Tip of the week: Politely split the tab
Four ways you can avoid embarrassing situations when the waiter delivers the bill.
Pack some cash. Carrying actual money is a “way out of embarrassment” when it’s time to settle up. You can’t expect all restaurants to accept credit cards, and no waiter should be stuck charging six different amounts to six different cards.
Chip in extra. When dining with a large group, it’s easiest to divide the check evenly. The “worst thing you can do is nickel-and-dime everyone.” But if you ordered a salad while everyone else ordered steak, quietly talk to whomever’s collecting the money and say, “‘I think my salad was $10, so here’s $20 to cover tip and tax.’”
Foot the bill. You can always offer to pick up the tab for a friend and suggest they get the next meal. If someone else offers to pay, “protest once and then back down.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Be subtle. If you do decide to treat someone, “settle up on the way to the bathroom to avoid the check-grabbing moment.”
Source: Allure
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Israel: Losing the American public
Feature A recent poll finds American support for Israel's military action in Gaza has fallen from 50% to 32%
-
Unmaking Americans
Feature Trump is threatening to revoke the citizenship of foreign-born Americans. Could he do that?
-
EPA: A bonfire of climate change regulations
Feature The Environmental Protection Agency wants to roll back its 'endangerment finding,' a ruling that lets the agency regulate carbon emissions