Is It Annoying to Request Food and Drink on Separate Checks at Restaurants?

Splitting the check after dinner has been pretty commonplace for a while now. Whether it be divvying up items depending on who ordered them or dividing the bill evenly among the table, restaurant staff have likely split checks any number of ways in accordance with guests’ requests. But what about some of the more unconventional requests? Would it be annoying to ask for your food and alcoholic drinks on different checks?

To find out, VinePair tapped Abraham Merchant, president and chief executive officer of Merchants Hospitality, which operates over a dozen establishments, including Philippe Chow, Treadwell Park, the Ophelia Lounge, and Mezze on the River.

As Merchant explains, it’s not necessarily annoying for guests to make this request because it’s actually not unusual for larger parties to ask for checks to be divided into two: one with food and one with alcohol. It’s especially common when the large party is conducting a business meeting.

“In those types of meetings, alcohol is generally not covered on your expense account,” he says. “So if you’re having lunch or dinner and you’ve had a few drinks, the host may request for us to separate alcohol and food charges so they don’t have their reimbursement declined. A lot of companies simply just don’t allow for alcohol.”

While it might be more common for servers to receive this request from business professionals, it’s also not unusual for groups of younger people dining for leisure to ask for the same thing. Merchant points out that some people at the table could drink less than others, or they might not drink at all, so having alcohol charges separated from food makes it easier for these individuals to Venmo each other after someone pays the checks.

Despite the request itself not necessarily being an annoyance, restaurant patrons will lower their risk of ticking off service staff if they ask for the checks to be split at the very start of the meal.

“As a restaurant, we always appreciate knowing as much as possible upfront. It’s so much easier that way,” Merchant says. “If someone can come up and say ‘Hey, would you be OK to put the food and drinks on different checks?’ before an order even goes in, it makes all the difference.”

While the restaurant will still be likely to comply with the ask if it happens at the end of the meal, it certainly makes things more challenging for the server, Merchant explains. Rather than separating items as they are entered into the computer system, the server must backtrack through every order on the check, and it can take away crucial momentum. It’s still not necessarily an annoyance, in Merchant’s view, but it can be difficult and cost servers valuable time.

“At our restaurants, we’re happy to split checks six ways to Sunday, especially given the current economic climate,” he says. “We’ll do everything possible to make it easier for our guests, but it makes it easier for us when we know how things should be split before the ordering process even begins.”

*Image retrieved from cherryandbees via stock.adobe.com

The article Is It Annoying to Request Food and Drink on Separate Checks at Restaurants? appeared first on VinePair.