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I think the problem here is expectations. If you went to dinner with a friend, and thought everything was covered but then later received a bill in the mail the
by mabbo 9y ago
I think the problem here is expectations. If you went to dinner with a friend, and thought everything was covered but then later received a bill in the mail there's an aspect of unexpected demands in it. If your friend said ahead of time "hey I've got this app that will let us split the bill easily, that okay?" then you'd be expecting it and there's no social transgression.
Social norms and expectations are the fiction here, not the money itself.
This app won't get much transaction in Canada though- in Toronto at least most waiters easily handle individual bills for groups. I was at a party of 12 or so the other day- no issues will the bills, everyone paid for what they ordered. Better software, or maybe better wait staff, whatever it is, it works.
- nitrogen 9y agoRestaurants are definitely accustomed to splitting bills in Salt Lake City as well. I was surprised to come to a larger city like San Francisco and have to chase people for their share since most restaurants won't give individual receipts.
- jdavis703 9y agoI've never been to Toronto, but in general it seems like more popular restaurants give you a harder time splitting the check, where as empty places will sometimes ask if you want the check to be split, without even having to prompt them.
- MAGZine 9y agoMy experience across Canada is any restaurant (Quebec/Maritimes I can't speak for), is that all restaurants, of any size, will ask you if you want split bills. In fact, if anything, the small places that do their cheques on paper with pen are likely not to split anything.
- Overtonwindow 9y agoYou make a good point. If things were handled beforehand, such that one person says let's go out and split everything, I've got this app that will do it for us, then it takes that awkwardness off, and I think is more friendlier. It's the before-hand planning, versus the afterward billing...
- guiomie 9y agoI was shocked by the inability of restaurants (literally their policy) in California to do individual bills. I still can't understand why it's this way... The only reason I used Venmo was for that.
- KekDemaga 9y agoSome credit card services charge a per transaction fee as well as a percentage so spiting the check can begin to eat into his margins.
- cakedoggie 9y agoBecause it is a time consuming pain to do that, and restaurants don't usually like dealing with cheapskates.
- cheapsteak 9y agoWe seem to not live in the same Toronto Plenty of places will give you a hard time if you try to split a bill. Kinton ramen refuses to split for parties larger than 4 (and is completely inflexible on this)
- mabbo 9y agoReally? I've been meaning to try them (I live near their North York location). I guess I'll make sure to only go there with my wife.
- cheapsteak 9y agoIf you're into ramen and ever come downtown, give Raijin a try. Better than Sansotei Santouka and Kinton, imo. What's good in North York?
- greenshackle2 9y agoMy experience in Canada is that many Asian restaurants don't split, but everyone else does.
- uiri 9y agoNot only do restaurants regularly split bills up to N ways up here but Interac eTransfers solve the electronic money transfer problem with native integration into everyone's online banking regardless of which bank it is.
- afterburner 9y agoMost banks charge a $1 fee for e-Transfers though.