“Hey Sal - I always end up paying more than all of my friends when we go out to eat. Some people add up exactly what they have, to the cent, and then they don’t leave money for tip - other people insist we split evenly when our tabs are far from equal. How do I pay my part without souring the meal?” - Marie

If I had a penny for every time this subject came up, caused problems, and sent diners cringing - I’d be able to buy everyone’s meal! Let’s face the facts - money issues between friends, no matter how small or irrelevant they may be, are awkward. One friend makes more money. One friend never covers his/her part. One friend never sees what the big deal is, it’s just a couple of bucks, right?
Wrong.

This situation is something you’ll encounter over and over, so rather than have a math lesson on long division, let me tell you how to simply remove yourself from the equation all together. BRING CASH. And I don’t mean two twenties - I’m talking small bills that will allow you to produce exact change. As you order, take note of your entrée and drink costs (be sure to factor in Chicago’s 10.25% tax and the server’s tip). That way when the bill comes, tell your group you’ve got exact change, and toss in the towel. If they decide to split, or someone doesn’t pay their portion - you’re out of the mix. (This gets tricky when you eat a communal appetizer, so if you take part in that, be sure and pay for it.)

On a side note - if you’re organizing the meal, you can be proactive. When you send out an email to remind everyone of the plans, also ask everyone to bring cash - that you “know this restaurant doesn’t like to split checks.” And that’s not a lie my friends because no restaurant likes to split checks. Save them, and yourself, the trouble.