How do you handle the bill when you're out with a group of people?

An equitable way to handle this would be to take the alcohol off the total bill, have the people that drank pay for their drinks and the food could be split among everyone.
Here are some good answers from where you asked a similar question in 2014.

Interesting that you should ask this. I went out last night with two couples. One of the couples I go out with frequently and the other is friends of theirs. When I go out with my friends, the husband usually hands me the check for me to figure out what I owe. This time since there was a larger group, I suggested we just split it five ways. One woman had two drinks, I had one and the other three nothing. We shared an appetizer and each had similar main dishes.

The man in the other couple said since there were five of us, why didn’t I just put down the 20% tip which was very clever and I did. But I wondered if my friend’s husband was happy – although it was his wife who had the two drinks.

In any case, this is a long way round of saying – I’ve been with different groups who handle it different ways. I usually follow whatever is suggested because I see merit to each way; passing the bill and everyone ponying up for their share or just adding on the tip and splitting it evenly. I think the latter is easier but if there is a sense of income disparity, then each paying what they owe is fairer. The downside of that is the time it takes and that sometimes the tip is short as people don’t always add up right.

@chyna: Good research! I just looked at my q that you linked and I didn’t read all the responses but I read my details and I’m wondering what occasion I was referring to. I don’t remember now who it was or where we went.

I can’t take credit for researching the question. I just glanced to the right of the page and noticed it under the Related topics. But this is a good question and timely for me as well. Summer seems to be the time when I meet up more with friends for dinners and I’m usually the single person with couples.

It’s all in the timing.

At precisely the right moment, I always suddenly have to use the restroom…

When I went out with this group in the Spring (the breakfast club, 20 people at the restaurant), there were three people in our party (a couple and another friend) who were at the bar prior to our arrival. They had appetizers and I think one drink each and when we got there, they came to the table and the bartender put their drinks and app (cheese platter) on the bill with our lunch bill. It wans’t a huge deal and and it got added in and paid with the total. Thinking about that amount, it probably added 2 to 3 bucks to our individual amounts.

It depends on the group and the size of the group. I am often asked to figure it out for six or fewer people because I have a good brain for that. It is understood that my say is final unless something is obviously way way off. If someone objects, I hand the ticket around and we all figure out our own.

In most of the groups I am with, splitting the check is usually not equitable.

I used to work with this woman who would split the bill down to the penny. I didn’t mind that although it’s not the traditional way to handle things.

If I am taking people out, I will pay. If I am going out with a small group, I will let them pay for themselves. If there are multiple bills and it would get ridiculous for the wait staff to deal with such as with a large group, I would pull the drinks off and split the bill unless someone was totally out of the norm for what they ate. Example, everyone orders a $10 – $15 entree and one person orders the $45 surf and turf.

Each person pays for their own food.

One person covers the bill (I often volunteer because hey more credit card rewards points for me) and the rest pay them back for their share using an app like Venmo or Google Wallet. These apps have made this situation soooo much easier.

@Mariah How does that work? Does the money go directly into your bank account or where?

In Venmo (the app I use) you connect to your bank account. When you get paid, the money goes into your “Venmo balance” which you can choose to dump into your bank account at any time. When you pay, the money comes out of your Venmo balance if you have one, or your bank account if you don’t.

The thought of an app being connected to my bank account is scary, to me.

here’s my still relevant answer from a similar question:

I keep it simple: Add 20% tip to the total, then divide evenly by the number of people.

I don’t care if you’ve had a couple drinks and I only drink water. We’re all friends (or at least friendly) – I’m not gonna nickel and dime you. Granted, everyone I associate with are moderate to non-drinkers.

In fact, if you snatch up the bill and start giving me a line-item breakdown of what everyone had, I’ll probably never go out to dinner with you again.

And frankly, if you ask for separate checks, I may just beat you with a breadstick.

Most of the time we count the total amount of money then divide into equal parts for each person, unless someone order something that isn’t originally in the plan or something only they can eat, in which they have to pay for that thing. Everyone is happy. But then again we order things that we can eat together.

I am with @cookieman on this. Add tip then divide by number of people.

Venmo is considered very safe. It’s how my kids and their friends pay each other back.

I also use Venmo sometimes. Occasionally I have paid the entire bill, then had everyone else Venmo me; or someone else does that. Those are for the times when separate checks aren’t an option.

For the most part, we do separate checks. That’s the way I prefer it. Splitting it evenly almost never happens with me and my friends—can only think of maybe one time when we did that.

I haven’t yet read the other answers, will do so after posting.

After having a few problems like you described, my best friend and I (together as one unit) always ask at the beginning for a separate check, and so far that has prompted the waiter to ask others at the table if they also need separate checks. In this modern age, it’s much easier for them to do this than maybe it was in the past.

We occasionally go out with large groups of friends after shows or events. Sometimes other people join our group. Some of our acquaintences were known to not tip (mostly out of stupidity and not understanding math when seeing a massive bill being passed around). So my best friend and I got tired of shoring up everybody who couldn’t do math, or who drank multiple cocktails, or who had dessert.

The waiter usually doesn’t have to make 20 separate checks, because people (at least in our groups) tend to unconsciously divide into groups: best friends, couples, people who drove together. That kind of thing, and so far that has worked out very nicely.

No set rule. It depends on various factors including with whom I’m dining, how large the group, what the occasion is, and the size of the check. Sometimes I treat, sometimes I offer to split the bill or simply pay my share, sometimes I prearrange payment, and sometimes—though not often—I simply allow myself to be treated when it’s offered and try not to feel guilty about it. One thing is certain: I’m not as quick to pick up checks now that I’m retired.

I prefer to have a separate check no matter what the rest of the group is doing.

If it’s a large group and it’s one check I total up what my meal was plus a very generous tip, and throw the money in.

If it’s a smaller group, but it’s way out of whack, because other people had alcohol and I didn’t, I still kind of figure my amount.

If it’s a close friend, or my husband and I with one other couple, we might pick up the whole thing, or they do, or sort of divvy it up.

I have a real problem with people who order extremely expensive things in a group, including things like drinks, and expect the soup and salad water with no lemon people to pay an equal amount.

I use dexterous appendages located at the end of each arm.

It needs to be dutch. I think I have shared this before here. When a waitress refuses to split a checkl because of the number of people in the group, ask at what size a group may be and have their bill split. When she says a number, quickly do your math (total number in group divided by the allowed number at a table who can get individual checks) and request that many tables. A scene will develop and the group will get individual checks. If you are at a $200 /meal restaurant in the evening don’t do this. But most other places it works like a charm. The owner manager doesn’t want to lose a big group or get a rep of not being group-friendly.