Is this an age related thing?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Is this an age related thing?
1277
Thu, 04-12-2007 - 9:45am

(Totally OT, not SAH/WOH related, so feel free to not respond)


I went out with 5 other women to dinner last night.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 10:04am
Then why don't you address the substanstive posts-- like post 570?


iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 10:31am

>>How is assuming a check will be combined any less presumptious than assuming it will be split into many checks?<<

because the party is all together - and it is, and has been customary for parties to have one check for as long as i can remember. splitting checks as typical, regular, normal or customary behavour is something thats reletively new. its no more presumptious to assume that a party will have one tab than it is to assume that the party will be sitting alltogether at the same table.

>>Like I said in a previous post I have never ever had one bill for a group of people unless someone specifically said "one bill please" Having one tab is certainly not customary when dining out around here.<<

one tab for one table/party has been the customary proceedure for decades - thats what i meant. the idea of everyone splitting everything up for who ate what as a normal thing is a relativly new concept in the resteraunt world.

why people feel the need to ask for seperate checks is beyond me (with the exception of business related luncheons). even if the people are all contributing, how hard is it to figure out that you ate $X amount of food? if you're really not sure - the tab is itemized for you already! all you have to do is look at it and say to yourself "self, i ordered the salmon and a glass of pinot, therefore i owe $30 plus tax and tip".

then hand it over. its really not neccesary for all these split checks.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 10:40am

<

then hand it over. its really not neccesary for all these split checks.>>

It is relatively simple if everyone is paying with cash and doesn't have big bills (20s, 50s). I think part of the reason restaurants have started offering split checks more often is that people are carrying less cash with them and prefer to pay with debit cards. While it is easier for the waitstaff to accept all cash for a bill, it is much more difficult for them to accept 10 different debit cards for the same bill. I generally don't carry cash. And if I remember to get cash out of the ATM, it's usually a 20. So if I go to a restaurant and my bill comes to $7, I'd have a $20 that would need to be changed-- which doesn't make it easier on the waitstaff at all.



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Administrator
Registered: 01-20-2004
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 10:48am

Erin
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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 10:53am

Forgive me, i missed this post, I have already answered this this. By putting each order under each seat number it is more time consuming then actually splitting checks on most updated soft ware now. It also would take more then one clik to achieve the goal of splitting the checks and for whom.

Lets say by seat numbers you need to combine certain seat numbers onto one check, it would take more then one click, to accomplish the goal. YOu cannot just get into a computer and hit split checks or combine or add on anything and expect the computer to know what checks to split, combine or add onto ect, you have to feed the computer the information first.

Printing eight checks and cashing out eight checks is a part of the transaction of split orders.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 11:01am
What a menagarie.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 11:02am
If there are eight people and eight checks, you would not need to combine seat numbers. It wouldn't be more time consuming to put everything under a seat number-- it would just require waitstaff bright enough to remember what goes where. If the waitstaff is diligent about making sure everything is entered correctly, the check could be split with the touch of a button. Of course, it would take more time to cash out the checks individually, but that wasn't what we were talking about. We were discussing the software's capability to split checks.


iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 11:03am

>>While it is easier for the waitstaff to accept all cash for a bill, it is much more difficult for them to accept 10 different debit cards for the same bill. <<

AHA! someone finally admits that accepting multiple credit and debit cards is more difficult than accepting one! that principle applies even if the bills are split up - becaus ethe waitress still has to proccess ten debit/credit cards. the only real difference made by splitting the checks is that the bills are already itemized. but the act of ringing the bills through will take the same amoutn of effort regardless of being split or not. it will still take the waitress between 1-4 minutes per card, per transaction. and even if the bills are split and everyone has cash - she'll still have to make change for all ten tabs. whereas if its jut one tab - she only has to make change ONCE.

>>I generally don't carry cash. And if I remember to get cash out of the ATM, it's usually a 20. So if I go to a restaurant and my bill comes to $7, I'd have a $20 that would need to be changed-- which doesn't make it easier on the waitstaff at all.<<

first, this is regional thing - but resteraunts here that have entrees under $20 operate on a cash basis only (except for fast food joints which now accept credit cards). so having a $20 bill wouldn't even be enough to cover your entree at a regular resteraunt. however - there are tons of ATM's here and tehre is no reason to not have cash on hand. most of our ATM's (located inside conveinience stores, gas stations, resteraunt lobbys) will distribute tens and twenties, and we also have a plethora of banks that can give you exact change.

that said, if you need change when dining out you can ask your friend to break your $20, you can go to the bar and have it broken, or you can simply ask your friend to get the change back to you at a later date. or you can give your $20, along with your friends money, and wait for the change to be dropped, and split it up accordingly. there isn't a reason why you have to ask the waitress to break every person's bill. she's more than capable of takng a check, and brining back change all at one time. you can even request small bills if you need them.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 11:04am

I did miss that post and have responded. :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 04-26-2007 - 11:05am
And I saw your response and responded back . . .


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