A TikTok video has blown up after a user refused to split a bill costing $4600 for his friend’s birthday dinner. The video sparked a massive online debate over whether you should split the bill with friends or just pay for what you order.
Normally, everyone loves going out for a birthday dinner. One TikToker, who goes by @viccgotti, had a very different experience after his friend’s birthday meal came to a total cost of $4600. In his video, he refuses to split the bill, claiming that other people ordered more expensive dishes than him.
One person in the video argues, “We come together. We split the bill. Period”. Another person points out that some people ordered more expensive dishes, saying, “You got lamb chops. You got steak.”
A person in the comments worked out that if they split the bill, they would have paid $575 each. That’s not including the cost of covering the bill for the person whose birthday they are out celebrating.
In another video, Gotti explained that he is no longer friends with the birthday girl because of the incident.
The original video racked up 16.2 million views and 1.3 million likes. On top of that, there are 67.4 thousand comments debating whether the bill should or should not have been split, as well as numerous stitches and duets with people giving their take on the situation.
To split or not to split
From the comments and stitches, it seems as though everyone has a similar viewpoint on the situation: you should only pay for what you ordered.
One TikToker pointed out that everyone was arguing over the same thing: they all wanted to pay less money for an expensive dinner.
This opinion led to others making a similar point that people should only order what they can afford. One person left a comment underneath the original video, saying, “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact they ordered recklessly while broke or that they’re arguing about it afterward.”
Some people in comment sections expressed that if you invite people out for your birthday, then you pay for the whole bill. No splitting is needed. Others argued that it depends on which friends you are with and how close you are to them. Since some people will try to take advantage of the situation by making others pay for their food, the safest option is to ask for separate checks.
An article by Mint Life shows that 43% of millennials ask for separate checks when they go out. Just 1 in 3 split checks evenly with friends. This is mostly down to technology, as many people can easily pay with or transfer money on banking apps. Additionally, since the pandemic, a lot of restaurants allow you to order your own food online at the table, meaning everyone will pay for their own food individually. TikTok videos about this topic also revealed that a large part of how people decided to split bills is down to their culture and how they were raised.
TikToker shares his experience
The video has led to other users sharing their own experiences of splitting the bill with friends. TikToker @jordan_the_stallion8 stitched the viral video and opened up about a similar experience he had at a time of financial hardship.
When sharing his story, Jordan says, “I already told them I didn’t have that much money on me,” highlighting the importance of communicating with your friends and family. He states that after the experience he never went out with those friends again. As one person in the comments said, “This can easily be avoided. Tell everyone before eating that you pay for what you get. The only people who might not have to pay is the birthday person”.
The money conversation
Having a conversation with your friends about money before doing something like going for a birthday meal is the best way to avoid everyone screaming at each other in a restaurant. However, it can be a really difficult conversation to have, especially when everyone is at different stages in their life.
The Money Helper offers good tips for starting the conversation. They stress the importance of keeping the conversation judgment-free and trying not to interrupt the other person.
They also offer advice on how to deal with negative reactions. Sometimes, people blame you for your own money problems. In this case, it is important to keep an open mind and not get defensive. One thing you can do is ask them what they think you can do to resolve the problem.
The main thing is to be as open as you can be about your situation. Setting financial boundaries with friends means you are less likely to end up in a situation where you have to split a $4600 bill when you only ordered a salad.
