USVI-On-Line

Question for those who travel with children - how do you split a check when the kids aren't drinking? I know this subject has been diced, chopped, shredded but I'm asking again

For example you have a couple with 2 kids age 14 and 16. Eating basically like adults but not drinking like adults And then a couple with no kids. How would you see that bill getting split?

Also do you think a restaurant would give you a separate check for booze?

Thanks for indulging my question

Why not ask the waiter/waitress to split the check according to what each couple (including children) ordered? That's what we generally do here at home and they don't seem to mind. Since we've never traveled to STJ with another couple, I don't know what their practice there would be, but I can't see why they would object.

yeah I just wonder if they are willing to do that on STJ. separate checks isn't common in this area.
drinks can sure add up depending on who you travel with

drinks can sure add up depending on who you travel with

Really???

I speak from experience

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We've had friends come with us to STJ a couple times and we always just split the check by what each couple orders...I'll say something like "could you put the two of us on the same check please?" and we've never had a problem.

You know, asking for a separate check for the drinks isn't a bad idea. It's separate checks for THE FOOD that restaurants hate, because it can mess up the kitchen getting all the food to the table at the same time.
That might work out okay in this instance, with kids involved.
-Ruth

We have asked several times to have our bills separated and have yet to find a restaurant that will do that. In my opinion, I would think a waiter/waitress would make more tips if they were!! We have a calculator on our cell phone which comes in handy for figuring what each couple owes!!

The adults in our group generally eat and drink on the same scale so we split the check equally, excluding our son's food. I then add his meal (and tip) to our total.

Splitting checks can really be a sensitive issue at times.

When we were down in May we had 12 people.

8 of those people were in their 20's and they're ordering real coconut drinks at 15.00 a pop and dinners. Husband and myself end up drinking a total of 2 beers each and splitting one cup of chili.

So the bill comes, someone figures out that we owe 85.00 as a couple...85.00 for 2 beers and one cup of chili? I think not.

Well...it ended up in an argument because our friend thought that no matter what, the bill should be split equally. We just eventually put 85.00 on the table to stop the arguing, but I learned my lesson.

Next time, I'll eat a full dinner, get a coconut drink and bring home any leftovers. At least you get your monies worth.

Connie wrote: 8 of those people were in their 20's and they're ordering real coconut drinks at 15.00 a pop and dinners. Husband and myself end up drinking a total of 2 beers each and splitting one cup of chili.

So the bill comes, someone figures out that we owe 85.00 as a couple...85.00 for 2 beers and one cup of chili? I think not.

Well...it ended up in an argument because our friend thought that no matter what, the bill should be split equally. We just eventually put 85.00 on the table to stop the arguing, but I learned my lesson.

Next time, I'll eat a full dinner, get a coconut drink and bring home any leftovers. At least you get your monies worth.

Oh my, the person (or people) who argued with you, in my opinion, showed very bad manners.

It is one thing for friends to say "hey, lets not bicker over $3 or $4 bucks". It is another to expect one's friends to underwrite several hundred bucks of binge drinking.

I remember being annoyed during pregnancy when this would happen. One time a friend said "you are just bitter that you can't drink." He shut up when I said, "no, I am bitter because you are expecting me to pay for your drinking." He got REALLY pissed.

lazylane wrote:We have asked several times to have our bills separated and have yet to find a restaurant that will do that. In my opinion, I would think a waiter/waitress would make more tips if they were!! We have a calculator on our cell phone which comes in handy for figuring what each couple owes!!

We’ve split checks at Café Roma, The Lime Inn, Morgan’s Mango, and Shipwreck Landing, among others. If they couldn’t split them because of the kitchen, then they’ll give two separate totals at the end. We do not find that our bill is ever close enough to our friends’ to just split it down the middle.

I think it's good to know the spending and eating habits of those you are travelling with and agree to a system before you get the first check. Heck before you get on the plane to STJ! That way no one is offended. Separate checks is always a better choice over arguing.

If you don't get separate checks, then I think you should pay for what you consume and tip on that amount accordingly. And if you have 2/3's of the people, you pay 2/3's of the bill plus 2/3's of the tip.

I don't think it's ever OK or very neighborly to expect your dining companions to pay more than they actually owe no matter what the circumstance.

Of course it helps to know the dining, drinking and tipping habits of those you travel with before you go. Flip and her hubby have the same tipping habits we do. If they pick up the check one night, we pick it up another (always checking to make sure that the amounts are close). If the amounts are way off we make a mental note and either pick up lunch the next day or buy something that they need so we're always square. But Flip FLop and I are very concientious that way.

I think the key here is to discuss the issue before you go, establish a way of doing it and stick to it.

This is especially important when it comes to grocery shopping. We find that deciding on a menu beforehand, divvying up cooking responsibilities (each family plans a dinner on a specific night), making up a shopping list ahead of time of food and snacks that everyone can enjoy and deciding how to split the final grocery bill ahead of time helps.

If someone needs something specific that others can't or don't want to eat (like baby food) or a specific snack or beverage they want only for their personal consumption, then the item can be purchased separately by that family. But that kind of stuff is rare for us.

Some prefer to pay as you go, others like Rick G (I think) just keeps the receipts and add everything up at the end and split it however many ways it needs to be split. One danger of that though can be sticker shock and if someone doesn't budget right, they may have spent the grocery money on that st. john hook bracelet.

Bottom line: Working it out ahead of time can not only save a big hassle at the restaurant or grocery store but a friendship as well.

Gromit wrote:

Bottom line: Working it out ahead of time can not only save a big hassle at the restaurant or grocery store but a friendship as well.

I totally agree with this which is what prompted the ? in the first place. Trying to get a plan in order but wanted to know how others handle in case there was something i didn't think of.
I'm of the mindset you get it one night, we get it the next and then see how that all pans out along the way.