Avoid the bad bill split
Dining can be difficult when it’s time to pay
WHEN it comes to splitting the bill at a restaurant there’s one thing Janette Farrell swears by.
The Brisbane tourist, who travels to Cairns regularly to visit family, said she always had a conversation about paying for meals before entering the restaurant.
“If you know that you’re going to be with a group, we generally say to each other before we get there that we’ll be splitting the bill,” she said.
“Because we’re in a cashless society everyone can then have their cash ready instead of relying on their cards.”
She said restaurants that didn’t split bills were at the bottom of her list of places to eat.
“All restaurants should accept split bills, otherwise they’re at the risk of losing business,” she said.
A survey has revealed Australians have had enough of stingy mates leaving with a full stomach while others have an empty wallet after dinner.
About 70 per cent of diners feel they have been left out of pocket after divvying up a bill with friends and family in the last 12 months.
Independent research compiled on behalf of restaurant reservation platform OpenTable found the average amount a diner is left paying for someone else is $22.
OpenTable’s vice president Robyn Rice said to remove tensions spilling over at the end of the night it was vital the ground rules were set early.
“Simply letting others know your budget upfront, checking costs for your preferred restaurants and understanding the types of payment options they take in advance will reduce any awkwardness at the end of the evening,’’ she said.