Man refuses to pay after being forced to cover restaurant bill for strangers

Going out to eat with friends and acquaintances is usually a joyful experience. But things can quickly turn sour when people refuse to pay their share. u/SEO403 shared a story on Reddit about a dinner outing that went wrong when some guests refused to cover their part of the bill. The post quickly gained popularity, receiving 9.1K upvotes.

The post begins with the individual mentioning that he's been dealing with extra drama lately. While on vacation in his birth country, he invited an old friend out for dinner. The friend asked if he could bring three women and another man along, and the individual agreed.

He suggested a place to hang out after dinner, where he had made reservations. He also chose the restaurant, which everyone agreed to. They all arrived, ordered food, and enjoyed their time until the bill came. It was $825. While his friend was willing to split the bill, the others were not.

One of the guests said he could only pay $26, despite having consumed $107 worth of food. Realizing the situation was about to "go south," the individual noticed that two women remained silent, engrossed in their phones. Another woman audaciously asked him to "be a gentleman" and cover the bill, assuming he was financially well off.

He writes, "I asked her why she'd assume that and she said, 'That's what it seems like on Instagram.'" The individual clarified that he did not have any pictures showing how rich he was on his account. Not wanting to pay, the individual told them that he barely knew them and that it wasn't a date. The woman replied that she wasn't expecting to pay.

His friend also did not want to pay as he had met them at work. He says, "I was getting upset at the entitlement and asked my friend whether he told them anything pointing towards me paying, he said he didn't and that each of them always pays for their own things." Not wanting to make a scene, the individual asked his friend to deal with them as he had invited them.

They all gave mundane reasons for paying, saying it was "not fair" and "too expensive." The individual specifies that they did not have these problems when they were ordering food lavishly. Hearing their response, the individual gets frustrated and says that he is not even going to split the bill evenly and only pay for himself. The others somehow got even more offended hearing this.

Tired of the entire ordeal, the individual gets up and goes to the counter to pay his share and tells the waiter that the others will pay what they owe. It turned out that only his friend had enough to pay for himself, while the others did not have any money. The individual even went to the extent of giving a big tip to the waiter in front of them. He mentions feeling some empathy for them initially but decides to stick to his decision ultimately. 

People on the platform expressed their support for his decision in the comments section. u/Subject-Toe-1042 commented, "I never understood why people can't afford to go out for meals. They act entitled and rudely and have to face the consequences. I'd suggest discussing payment before you order the food next time."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 13, 2023. It has since been updated.