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Comment by 1024core | Hacker News Reader

This (widely disparate eating patterns between friends) used to be a problem, but then we hit on a solution: at the end, when the bill comes, each person adds up what they ate/drank, and adds 30% to that (which covers the tax + tip). Some items can be ordered "for all", and the persons who did that take ownership of those too. It's worked beautifully so far.

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Why not just say "separate bills" at the beginning, so that you get them itemized individually?

I'm asking myself exactly the same thing. I've never "split" a bill, but I've requested separate bills plenty of times and always gotten them, it's nothing out of the ordinary in Germany.

Imho it's also the most reasonable approach that doesn't put anybody in an awkward position.

I do not ask for this unless the server offers it. It takes longer to get the bill and pay for it, then if the server is busy / inattentive they just dump the cards on the table and let the group of 12 adults squint at Chase cards.

I _always_ ask for this if its what I want and the server doesn't offer it. They offer up front because its 10x easier to do knowing thats the plan going into it than having to split things up afterwards.

I can't remember the last time I visited a restaurant where the server didn't ask how the check(s) should be handled.

So much for the tip system ensuring better service. I can't imagine a server doing that around here. Then again, we use Chip&Pin, so it's not like they could take them all anyway.

With a large party (6+), it becomes difficult for the wait staff to track the orders. And it takes longer to get the bills at the end. Some places won't do more than 2-3 bills also.

30%?? How much do you tip??

With ~10% tax and 20% tip, that seems right on the mark to me. I guess it would be less in places without sales tax.

That was one of the really weird things I noticed in the USA when I visited recently: this bizarre tendency not to include tax in the prices. Tell me what I need to pay you, not what you're going to end up having received!

Couldn't agree more. There are lots of other nefarious tactics, like "resort fees" at hotels. We're the land of the fee, I suppose.

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