Comments on: Restaurants Now Charging $2.00 to Split The Check?!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 16:40:29 +0000

I’m a small restaurant business owner & I must admit the last sentence of this blew me away ‘ To me it all goes w/ the territory of owning and operating a restaurant.’ When you have a table of 6+ & everyone who orders wants a separate check, the time it takes the server to split the check & the measly tips they get as a result just aren’t worth the hassle. Customers have become incredibly entitled, extra this, extra that, a glass of water, then balk at the .50 charges for all their extras, I’m over it. We’re beginning a few for split parties tables 6 or more. If they don’t like it, they don’t need to come back. I’m tired of the abuse servers sustain, if you can’t afford to tip your server, you shouldn’t dine out. Furthermore, cities like Miami are now mandatory 15% gratuity & another line on receipt for additional gratuity. First gratuity dispersed amongst all staff, second gratuity to server. Customers keep acting like cheap fools, you’ll be seeing this everywhere. Owning & working restaurant industry is hard work. ‘To me it all goes w/ the territory of owning and operating a restaurant.’ ~ you’ve never worked a day in the restaurant industry.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:52:56 +0000

Well working as a server, it is a total hassle and takes a lot of time to split a check 12-20 ways and when you are slammed it takes time away from working for other customers. And I’ve noticed too, that when I have to split a check between a very large group of people, no one tips. I think a place should charge a fee to split a check, especially for more than five people.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:05:20 +0000

In reply to k. Great tips :) Especially bringing it up beforehand in the beginning - I find that makes things super easy on everyone too. Thx for stopping by.

By: k

Sat, 08 Mar 2014 19:57:12 +0000

As a server, I have to say that we do dread separate checks. Especially if you do not tell us beforehand.
Here are the reasons:
1. If you don’t tell us before hand it is impossible to remember who had what. While this may seem simple to your party of 8. Please remember we are serving maybe 5-8 other tables. I doubt anyone can remember exactly what 40-50 people have eaten, drank, or split.
2. Servers are on a tight schedule, you have to be constantly moving and attending All your tables. Check splitting can put you behind on service for all those tables because it takes considerable time to split one and sort the cash and cc cards. If its really complicated it can take up to 20 minutes, and that is 20 minutes your other tables suffer your absence.
3. You spend the next hour or so trying to catch up. You lose tips from other tables because the service suffered.
4. The polite thing to do is to total each individuals bill, write a list for the server stating the amounts and payment method, if its a credit card write the amount and the last 4 digits on the card or the card holders name. This way mistakes will not be made.
5. Please try to remember this is not because your server is lazy or rude, this is a consideration to all your fellow diners in the restaurant.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 19:32:04 +0000

“Also, sometimes people skimp on the tip because the meal is now cut in half and it doesn’t look like much so they do to leave as much.” Very true. Same happens when everything is put on one big tab too, though. The cheapos never include tip (or tax) in there when they run their calculations in their heads. Leaving either less for the server, or the last one holding the lot to throw in more… It’s a tough job waiting, no doubt.

By: Corinne

Corinne — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 14:07:51 +0000

The split check charge comes from the fact that it is incredibly annoying to split checks amongst a large group of people. If it’s two or three people, fine..whatever. But when it is a larger group and everyone splits the check.. You are running around in the middle of the dinner rush trying to figure out who drank the ice tea with the steak? Who had the salad with extra dressing with all the modifications and a cocktail and who had the salad as is and what drink did they get? who bought the dessert for everyone to take a dig at? Meanwhile, you have other tables who are trying to eat their meals and asking you to get things for them but you can’t because you’re dealing with that nonsense…so now you aren’t giving as good of service to everyone else. The charge is to possibly prevent people from asking their server to do this. It is much easier to take a card, swipe, run back to the table. Also, sometimes people skimp on the tip because the meal is now cut in half and it doesn’t look like much so they do to leave as much.
I think if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant then you would understand this, if you haven’t…at least maybe now you know and can try to plan ahead before going out to eat. Your server is already bringing you everything you need and cleaning up after your friends/family. We didn’t sign up for figuring out finances as well.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:24:10 +0000

Oh wow – now THAT is insane. I agree. And I’m totally cool with limiting check splitting for X amount of people too, ESP large parties! I actually don’t know many places that *would* split for a table of more than 6 or 7 people, that’s craziness. And super sweet of you to do that for them! I hope they left you big tips ;)

By: Sissy

Sissy — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:25:49 +0000

I’m a server and I had a party of 25 people a couple days ago. ALL of them wanted to split their checks because it was a business lunch. Can you imagine the amount of work for me to pay 25 credit cards? Some people don’t even know how to use that darn machine! They seems typing hundreds number when it come to tip or PINs! It took me half hour to let them pay and not to mention the time wasted to remember who took what while ordering or to do my cash out at the end of the day with all that receipts! 2$ only?! Sometimes 20$ would not be enough for me! Pls choose another restaurant!!

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:25:24 +0000

Ouch! That must have been a headache, I hate ending up in those spots :( But I def. love ending up in those that split it automatically! :)

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:58:45 +0000

Whenever I’ve seen that note, it was for splitting the plate, not the bill. But it’s an interesting concept, charging extra for split checks. I’ve gone to some places that are so used to everyone wanting to split that they just start with separate checks for everyone. Though I also went to a place where they had a limit (understandably) but we didn’t know until our 20+ people group were trying to split the bill. Ooops!