Paying for work lunch/dinner etiquette questions..

[nj21]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

thats dumb
what if you had a glass of water and a salad and they had lobsters, caviar and steak or whatever else
u pay only yo part

It doesn't matter if it's dumb. That's just the way it is. I doubt most would go out to order just a water and salad.

Why even go out at all?

But in that extreme situation you mentioned, then you'd be correct.

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by nj21

It doesn't matter if it's dumb. That's just the way it is. I doubt most would go out to order just a water and salad.

Why even go out at all?

But in that extreme situation you mentioned, then you'd be correct.

dont matta
i aint payin for nobody's anything, the proper etiquette is to pay for yoself and thas it, u dont owe anyth to anyone
now if its friends or whateva, sometimes they figure it out and one of em might pay this time, another one mite pay next time or someth, but thats on them, nobody has to do anyth

[eggalegga]

I work in the accounting department. When we go out for birthday's and work anniversaries, the bday person doesn't pay for his meal. The co-workers all contribute to the bday lunch. I'm the lucky person who divides up the bday person's lunch bill and tells everyone else how much they all need to contribute. All department members know this is the case and can choose if they go to lunch or not.

On the rare (usually only twice per year) occasion that my employer pays, EVERYONE in the department goes and they all (except me) order drinks (no alcohol allowed) and dessert. I don't complain, I just order what I like. If my entrée is more expensive than theirs, I don't bat an eye. I figure their total expense is about the same (if not more) than my choices.

I wouldn't go to lunch with a group where the paying culture seemed lopsided.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Pivot Point

1. The even split is the usual way the bill is paid when a co-workers goes out for a meal. I think you did the right thing by paying the amount you were asked. You would have looked really cheap if you had nickel and dimed over $8.

The only way to avoid that is by not going out with them.

Maybe that's a regional thing because I have never seen this in my career. Any time I've gone out for a group lunch with coworkers, everyone pays only what their meal cost plus tax and tip or, more commonly, we ask for separate checks at the beginning.

I would seriously resent having to pay more than my fair share with an even split; that's B.S. and incredibly rude.

[knt1229]

IME, work outings that include the manager and all or most of your team/department are typically paid for by the company. However, if there is a time when the company isn't picking up the tab, then, everyone pays for their meal individually. Separate checks are asked for right from the start. Fortunately, I have never been asked to pay for more than the cost of my meal.

However, I think the OP did the right thing by not complaining because it would have reflected poorly on him since it appears that is the culture of his team/department. In the future, I would avoid these types of outings unless I knew it would be company paid.

[manderly6]

I would say the chances of more than three people being able to split a check by what each one ordered and coming up with the right number is less than 10% these days.