I prefer separate checks. If I am the "maker" of the table I will ask for separate checks. Especially if it is just two couples.

If I am a guest and I know we will be splitting the check, or its a large group, multi-couple, etc., I won't complain or make a scene, I will just up my drinking so I'm getting value.

Actually that's true enough, there have been a few occasions where I've been in a restaurant in a group of four and two of us want to order a £100ish bottle of Barolo or something. In that instance it's pretty simple to just toss in an extra £50 each.

I think it would confirm the correlation between poverty and obesity.

Grew up in the south. Upper-middle class family and friends. Had no idea that getting one check was standard at all. Everyone splits checks here. Currently live in Atlanta and notice the same thing.

I think this really comes down to the regional social norm. We can justify the reasons one way or another but it's not like we were given the option to decide with no thoughts on the matter at age 20 and calmly decided to choose one method over other. To those who can't fathom the idea of splitting checks being ok - if you wouldn't fear any weird looks from waiters or other guests and it was quick and easy to do for the waiter, would you still think "This is efficient and easy, but let's put it all together to make everyone feel more connected"? Again, I just think we default to what we're used to.

Another thing is group size. If there are more than 5 people or so, then I get going to one check for the convenience of the staff but not for reasons of bonding with the group over a single check.

Glad this thread was made because I had no idea this was so controversial and it's good to know when traveling to other parts of the US or abroad. From my time in Eastern Europe I can definitely confirm splitting checks is unheard of and will not be accommodated.

I waited tables off and on for about eight years. If they even hint that they might want separate checks – there's usually a reason for it, and you definitely want to give them separate checks.

That reason often is that they know that certain couples are really (passive aggressively?) bad at calculating tax and tip, and usually come up short – which means other people have to fill on the difference. You're never going to get a great tip in that scenario.

When the cheap couple is presented with their own personal check, they can't really pull that. They'll still give you a reasonable tip, and you could get really good tips from the other customers.

Also when they ask for separate checks, you make sure to let them know that you can do it for them for them, as a special favor (in a nice funny way obviously). That helps your tip.

I have had a few times a bunch of all "non cheap" customers with a single check that put in way too much money and just let me have the excess. Which was pretty cool. But those kind of people would never ask for separate checks to begin with.

Tables which are obviously Canadian are are the absolute worst (or at least they were back when I was waiting tables). They run you around to death, ask for separate checks, split cheap entrees and then leave you a 10% tip invariably.

I have since come to realize though that maybe those were just the Canadian Hicks, and I could have had plenty of other Canadian tables which didn't have a thick accent, and may have been just fine.

I would be very much interested in a thread about this – as I am absolutely terrible at it.

My coworkers used to do CCR for lunch until one of them (non-gambler) lost twice in a row. He refused to do it after that, and the whole thing dissipated.

This lady has been cut from my eat out list(extracted from tipping thread):

This is all the same lady

-eat out as a group, 4 adults, they have 4 kids we have 2. you know we're chopping that bill 50/50 at her suggestion(i don't really care tbh)

-as we are doing out 2 cc bills she says to me "if we both tip 10% each that's 20% righhht?..." (steeerike 1)

-next time we eat out it is me, my wife, dumbass lady, and 2 kids each. you just know as as soon as the bill arrives she says "wellll, I'm only one adult so we should pay a little less." then says "how about like 70/30" and i replied "how about no haha" and kept it light but let her know it wasn't happening.(steeerike 2)

-and finally... is the day i cut her for good. we are on the deck outside at a restaurant with 3+ families making up like 12-14 people on a huge table.
there is one guy taking care of the entire table and he is hustling his ass off. out, in, out, in, and on top of that of course idiot lady waits till he gats back with one thing to ask for one other thing like 3 different times. i'm buzzed so it is easier to take, but i still notice how just dumb and oblivious she is to how much she is running this guy ragged.
his table next to us then dashes on him and we all talk for a minute about it and i say "hey just so you know we appreciate what a great job you're doing and we'll take care of you." he was that good.
so bill comes and this guy hands me the book and says "hey, I just wanted to let you know that I talked to the manager and waived the autograt on your bill. thanks have a great night." i'm in love.
though i usually take care of all our bills as a family to avoid this very dumbness, the kids are getting restless so I leave out the front door with them. before leaving i do go over some math however: $190 bill. we go with +50 tip, total $240. We decide wife and idiot will chop entire bill on 2 credit cards. Dad in third family only owed like $60(and that was way generous) and gives idiot $60 cash towards bill so we then say "perfect, just chop the bill and pay the tip in cash. done." and leave.

So chop $190 on two cards, leave the cash as a tip. Pretty friggin simple.

Epilogue: They pay and come walking out of the restaurant towards us waiting about 100 ft away. They don't get 2 ft out the door and here comes Mr. Waiter following them out of the restaurant to explain to them how they just left him $0 tip on our $190 bill that had the autograt removed. Turns out dumbass took the $60 cash, pocketed it, and "thought the tip had already been taken care of by someone else." huh? You are OUT Miss!

This story still tilts me to this day.

Growing up the tip was always 10%. Then at some point, maybe when I was in University, I realized that most people tipped 'the tax' which they thought was a 15% tip, but is really a post-tax 13% tip. Then I went to NYC and realized that 15% is still pretty cheap.

Now that I've moved back to Ontario I still hear people saying 'tip the tax', but now the tax is 13% so its even worse.

So in conclusion, yeah, Canadians are probably cheap.

How was it resolved? Did she keep the $60?

27, yeah that's some willful dumbassery there. Just like Irieguy's CCR free roll chick.

Also for a few minutes there until the waiter got his tip from you, when he thought he was stiffed, he must've been having an all-time bad day.

27-I remember that story, and it just tilted me all over again. What a ****ing ******.

Those poor kids

willfull dumbassery is a great description of her.

tbh i'm not even sure how it was corrected, i was completely mortified and just turned and started walking away as i saw the waiter following them out because i instantly knew that they had basically stiffed him. i would guess they just gave him the cash.

i do remember ranting on the way home how that was the last time i ever eat out with her though, and that has held true since.

sounds like she is just kinda slow/stupid which doesn't bother me as much as being an *******

there but for the grace of god go i, as they say

Don't cut her any slack. If she thought "someone else" took care of the tip, then whose $60 cash was just sitting on the table? Not hers. Either way she's an *******.

Make-up story with same lady:

This peach is a stay at home mom that wants to plan and facilitate and make all the decisions on stuff like vacations, dining etc, but is just dumb as a ****ing stump.

Recently she asked us if we'd like to go on vacation with them in NH or somewhere they found this great house last minute on craigslist. 4500 rental for 3K.

No thanks!

A couple weeks later I hear they pack up their family of 6 and the dog and head on up to NH. They get to the house, which is beautiful, but there are 2 cars in the driveway with NY plates. Must be the owners.

Not the owners, it's the people who are actually renting the house that week! They were scamed and of course she sent full payment on the front end to some random she had never met or even spoken to.
End up dishing out another 1500 for some dump to salvage the vacation.

The day I heard that story was a pretty satisfying day.

this could actually be a thing

yep, if this is the way the bill is being handled then I usually take it, tell everyone they owe their cost + 30% and explain that the 30% is to cover tip AND tax, and tell them to start handing me money and I will make sure its right.

I'm not so sure. I'd have to see a few instances of where she settled bills to her financial disadvantage in order for me to be so charitable as to dismiss her as a dumbass--even a purposeful one.

Apparently you can't cheat an honest woman either.

27,

I'm wondering whether she gave him $40 or $60.

I'll see if I can get the answer.

the willful part is her being dumb, but always to her advantage.

27,

You definitely handled that situation similar to how you mod OOT. The only appropriate ending for that story is for you to walk back across the parking lot to the conversation when the waiter stops them, get the $60 from the idiot, then give the server $100 while apologizing and telling him in front of her that you will never be eating with her again. She did that on purpose, no one is that dumb.