My Friends Always Order Pricey Meals and Expect Everyone to Split the Bill, So I Decided to Teach Them a Lesson
You’re enjoying a fun dinner with friends when the bill finally arrives. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifts — awkward glances, nervous chuckles. Should you split the bill evenly, even if everyone ordered differently, or should each person cover their own meal? It’s a dilemma we’ve all faced, but one Reddit user handled it in a way that left everyone at the table completely stunned.
Here’s the full story:1(27M) have been a part of a small friend group, around 8 people total, basically since college. For some background, 2 people from the group, Susan and Greg, are just absolute leeches. Going out for lunch? Expect them to 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, Dan, one of the people from the group, told me about a casual dinner. 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 both order expensive dishes, around $200. When it was my turn to order, everyone looked at me, but I just pick up the menu and point to the $4 drink 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 friende got up as well to cancel their orders and just have drinks. After the main courses came out, saw Susan and Greg picking at their food. The waiter then brings over the check.
Greg then grabs the waiter and asks him to split the check 6 ways. I stand up and correct him saying the check was to be split 3 ways.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 slid a $10 towards the check, said goodbye everyone, 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.Everyone was more or less in agreement:I always ask for a separate check when I go out. I am not paying for your food! The fact that they admitted they didn’t intend to pay for their own food would make me never go out with them again. You did nothing wrong. I would send their text admitting they didn’t intend to pay for their own food to anyone who is complaining. Dan is the one who told you to suck it up and come for the evening!Is it not possible to ask the waiter for separate checks — i.e., everyone gets their own check for what they ordered — ahead of time? While some people think this is a little tacky, it’s not anywhere near as tacky as ordering a meal that costs five times as much as anyone else’s and expecting them to cover it.You all know they are manipulating the situation to live an extravagant lifestyle on other people’s dime. Just stop eating out with them so they learn to live within their means. Some people need a hard dose of reality.They clearly premeditated this whole event and expected others to take the financial fall for their lifestyle. Hope Dan opens his eyes, but right now, they seem superglued shut. Good for you, though.This Greg and Susan are not friends. Never were. You used the word “leeches” accurately. And, Dan? Dan is an enabler. He pushed you into going while knowing how Greg and Susan would act and how you felt about it. Dan is not a friend either.People saying you stuck Dan with a big bill are probably just like these two users, ordering outside their means. I had friends who did this when I was in college, working 2 jobs, technically 3, just to scrape by.
I was living on ramen, but they would insist I go out. I’d get a free glass of water and nothing else. I sometimes could’ve ordered the cheapest thing, but they always split the check for both food and drinks and tip (America, so asking to separate the checks is normal and done at many places here). So I just refused to partake. They complained after a couple times, and I was like hey you all know I’m broke, so is it my company you’re wanting or what little money I have?? I no longer talk to any of them. If you go to the next outing, call them out. Ask if they have enough to fully cover what they’re gonna order and if not please order something else.I’d say you were clever and creative in finding a solution to the well-known leech problem. You didn’t force anyone to do anything, they made their decisions and faced the consequences. If anything, Greg and Susan have only themselves to blame for ordering pricey dishes and expecting everyone else to foot their bill. Dan’s reaction is somewhat understandable, but he knew the risks when he asked you to come. I think a lesson was learned that day, albeit a rather expensive one.In a similar story, a woman, fed up with her sister-in-law’s constant attempts to cut corners at others’ expense, found a drastic solution to put an end to the problem for good.