Friendship is key to personal growth, and spending time with friends is great for strengthening relationships. But what do you do when your friends start taking advantage of you?
One person shared their story on Reddit about dealing with friends who consistently ordered the most expensive items at restaurants, then expected everyone to share the cost equally.
While splitting the bill can make things simple if everyone’s meal costs are similar, it feels unfair when some people pay much more for a meal they didn’t indulge in.
Here’s what happened. “I’ve been part of a tight-knit group of about 8 friends since college. To give some context, two people in the group, Susan and Greg, have a habit of mooching. If we go out for lunch, they’ll order the priciest thing on the menu, tell you some sob story about money troubles, and then leave you with half their bill.
“Last weekend, Dan, one of the group members, invited me to a casual dinner. I told him upfront that if Susan or Greg were coming, I wasn’t interested. Dan said they’d be there but asked me to let it slide for just this one time. Maybe this is where I become the ‘bad guy,’ but I agreed to come along.
“When we sat down, everyone started placing their orders. Most of my friends ordered meals that were around $40. There were six of us there. When it came to Susan and Greg, they both ordered expensive dishes, totaling about $200 each.
“When it was my turn, everyone looked at me, but I just ordered a $4 drink. Dan asked why I wasn’t getting anything, and I simply said I’d lost my appetite. Two other friends followed suit, canceled their orders, and decided to just have drinks as well.
“As the food arrived, I saw Susan and Greg enjoying their meals. When the check came, Greg tried to get the waiter to split it six ways. I stood up and corrected him, saying it should be split three ways, as only the three of them had ordered food. Greg looked confused and said we always split the bill evenly. I reminded him that the rest of us hadn’t eaten anything, so we were just paying for our drinks.
“So, in the end, Dan, who had only ordered about $50 worth of food, was left with a $146.98 bill. Yes, I remember the exact amount. I watched his jaw drop when he saw the receipt. I tossed $10 towards my drink, said goodbye to everyone, and walked out.
“The next morning, my phone blew up with texts from Greg and Susan, calling me selfish for not ordering food and sticking them with a bigger bill than they expected. I actually laughed because their steaks alone cost more than what they ended up paying. Dan also messaged me, upset that I came and pulled this ‘stunt,’ leaving him with such a large bill.”
What’s your take on this situation? Did he handle it fairly?
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