You are at a restaurant with friends, drinks are flowing and everyone is having a good old time, ordering their favourite meals. And then the bill comes around. What do you do? Do you split it evenly, regardless of how much each person ordered, even if someone just had a starter and some juice or water?
Do you pay for just what you had, or, do you take turns paying the entire bill, basically taking turns for it being your treat? This is a topic that often has social media in a bit of a tizz.
Personally, when my friends and I go out as a group, everyone pays for their own meal. Usually, we pay for what we ate, drank and, of course, the tip. I strongly believe it doesn't make sense to split it evenly if someone had a steak while someone else just had an appetizer. Everyone pays what they had. That seems fair to me.
But sometimes, it depends on the people I'm with. If it's a close friend(s), I don’t mind paying the entire bill because we have formed that type of relationship. They will pay for me one time, and I'll pay for them one time.
This week, the topic once again surfaced on Twitter, causing a heated debate among users. This comes after one user, @UnathiLootlove shared a thirty-two-second video clip of YouTuber and reality television star Lasizwe Dambuza taken from the previous season of his Fake It Till You Make It reality show on MTV.
He is seen at a restaurant with Ayanda MVP and Tatum Lewis, asking for the bill, circling out what he ordered and making it clear he won’t be splitting the bill.
“Woah wait, mina, I ordered a salad, I ordered passion fruit and lemonade. I didn't order Jägerbombs. There were shots going around, now I must pay for all of their shots? Ah never,” he said.
I am with LaSizwe on this one, I can't spend R120 but end up paying double or thrice morethan what I spent😂 pic.twitter.com/XlXexjQR4M
— Luthando (@UnathiLootlove) November 14, 2020
After doing his calculations on how much he needed to contribute, Dambuza told the women all he needed to pay from the R1 400 bill was R120. The video left tweeps cracking up with laughter and many sharing their ways of splitting the bill with friends.
Here are some of the reactions:
My friends and I generally split the bill however we are conscious of who is having what so if you’re not drinking on said day for whatever reason we don’t expect you to split equally. But I also find the ticking on a bill a tad Brakpan-ish and tend to avoid it
— Lulama (@Lulama_) November 15, 2020
I actually am opposite I don't mind just split I don't care unless if you have those ppl who take advantage of that. Plus I only ever go out with like minded people so if we champopo then we champopo and I am a great cook so outings have to be special but with like minded peeps
— Mpho Manana Khanye (@MananaKhanye) November 15, 2020
I did exactly the same thing 2 weeks ago when I went out with my former colleagues. They said we should share the bill after they drank all the champagnes and that time I don’t drink any kind. I said no I’m paying for what I ate
— Pee Jay (@PeeJay69844147) November 14, 2020
Imagine the non-alcoholic having to pay for alcohol you didn't drink 🤣🤣🤣
— Miss Thebu💮 (@Daphnedark1) November 14, 2020
I know my bill never goes beyond R200 monateng