pay with card where you can to avoid the hassle of cash, but if you’re at a restaurant that limits the use of cards, Gottsman says it’s fine to offer a fellow diner cash to cover the cost of your meal. These are your friends after all.
Tip a Little Extra
The difficulty doesn’t end with who had what. Everyone tips differently and this can be another source of confusion for the table. According to the experts, the standard for a decent tip is between 18-20%. “Fifteen percent is still the standard,” says Gottsman, “but tip more if you’ve had a good dining experience.” And when it comes to the table, she advises to once again take charge by asking simply, ”What are we going to leave for the tip?”
Need to Collect? There’s an App For That
Technology has come along way in solving this age-old problem of getting paid back – when you generously spotted your friend at dinner. Apple has a new app, SpotMe, which allows the transfer of money between friends and family. There’s also Venmo and WePay. These fund transfer apps work like Paypal and can carry small transaction fees.
Photo Courtesy, 401(K) 2012
