I can see maybe doing it once in a while to double check something. But if I'm dating someone who makes a habit of it, am I right to be uncomfortable? Should they not be doing that?
NOTE: I never order anything on the menu that is more expensive than what my host orders. And I am generous about paying when it is my turn to pay. I also am generous about cooking for other people in my home, and bringing them cakes and stuff when I bake.
2007-09-05 08:01:27 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
By "studying" the bill, I mean staring at it looong after is necessary to see the total.
2007-09-05 08:02:24 · update #1
It doesn't take that long to look at the bill to be certain one isn't being charged for the Steak Au'Poivre when you ordered the Chicken Fingers. I do understand your squirmy feelings, it would make me feel dependent or beholden or in some other way subservient.
2007-09-05 08:39:49 · answer #1 · answered by Michele 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It shouldn't make you squirm. I have had many checks where I have been billed for things I didn't order, or never came, where the math is wrong, and once I got a bill that wasn't even mine (the difference was $32). I don't think that he's trying to make you feel bad, or is cheap, he's just doing the math.
I actually am the one who looks at the bill now, regardless of which one of us is paying.
2007-09-06 00:12:55 · answer #2 · answered by joseygirl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's a date, it's totally tacky. If you're going to take someone out you generally know where you're going and how much it might run. I mean, how hard is it to compute a meal for two at McD's versus Chez Expensive? Menus are available online if you're not sure if something is in your budget. If you're seeing the same someone for a while and this continues to bother you, consider saying something like "I notice you spend a lot of time looking at the check, is something wrong/shall we split it/maybe we should eat out less." Maybe he'll realize what he's doing and scrutinize the receipt later in privacy.
2007-09-05 15:35:28 · answer #3 · answered by Sophra 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think you are being too sensitive here. You are automatically assuming your date is calculating what was spent on your dinner, when in actuality he/she is probably just checking for errors in the bill and calculating the tip (some of us have a hard time doing math in our head. Unless your date makes some kind of rude comment about the price of your dinner, don't assume people are thinking bad things about you.
2007-09-05 15:15:29 · answer #4 · answered by missbeans 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has nothing to do with you. When a person studies the bill, he is making sure the restaurant is not ripping them off with absurd charges that is not consistent price on the menu. It is not wise not to study the bill.
2007-09-05 21:08:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends. I've had mistakes on bills often enough that i try and make sure nothing additional was put on the bill (or left off if you want to be really honest).
Or, like the first answer ways,some people have a hard time calculating the tip.
Or they could be cheapskates like my uncle who will calculate the tip to the exact penny. lol
2007-09-05 15:10:35 · answer #6 · answered by sandand_surf 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you're buying just throw a card in there and don't even look at the bill it's a slick move. Although make sure it looks right when they bring the receipt back for you to sign.
some people are sticklers there's nothing you can do just let them study the bill.
2007-09-05 15:10:27 · answer #7 · answered by icpooreman 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I can see how it would bother you. For one thing, you want to enjoy a meal with someone and get to know them, not watch how much of their money you're spending. For another thing, they are showing you how obsessive-compulsive they can be. Shouldn't they be concerned with making you comfortable and getting you to see their good side, having a good time, and enjoying the meal with you, not about how much you spent? It's a double-sided coin. Tells you something about a person. But don't get too upset about something small.
2007-09-05 20:05:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps they are making sure they didn't get charged for anything they didn't order. That does happen more often than you think. I wouldn't want to pay for something I didn't order, so I don't see a problem with their behavior.
2007-09-05 15:58:37 · answer #9 · answered by missmuffin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it's perfectly acceptable to do so. Restaurant bills are often mixed up or have errors. Most of the time it's just human error, but it still is an error that you, or he, should not have to pay for.
2007-09-05 15:11:48 · answer #10 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋