Lunch at Chez Jupiter, a very French little bistro in Adelaide.
Apparently "Bill Anxiety" is a thing, another one of those 21st C, First World problems. It's experienced at the end of a shared lunch or dinner when faced with the account. Recent studies show (love that phrase) that about 75% of diners who eat out feel uncomfortable when eating in a group, to such an extent that many even consider not going out at all. Will they be asked to split the bill or pay separately? Come on, people! Are we friends, or what? Most restaurants state they will not prepare separate bills. This annoys some people. Having seen it from the restaurant side, I understand how difficult, time consuming and petty paying separately can be. Are we concerned that others have ordered more than we have or that we have over-stepped the mark and look greedy? (As an ex-school teacher I can share the joke that teachers are notorious - from Athens to Sydney, from Paris to Anchorage. "I had the fish, you had the salad but you spent more drachmas on the wine." Or "But you had Saint-Géron (the "niche", very delicate, lightly effervescent French water ) but I had tap." Don't give the restaurant a hard time. Don't look tacky. Come up with a strategy and a strategy means talking.
When might you possibly pay the whole bill? More of that later. Are you a sharer or a separate payer? Comment below 👇 (click on fine print) or Like 👍🏼
4 Comments
14/10/2019 07:18:25 pm
Having lived through this a thousand times I just don't dine with people who are so small and thoughtless...not to mention rude and mean. The countless number of times I have seen some poor sod top up the bill because people have left insufficient cash to cover their portion of the bill. Or witnessed arguments as disgraceful as "I only had one glass of wine" or "I didn't have any wine". There are also times when it is nice to pick up the bill and treat your friends. Since retired I choose to have friends home...more friends with less money and go all out to ensure it is a real treat!!! My answer is if you're not willing or able to pay an equal share of the bill...stay home. If you are not a regular diner abreast of costs don't be embarrassed to ring the venue and ask them what is the average head spend be accepting and invite. And, I have had to learn that if someone is charming and generous enough to pick up the bill accept graciously and say thank you!
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Roger
15/10/2019 02:04:02 pm
Ann - such a constructive comment.
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Marjorie Hewitt
15/10/2019 09:06:29 am
So pertinent! I was the last one left to pay - in a party of 6 - recently. We agreed (did we?) to pay separately at the cash register as we left the pretty nice gastro pub. Well, you can guess what happened - I was too slow!
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15/10/2019 09:51:29 am
Yes, that's the issue. Pay one bill, divided equally by whoever was there. It's swings and roundabouts. Sometimes you'll have the more expensive dish, sometimes you won't. It's swings and roundabouts.
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