The Biggest Red Flag When It Comes To Splitting The Check

As food and beverage connoisseurs, going out for a meal is practically our lifeblood. Heading out for the night with a few pals to chat over decadent plates of penne alla vodka and tall glasses of white wine — the thought alone is enough to bring a smile to the face. 

While the experience of dining out is enjoyable for customers, sadly the same can't always be said for the people working behind the scenes of your favorite restaurant. Inevitably, some customers end up doing something that servers absolutely hate – whether they mean to or not. Most diners are courteous, but others can make shifts feel especially difficult with a slew of lengthy menu alterations, unreasonable demands, and much more. One of the most ghastly of these less-than-welcome customer practices comes when it's time to split the check. There are a few red flags when it comes to making the split, but we're here to fill you in on the biggest of them all. Hopefully, the revelation can make the dining-out experience smoother for everyone, especially our servers.

While you might not know it, there's a delicate balance to the inner workings of a restaurant and it's in your best interest to avoid disrupting it. From a family-style cafe to fine dining, each restaurant is complex. So before you do anything major, like change tables, for example, make sure you check with the staff first. It might seem like a simple enough switch to make on your own, but simple changes like these can really mess things up for servers.

After you've eaten your meal, one little-known pet peeve servers have is when customers stack their plates after they're done eating. While this may feel like a courteous gesture, many servers have a preference for how they stack dishes so they don't drop any on the way to the sink. Stacking plates just makes things harder in the long run, so sit back and relax after you've finished your meal.

The biggest piece of advice we have for practicing good restaurant etiquette is to treat your server with respect. If you want to split checks, make sure you let your server know in advance so they are set up for success, and make sure to tip well since most servers do not receive an hourly wage. (Anywhere between 15% to 25% is the norm). When it comes to splitting the check, let's talk about one of the biggest red flags.

Some diners with no experience in the restaurant industry might wonder what the big deal is with splitting the check. While the process seems simple enough, larger groups of more than four may be doing more harm than they think by asking. 

For many restaurants operating with only one point-of-sale system, splitting up the check can lead to big delays in the normal flow of restaurant operations. The bigger the party, the more time it takes to calculate what each patron owes. With more cards in the mix, the possibility of mixing up checks increases. The stress level of servers rises as they juggle credit cards and dodge impatient customers. 

In the age of virtual banking, we don't need to be adding more to the plate of servers. (Already one of the most stressful jobs in the business according to researchers at Southern Medical University). If you do have a smaller party and decide to split, don't forget the tip. Communicate with your group so each person leaves a fair amount and no one assumes you're taking the brunt of the added charge. The chaos of splitting the check can easily disrupt an entire restaurant and is a big reason why some restaurants don't allow the practice at all. So the next time you go out with a group, just remember to be mindful. And hey, maybe it's time to download Venmo.