How to keep it fair when splitting restaurant bills

Last Christmas Vicki S joined work colleagues at a local restaurant for an end-of-year celebration.

Fresh out of university, the 23-year-old is on a tight budget, so Vicki ordered a cheap pasta dish and a mineral water.

The cost? About $16. But what was the damage to her wallet after the bill was split evenly among 15 colleagues? $45.

The pleasure of dining out can quickly turn sour with the arrival of the tab.

In its guide to restaurant dining British etiquette expert Debrett's says the bill should be "divided equally - niggling about the comparative cost of dishes and drinks will be embarrassing and look cheap".

But surely it doesn't seem fair to subsidise a fellow diner's surf 'n' turf while you're sipping on soup of the day.

The problem is exacerbated by the growing number of restaurants displaying "No bill splitting" signs.

David Mahony, who runs a busy art gallery cafe in the NSW Hunter Valley, allows bill splitting but can understand why many restaurateurs frown on it.

He says: "Mistakes can easily happen when staff are asked to divide the bill - and it's time consuming, taking floor staff away from other diners."

Mahony believes a possible solution is to appoint one person in a group to collect the cash. "It's amazing how well people remember what they ate and how much it cost. Among our customers, nominating one person to collect the appropriate amount from fellow diners is a system that seems to work well.

"The key thing is to discuss upfront how your party will pay the tab. This lets people order dishes to suit their budget without anyone feeling ripped off at the end of the meal."

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