Gekko, Since and your friends are in the finance business, I'm surprised they "generally forget" tax and tip.

Maybe I'm exceptionally bright, but I add enough to cover tax and tip on my portion of the bill -sheez louise.

We don't do it that way ... my experience with the "everyone throw in what you owe" is with a different crowd . . .

Isn't the amount of the tax on the restaurant bill?

Most of the time my friends and I just split the bill as we tend to order in a way that everyones share is more or less the same. Once in awhile that is not so, one of the woman had a cheese sandwich off of the child's menu..don't ask LOL and a cup of coffee, at a lunch recently so the other friend just told her what her share was inlcluding tip.

I make sure I always have a cash with me in different denominations so I can pay my share. Nothing is more irritating then someone announcing, oh my share is $45.00 and I only have three $20.00 with me, sigh.

Allivian, perhaps the best solution for the 5 of you is each day have a different woman take care of paying the bills in the restaurants for that day. The person resonsible for that day at the end of the day could figure out what the other four women owe for the restaurant bills that day. Everyone could then reimburse the responsible person at the end of the last meal perhaps back at the hotel. That is if you all feel confidant that everyone would pay their share to the responsible person each and every day. Best regards and have a wonderful time in Paris.

Personally, from a selfish reason of course I would love to be the one to put the bill on my credit card and have everyone else give me their share in cash..those frequent flyer miles you know but imagine everyone else has the same thoughts.

I am so glad that I don't have this problem with my various friends.

And when I am hosting the meal I make it clear to those I invite they are my guest so there is no question or confusion. I like to do that from time to time.

This has nothing to do with $$ but rather with relationships. Usually people who travel together should know each other well enough to do a kitty thing with an equal split unless someone is a teatotaller (with others not so). I can't imagine jepardizing a trip by even thinking about itemizing a check. I went to Europe 2 years ago with 3 other women. We are fast friends and all college roomates. One of us (a CPA) was the "banker" and we just put money in a kitty. We split everthing equally. At the end of the week the accountasnt (must be in the genes) did tally what the diffence was fron the "biggest" spender to the least. It turned out to be 2 euros! We laughed and celebrated with another bottle of wine.

Tax and service are included in the price of each item on a French menu, so at least that is one less thing to worry about. As for the tip, it is whatever you want to leave -- or not, if the service is not good.

I've been hoping that someone would ask the next question -- what about doggy bags?

Re: Doggy bags, don't forget that potions are generally smaller in Europe vs North America (as mentioned in other threads about people sharing a plate).
Also depends on what types of restaurants you're at and the crowds. I would dare ask for a doggy bag at a client dinner at Ivy though would not hesitate to ask for one at Pizza Express if one of my kids left 2/3 of the pizza.

Re doggy-bags. They're very common in Greece. If you don't finish your meal and there's a substantial amount left, it is not unreasonable to take it home. I've done the same in at least one restaurant in England.

Re splitting bills among 5 people in Europe. Sometimes good friends and I have just split the cost evenly, regardless of someone's wine intake or vegetarianism. When with people who are not friends, such as work collegeagues, we have each totted up what we had, and paid an elected "banker".

I have never asked for separate bills, or heard anyone ask for separate bills or heard of anyone who asked for separate bills over most of Europe. As someone else said, it just isn't done. It makes more work for the staff who possibly haven't got time to do your accounts for you, whether by hand-held or not.

But this is the modern world and times change. If you make 5 separate orders and specify 5 different bills before you start, then you may be in luck. Of course, your food may then come at different times!

So Allivian, are you clear on what to do now? Some say it is always done, some say it is never done. Some say it's tacky to ask for separate checks. Some say it's tacky to figure it out individually on your own. Some say they always share the check equally, some say they wouldn't dream of it.

For the most part, my friends and I figure that by the time we're dead, it will all have worked out. This comforts me; I like to see myself having someone to go out with for the rest of my life. To facilitate this, I generally pay any old way my friends want. More and more, that means sharing equally.

Speaking for Germany, it's everybody for him/herself . Ask people in eastern Europe about "paying the German way" and they'll know what you're talking about ;-).

Did we lose our OP? We haven't heard from her since she left this question for us

This is an etiquette nightmare.
Supposing that two of the party share a course and one of them eats more than half of it, how do you divy up the bill?
Then of course, the pudding might have a cherry on top. If you share it, what percentage of the cost would the cherry represent?
Quite often when I'm out with friends one of them will give me her olives because she doesn't like them. Perhaps I should check the price of olives in the supermarket and then add about 10% for each one.

Josser,

LOL!


others,

Do FRIENDS really nitpick over this sort of thing? For goodness sake, just take turns paying the check!

There is an alternative to all this fuss. You can elect, all five, in advance, to deposit, for example $300 each, to a single credit card. Then use that one for all meals. If, at the end of the trip, the joint meals have gone over the amount, you owe the cardholder the excess divided by 5: if there is money over, split it. Neat, tidy and, frankly, if you can't agree to that plan in advance, you will probably find splitting subsequent bills at table,a relationship-wrecking nightmare.

What if somebody asks for a doggy bag and they put the food from the other people's plate into the container? Who should pay what?

(Actually, to get back to 'serious' matters, doggy bagging is absolutely not done in France, but if someone does actually dare to ask for one, the staff are so surprised that they actually do it. But it has been such a long time since the last time I was in the presence of such an event that it is probable 1) that it is more common because more people have asked over the years and 2) it is less shocking because the staff have taken vacations in North America. But the main reason that it is not done is that portions are smaller in France, and there is rarely anything left on the plate if you found the food good.)

1. Is it okay to ask for separate cheques? Would they be offended if we even asked?

A. It depends if you ask before or after attempting to leave the establishment after the meal. (In the latter case, offense is nearly always taken....)

Seriously, if you should ever find yourself in an establishment that is above discussing the terms of settlement of the bill, prior to your placing your order, leave. This includes whether cc are accepted, whether service charge is included in full or in part, whether separate cheques will be issued - and oh, how much the items you are about to order will cost.

2. Do we need to get one check and later figure out each person's cost?

A. If you are in a one-cheque scenario, then whether each person owes 1/5 of the total or a varying amount depending on each individual's expenditure is up to you and your companions to decide. Personally, I prefer to order what I want, when I want, free from any anxiety whatsoever that someone is subsidizing me. This needn't involve meticulous accounting as soon as forks are laid down, it can involve each person taking turns paying but keeping receipts and settling up later.

The only city where this is commonplace is Prague, where, of course, it is known as Seperate Czechs.

I like that summation.

Wow, clearly this is a complex quandry many places if you don't ask.

But honestly, even if I were on the moon, I just wouldn't ask the waiter or server to do 5 separate. I would possibly take the I pay tonight, you pay tomorrow night approach if the restaurants are fairly money equivalent or do the kitty thing.

It's the drinks and extras that often make one person's cost much more than the others.

Wow 78 posts. Has anyone noticed that the OP has not posted again since thanking for help on the 6th post?

You may resume chattering amoung yourselves.

MorganB

I'll have you know that posting here serves the invaluable purpose of keeping me from doing what I am supposed to be doing. For this I am grateful to the OP, present or absent or even dead.

By the way, thanks again for your wonderful sncf ticket ordering thread.

Maitaitom

Here at the Cabaret Fodors, the drummer has just followed you up with a roll....