Comments on: May We Have Separate Checks, Please?

By: banquet manager

banquet manager — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:47:53 +0000

When I managed a restaurant, my staff, and I, hated to split checks. If the guest told us at the begining of their meal it was easy. The waiter entered the order in the POS in a way that we could easily print out seperate checks. But when they waited until the end of the meal it was a nightmare. Now I'm a Banquet Manager, please visit my blog: So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:33:05 +0000

Interesting article, thanks for posting! I have dined out many times with friends in the city, and have never had a problem splitting the check…with one exception. At the Reserve, the waiter did split the check for us, but with much ado (and with a warning that they will not be so generous with us the next time). It may have been because we asked for a lot of change, though.

In my restaurant experiences, I have always split the check evenly with my friends, and we all of us tipped for our portions only. No one has ever given us a problem for it, and my friends and I always tip between 15 and 20 % on each of our portions. I agree that it just makes good business sense to allow for split checks.

By: John

John — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:06:12 +0000

Credit card companies charge restaurants and other businesses by the transaction, in addition to other charges (this is why you see “Minimum $5 credit card charge” at many bodegas, etc.).

While splitting the check several ways may not be bad for the server, it is a significant extra cost to the restaurant. This fact seems to be neglected in this article.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:12:24 +0000

And now I sigh a sigh of relief.

By: City Girl DC

City Girl DC — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:10:34 +0000

I get where Josh is coming from. Part of what annoys me about going out in DC are the packs of people being loud and obnoxious. I understand the occasional celebration when 6 or more is expected, but from my observations, these are usually not close friends. They’re the people you go out drinking with. It seems that people will use a large group to hide behind their obnoxious behavior. It’s like the more people you’re hanging with, the more important you are – “yeah, this is my crew.” I have no problem with this if it’s kept at places like the rowdy bars in Adams Morgan but please, not at grownup places where I expect to be able to hear the person I’m with.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:48:16 +0000

Keith, that only works if everyone’s meals/drinks came out to be around the same amount. Otherwise someone with an inexpensive meal ends up having to pay part of someone’s expensive dish

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:27:24 +0000

Josh: WTF?

Katie, great article. It’s strange to me that waiters can still be surprised that a group of two or three people might not want to pay together. And once you get up to six or so people, seems like it would be in the waiter’s best interest to split the check upfront to preserve tips. Personally, I always tip higher in a larger group because I know the waiter is spending more time both at our table and dealing with our orders. But that higher tip is a lot easier to figure out if I have my own bill with tax, drinks, etc. added in.

By: Mony

Mony — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:15:35 +0000

Don,
True, but if you tip pre-tax at 15% it seems pretty stingy.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:04:17 +0000

Much easier if your friends are used to just dividing the total by the number of people. ;)

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:16:21 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by welovedc: Hate having to ask for separate checks at restaurants? Katie investigates why area restaurants hate splitting checks! http://bit.ly/4unTiF...

By: CK1

CK1 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:27:38 +0000

Yep Josh is exactly why people all over the country think DC folks are uptight a-holes.

By: Dale

Dale — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:22:51 +0000

Katie,

Awesome article. Answered a lot of questions.

By: michelle

michelle — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:22:13 +0000

I agree, the more people you add to a dinner party, the more stressful it gets however it doesn’t mean you should avoid them at all costs.

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:53:09 +0000

Gee Josh, with your winning personality and friendly demeanor, I can’t imagine why you can’t find more than two people willing to spend an entire meal with you…

By: Don

Don — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:58:25 +0000

Mony, why would you factor in tax when you tip? The IRS presumes tips based on pre-tax, not with tax added.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:53:01 +0000

@Mony: exactly!

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:51:19 +0000

I’m going to lay off the condescension for a moment to offer a historical perspective on the matter. Here’s Emily Post’s take:

“Everyone has at some time or other been subjected to the awkward moment when the waiter presents the check to the host. For a host to count up the items is suggestive of parsimony, while not to look at them is disconcertingly reckless, and to pay before their faces for what his guests have eaten is embarrassing. Having the check presented to a hostess when gentlemen are among her guests, is more unpleasant. Therefore, to avoid this whole transaction, people who have not charge accounts, should order the meal ahead, and at the same time pay for it in advance, including the waiter’s tip. Charge customers should make arrangements to have the check presented to them elsewhere than at table.

Lack of consideration for those who in any capacity serve you, is always an evidence of ill-breeding, as well as of inexcusable selfishness.”

By: mish

mish — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:49:05 +0000

great post!! thanks for your stellar investigative skills!

By: Tiffany Bridge

Tiffany Bridge — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:48:12 +0000

So, I’m not a huge fan of Vapiano’s food, or the having to get up and fetch what I want every time I want something. BUT their system of “you get a swipe card when you walk in, and every time you get something you swipe it” is GENIUS. Especially if you’ve got that friend who is a lousy tipper.

By: Mony

Mony — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:47:22 +0000

This is why I hate going out to eat with more than 2 or 3 people and why I hate sitting down at bars to drink with any number of people. NO ONE factors in tax when they tip, and a lot of my friends are cheapskates who tip 15% pre-tax, if that.