Diner Gets Even with Friends Wanting to Split Check at Restaurant - But Was It Right?

The tale, posted to an anonymous forum, proved to be highly relatable as thousands of Redditors shared similar frustrations and some hilarious, if overly vindictive, advice.

It seems the group dynamic -- and dining experience -- was incredibly common. So the question is how do you feel about it?

Read on to see exactly what went down with this particular restaurant goer.

"This has been an ongoing issue, I have a friends group that likes eat nicer food. Personally for me I am fine getting something cheap on the menu. The issue is they always want to split the check," the post began. "I have had the conversation so many times that I want to pay for what I ordered. It results in an argument where I have to bend or everyone is mad at me."

"I also make a lot more than my friends so it always results in them basically calling me cheap," OP (original poster) continued. "They don’t get I want to pay for my meal and that is it."

"Anyways we went out to eat yesterday and they all ordered things that were around 30 dollars, I got the house salad and my total was around 12. They told the server to split the bill and I didn’t want to fight about it again," they explained.

"I asked the server to add on to the bill an entree and dessert for me to take home. This resulted in my bill going up into the 30s."

"So they asked me what I was doing, I told them I am getting more food, they got upset [and said I] increased the price they needed to pay," OP recounted. "This resulted in another argument and they think I am a jerk."

The frustrated diner then added an update after getting an overwhelming number of comments on the highly popular post, many of which offered advice.

"Edit: Reddit I’ve done everything you have suggested, I have had the server take mine out and I pay for it, I have spoken to them. If I do anything that isn’t splitting the bill with them they get pissed," they wrote.

After OP explained in the comments, and in the original post above, that they have repeatedly asked for separate checks, an onslaught of Redditors came forth with their advice.

"Imagine getting pissed that OP is spending the same amount as everyone else. They've been banking on OP not ordering as much as them so that they get a discount," one commenter observed. "OP, if you don't want to stop eating out with them, maybe quickly discover more expensive tastes in food and drink. Give it a few times of you making it more expensive to split the check than if everyone paid their own, and the issue might resolve itself."

Prompting one commenter to admiringly say: "Now that is an evil genius move."

"This is literally what I did. I don't drink wine due to health issues, but my friends like it and for a while they split the bill with everyone, wine included. And I'm talking about 80+€ [Euros] a bottle for 4-5 people. I argued a few times about it, they started complaining, calling me a cheapskate (I was the only one working, they were all students at the time)," another commenter shared.

"Next few times, when they ordered expensive wine bottles, I ordered the 3 most expensive things on the menu," the Redditor continued. "The bill skyrocketed for everyone, the first time they didn't say anything, the second time, just after I ordered, they asked ME to pay my own bill, to which I replied 'Oh but what about when you guys ordered expensive wines? We either share ALL the time or never'. From then on, they decided to keep wine outside the split bill."

While an alarming number of comments simply stated "OP’s friends are leeches" and advised them to just drop the friend group entirely.

However, the majority of comments (which numbered in the thousands) took the opportunity to gripe about their own experiences with having to split a check with friends who ordered more expensive items.

Of course, there those trying to give reasonable advice, such as this one: "NTA [not the a--hole] but when you first arrive it would be helpful for you to tell the staff that you are on your own check. If they prefer to split the bill, they can, but you don’t HAVE to. Also your friends kinda suck."

"Done that, still get pissed," OP said in reply, which mirrored their blunt responses to other very similar pieces of wisdom from the Reddit community.

Another comment, which garnered nearly 5K upvotes, asked: "Info: Why don’t you just say upon ordering, mine will be on a separate ticket?"

"I've done that before, still results in an argument and they are pissed," OP replied. "Only way for them not to get made is if I split the check. So I figured if I have to split the check might as well make it even with everyone."

What would you do?