Restaurant visits are usually moments when people reconnect and bond, but sometimes, things don’t go as planned. In the following stories, patrons were left with bills while others had bad dates.
Going to restaurants can be a pleasant experience, but sometimes, things go differently than planned, like in the following 5 situations.
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A Man Tries to Trick His Vegan Girlfriend into Paying for His Meal
In June 2023, a woman, 18, took to Reddit with her story, seeking advice on whether she was the wrong party. She revealed she and her boyfriend, John, 20, had been dating for under a year and were primarily free of toxicity.
However, her vegetarian lifestyle, which she’d been committed to since age 11, caused some tension. Strong moral beliefs drove the original poster’s (OP) commitment to a vegetarian diet. What got on her boyfriend’s nerves the most was that she refused to spend her money on meat.
A happy couple enjoying food in a restaurant | Source: Shutterstock
When OP started earning her own money, she vowed never to use a single cent of it on meat products, leaving their dining experiences to be highlighted by this conflict. At times, they split the bill, while John covered the entire cost during others.
However, she wasn’t unreasonable and didn’t mind paying for both meals if he chose a meat-free option, which he seldom did. The times when John paid for her meals were limited to when she spent her money on joint activities, such as concerts and festivals.
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During these outings, OP spent around €120+ ($125) on tickets while her boyfriend only coughed out €50 ($50) for food. Days before her post went up, OP and John visited his favorite upscale restaurant to celebrate his birthday. He ate the priciest steak on the menu, paired with a side salad and a bottle of wine.
After they were done eating, OP asked the waiter for separate bills, prompting a shocked reaction from John. He skeptically asked her if she was joking, to which she affirmed she wasn’t. John was surprised as he explained how he had thought she would pay since it was his birthday.
A couple raising their glasses for a toast in a restaurant | Source: Shutterstock
He also claimed that he didn’t budget for the meal. OP questioned his assumption, reminding him of her longstanding rule about not spending her money on meat. John couldn’t explain his thinking apart from the fact that it was her birthday.
She tried reaching common ground with him by offering to cover the cost of the wine and the salad while he paid for his steak. However, he got more upset and stormed off to the bathroom. Trying to salvage the day, she paid for everything except the steak and waited for her boyfriend to return.
A young woman using her phone in a restaurant | Source: Shutterstock
She waited twenty minutes without any sign of him and decided to leave, confused by his unexpected reaction and disappearance. Soon enough, she found him outside, sitting on a nearby bench near where their car was parked.
OP asked him about his abrupt departure and reiterated that he still needed to pay for his portion. His anger returned as he wasn’t aware she’d paid for everything else. When she clarified, he got more upset and unleashed a barrage of accusations, labeling her as selfish and urging her to grow up.
An open leather bill holder with restaurant check and pen | Source: Shutterstock
Despite his escalating anger, OP remained composed and insisted that he return to the restaurant and settle the bill. However, he scoffed at her suggestion and defiantly walked away. Faced with his refusal to take responsibility, she decided to drive home without him, left to grapple with the aftermath of his unexpected outburst.
He blamed her for his inability to return to his favorite restaurant, citing the dine-and-dash incident. Due to the restaurant’s small size, John would easily be recognized if he returned and would be kicked out.
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The incident led OP to Reddit, and she clarified that she’d gone above and beyond by dipping into her savings to spoil him on his birthday by getting him a present. However, that wasn’t enough for him. As John had suggested, she wasn’t the initiator of the dinner date.
Most Reddit users supported OP’s decision and thought John had tried to trick her into paying for meat on his birthday. OP isn’t the only girlfriend whose partner wanted to make them pay for meals they hadn’t intended to foot the bill for.
A man taking down card details show to him by his partner | Source: Pexels
A Woman’s Salary Raise Changed Her Fiancé into a Leech
A Reddit user took to the platform seeking advice about her feeling constantly gaslit by her fiancé about finances. Her and her fiancé’s finances were kept separate, and they didn’t have a joint account because he didn’t want one.
Around the fifth month of their engagement, the woman got a raise, and she and her fiancé figured out that she now earned 30% more than him. Since she got the raise, she noticed how his behavior changed, with him constantly asking her to pay for him and his friends.
A professional woman working on a computer in an office | Source: Pexels
Whenever she questioned why she should pay for something, he responded, “The 30%, that’s why.” His unfair treatment of her made her feel like he was implying she didn’t deserve the raise. OP’s fiancé enjoyed eating out with his friends, and on several occasions, they asked her to join them.
Then, the fiancé would force her into paying for entire meals by asking her publicly, and she was always too nice to refuse. OP hated confrontations, so she sucked it up, smiled, and paid the whole bill. However, one day, she’d had enough when her fiancé asked her to join him and his friends for dinner.
A group of people sitting down to enjoy a meal together | Source: Pexels
Before leaving, OP told her fiancé that she wouldn’t pay that night’s bill, and he agreed, saying it was on him. Things went well during the meal until he leaned over in the middle of supper and whispered in her ear, informing her that she’d pay for everything.
OP was furious and whispered back that she wasn’t, but he knew she didn’t like public scenes, so he shouted out loud, “You have enough money you could pay for everyone’s food, 30%, remember?” His actions left her livid, and she waited until the tabs were on the table before making her move.
Someone paying with a credit card | Source: Pexels
The restaurant had already split the bills from the start between the woman and the rest of the party. She paid for her order and excused herself to the restroom. OP then snuck out of the establishment and drove herself home.
Soon enough, she got calls from her fiancé demanding to know where she was. She told him she was home and explained how she didn’t appreciate being tricked into paying for other people’s meals. When he arrived back home hours later, he started yelling at her.
A woman driving | Source: Pexels
He called her “selfish, irrational, cheapskate, and childish” for what she did and for abandoning him with a bill he could not pay for. OP’s fiancé also claimed his friends were disappointed in her and asked him to think about the type of woman he would marry.
Ultimately, the woman felt she did nothing wrong. However, because of how her fiancé reacted, she felt the need to seek help online. People on the internet made sure to give the woman an awakening. They thought she was putting herself in a bad situation by choosing him to be the man she’d marry.
A couple arguing outside | Source: Pexels
People on Reddit made it clear that the woman was being manipulated by her fiancé. They hoped she was wise enough to dump him and save herself from further torment. However, the OP’s fiancé wasn’t the only person who got abandoned at a restaurant
A woman smiling at her date | Source: Getty Images
Woman Causes Her Date to Leave the Restaurant behind Her Back
In the following story, an Indian man contacted Reddit for advice on his situation. He revealed that he’d had a crush on a White woman who went to the same gym as him, and on their first date, he booked them into a Korean barbecue restaurant.
They sat at the bar and waited for their table for a while. When they were finally seated, she asked what the fire on the table was for. He was shocked that she didn’t know what a Korean barbecue was but explained the concept to his date.
A Korean barbecue setup | Source: Getty Images
OP explained that they would be grilling their food themselves, but his date wanted to know why they had to do all the work. He explained that he thought it was fun but that they could order off the a la carte menu if she were uninterested in the barbecue.
The woman insisted the staff should do everything for them. OP was embarrassed by her behavior but still wanted to see their date through. The pair stayed and ate together before she asked for dessert. He asked the waitress for a menu.
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The waitress handed them a menu before walking away, prompting the woman to comment about “immigrants” being useless. The woman said she worried about them being in the country illegally and using American tax dollars.
Sadly, a group sitting nearby heard what she said and started whispering. OP’s date noticed them and started saying mean things to them, including using a racist slur against Pakistani people.
An upset couple dining together | Source: Getty Images
The Redditor was horrified by his date’s behavior, especially since he was an Indian. When she noticed his displeased look, she clarified, “Oh no, I don’t mean Latinos. They’re fine. I LOVE Mexican food.”
OP was disappointed by his date, thinking he was Latino instead of Indian, but managed to stay put until they’d finished their dessert. He then left for the bathroom, paid their bill with a tip, and left the restaurant without his date.
A chocolate cake dessert | Source: Getty Images
OP drove home and blocked her number when he got there. He even contemplated changing gyms to avoid seeing her there. He explained to Reddit users that he left her behind at the restaurant because he couldn’t fathom spending another twenty minutes in the car with her after all she’d said and done.
OP asked Reddit users if he was in the wrong, and most people believed he wasn’t and also commended him for paying the bill despite her behavior. One person noted how he should’ve handled the restaurant issue differently because leaving the way he did left the staff in the firing line as they had to explain his absence. The following story shows a wife being expected to pay her husband and family’s restaurant bill.
A restaurant’s table set up | Source: Pexels
Husband Sticks Wife with Restaurant Bill She Didn’t Expect
A Reddit user revealed that she and her husband had decided to keep their finances separate over the past three years of her marriage. The arrangement initially worked, but things came to a head during her husband’s celebration.
He’d gotten a bonus at work and was delighted, leading him to invite his whole family to celebrate with him at a restaurant. OP’s husband planned everything, including the restaurant, food, drinks, and everything in between.
A woman looking at a meal | Source: Pexels
The evening was good, with everyone enjoying themselves as they celebrated her husband’s achievements. However, when the bill arrived, he handed it to her and asked her to “Take care of it.” He assumed she’d be willing to contribute to the celebration as some congratulatory gift to him.
The couple argued at the restaurant, with OP’s husband calling her “visibly bitter.” She refused to pay even when he insisted because she thought it ridiculous for him to expect her to pay for his whole family’s meals when it was his celebration.
A person paying the bill | Source: Getty Images
OP’s husband added a bombshell to the argument by revealing that he hadn’t received his bonus yet! He begged his wife to pay for their meals and said he’d consider paying her back when his money came.
The woman became fed up, paid for her meal, and was angry at her husband and his entire family. There was a lot of commotion at the restaurant, and she decided to go home alone. She was bombarded by unwanted calls from her husband’s family.
A woman driving | Source: Pexels
The relationship between OP and her husband strained at home, and they continued arguing about the incident. He felt if the roles were reversed and OP got a bonus; he would’ve celebrated her achievements by paying for the meals after taking her family out.
She was left surprised by the overwhelming support she received from netizens. They told her she wasn’t wrong, and she shared their responses with her husband. OP’s spouse worsened the situation, with him acting defensively to all the judgments she received online.
A couple arguing at their home | Source: Pexels
The Redditor’s husband was also not pleased with her for not sharing their whole story on social media. He said he wanted netizens to know that she earned more than him, but she argued that her salary wasn’t significantly higher than his, only a little bit. Most people still sided with her.
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A Woman’s Sister Left Her with the Bill at an Expensive Restaurant
A Reddit user shared how excited she was to have her sister move closer to her. She could not wait for them to spend more time together and create new memories. The siblings now lived close to a shopping center that had various shops and restaurants, including a high-end restaurant that the Redditor loved to go to with her husband.
Dinner at the establishment could cost between $200 to $250, so OP and her husband frequent it. However, when her sister invited them for dinner, she suggested they go to the upscale eatery. However, since OP knew how expensive the place was, she asked her sister to look at the menu first.
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She wanted to ensure her sibling was comfortable with the food prices, and if she wasn’t, OP mentioned they could go somewhere else that was more affordable. Her sister was keen to try the restaurant. OP’s sister brought her boyfriend along, and they enjoyed their dinner.
After they ate, OP’s sister excused herself to go to the bathroom, but she took so long that her boyfriend decided to check on her. However, the couple didn’t return after some time. OP and her husband went to see what happened to the pair but realized they’d left. She texted and called her sister in confusion and finally received a message reading:
“Thanks for dinner; it was just as amazing as you said it would be.”
People eating sushi | Source: Shutterstock
The message perplexed the couple, and OP continued asking her sister why she left without paying the bill, but her sibling didn’t respond. OP warned her that if she didn’t return to the restaurant in 30 minutes to settle the bill, she would pay for her and her husband’s portion and let the establishment take legal action.
Many commenters agreed with how the Redditor handled the situation.
Thirty minutes passed, and the woman paid for her and her husband’s meal as promised before giving the establishment her sister’s details. Her sibling hadn’t believed she’d go through with it, and the next day, she called OP angrily, telling her about the calls from the restaurant demanding she pay her share.
Friends enjoying a meal | Source: Shutterstock
OP felt no remorse for her sister and revealed her sibling reasoned that she usually paid for their dinners when they went out. The Redditor’s sister thought she’d pay again, but when she asked for separate checks, her siblings realized what was happening and decided to ditch her.
OP explained that when she paid, their meals usually cost a maximum of $60, not $450 for four people. She also reminded her sibling that she’d offered to go to a cheaper place because of how expensive that restaurant was. OP also noted that she’d never agreed to pay for their last meal.
A restaurant bill and a credit card | Source: Shutterstock
She concluded by urging her sister to go and pay her bill before the restaurant called the police on her. OP’s sister refused and asked her to settle the being, claiming it would embarrass her. The Redditor refused to budge, and the situation escalated with their family getting involved.
Ultimately, OP felt pressured to pay the bill, although she still felt angry and uncomfortable about how her sister handled the situation. Many commenters agreed with how the Redditor dealt with the problem.
A woman looking angry while on the phone | Source: Shutterstock
People commended her for standing her ground and not paying for her sister and her boyfriend. Netizens said it was “scammy” of the sister to assume that she would cover their expensive meals. The incident left OP feeling used and like a “piggy bank and not a sister.”