We normally choose our friends carefully, so splitting the money is rarely an issue. But when dining with a group, things can get complicated. Should the bill be divided equitably, even if everyone ordered different items, or should everyone pay their fair share? There is no correct answer, but one Reddit member made an unexpected move that threw everyone off surprise.
This Reddit user shared the full story:
I(27M) have been a part of a small friend group, around 8 people total, basically since college.
For some background, 2 people from mt friend group, Susan and Greg, are just absolute leeches. Going out for lunch? They will order the most expensive on the menu, then feed you some sob story about their finances, and then dumb half the bill on you.
Last weekend I was invited to dinner, by Dan. I told him how if Susan or Greg were there I wouldn’t be able to come. He tells me that they would be there but I should just put my opinions aside and come just once.
This is kind of where I might be a bad guy. I agreed with him and told him I would be there. I show up and we all get to talking.
Everyone began putting in their orders, most of them spent about $40. There were only about 6 people there. When it gets to Susan and Greg, they ordered expensive meals, around $200. When it was my turn to order, everyone looked at me, but I only ordered a drink that was $4 and sent the waiter away. Dan asked why I hadn’t ordered anything and all I said was that I lost my appetite. The other 2 friends got up as well to cancel their orders and just have drinks.
After the main courses came out, I saw Susan and Greg picking at their food. When the bill came, Greg grabed the waiter and asks him to split the check 6 ways, I corrected him and I insisted we pay our own orders. Greg looks at me confused and asks why since we “always” split the bill. I reminded him that the 3 of us had not eaten any food so we would just be paying for our drinks. So basically at the end of the night, Dan, who probably only ate around $50 worth of food, was stuck with a $146.98 check at the end. (Yes, I remember the exact number.) I swear I saw his jaw drop when he picked that receipt up.
I put down $10 and walked out. The next morning, I found my phone full of texts from Greg and Susan telling me I was a bad guy for not ordering any food and forcing them to pay more than they had accounted for. I honestly laughed because the steaks alone were more than what they had paid but to each their own right?
I also got a lot of messages from Dan saying that I could have just not came instead of pulling that stunt and getting him stuck with an outrageous bill.
When people shared their thoughts on this situation, it quickly became clear that most of them were all on the same page.
