Etiquette Tuesday: How to Divide??

[ 1 ] January 26, 2010 | Johnna

As we get older, dining out with groups is somewhat of a different experience than when we were in college. In college, you ordered what you could pay for and that was that. Now it seems you order what you want to eat and the bill is just evenly divided at the end of the meal. It’s funny because a few years ago, we would immediately reach across the table and tally up what we ordered down to the very last dime. Now, not so much. We feel a bit awkward going tick for tack (*Translation: this for that) on the bill now especially when we did take a bite of the other persons crab artichoke dip…shouldn’t we contribute something towards that??

Today times are financially tougher and everyone is super frugal in the new decade but here are a few tips on how to stay recession free without being too much of a prick in the butt about the $2.00 sparkling water you didn’t order:

-It’s safe to assume if the group is larger than 5 or 6 than things will be split evenly (*that is unless somebody orders the lobster and everyone else gets the chicken…make them pay for that expensive excursion…)

-If you know you are going to split the check in the beginning, tell the waiter in the beginning

-Of course be courteous of noticeable discrepancies: Non-drinkers shouldn’t have to pay the evenly divided bill if everyone else is drinking cocktails or in cases where a person orders only a salad while everybody else orders full entrees.

This etiquette tip is for working, able individuals of course. Remember JKGF did not always have a working budget and had to go tick for tact on every bill…

Picture source

Category: Food.Fun.Stuff.

About the Author (Author Profile)

Johnna French is a Harlem NY native with deep roots in Panama, Washington, DC and North Carolina. All four places have heavily influenced her life and the foods she loves today. After graduating Howard University School of Law and beginning her life as a young professional in the city she was led to start Johnna Knows Good Food in November 2007 to keep family, friends and colleagues updated on where to go and what to eat while dining in the nation’s capitol. French, who still practices law, leads a team of three writers to cover the ever expanding Washington, DC food scene. French has been featured in print and television, appearing in Washingtonian Magazine and is a regular contributor to various local TV affiliates including WUSA 9, FOX 5 DC and WJLA (ABC Affiliate) News Channel 8. During the 2016-2017 football season, Johnna aired on Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic (CSN) show, Redskins Life, as the weekly tailgate host. Johnna is currently a regular contributor to the FOX Baltimore Weekend morning show.