Check Please! Restaurant Bill...Pay for All? To Split? Share?

I am sure you have all experienced the awkwardness that occurs when the bill comes after a meal with your friends or relatives. What do you do now? 

Well there are essentially 4 options: Treating Everyone to the Meal, Separate Bills, Split the Bill Accordingly or Split the Meal Equally between all the Diners! 

When I was young and living in Indonesia, I always remember my mom and her friends/relatives constantly FIGHTING for the restaurant bill to the point that it was embarrassing. Why would anyone want to pay for everyone's meals unless it was for a special occasion.  I remember asking my mom why people would want to pay, and she laughed and said "It shows that you have manners."

I love it when restaurants provide separate bills to each diner.  This way, you can know what to expect before the bill arrives.  I am sure you had days when money was running low and you only had enough money to order an appetizer.  It will lessen the after dinner tension when the bill arrives. 

Then of course there are times when a restaurant provides one bill for the whole table, it is up to the diners to decide whether to pay according to what was ordered or split the bill equally. If everyone ordered approximately the same value of food, splitting the bill equally is simple and easy.  If not, then splitting the bill accordingly is the best option but requires a lot of calculation and is a hassle. 

With my closer group of friends, we usually eyeball our portion of the meal and round up.  If there is too much money afterwards, we will just split it back up. And if there is not enough money after everyone contributes, then everyone will just have to pay a bit more.   Not only does it not create tension, but it unifies the group of diners. 

I remember having a group of friends who would whip out the calculator and count to the penny on what their share of the bill was.  I am sorry but not only was it embarrassing, it was such a downer after a great meal!  I use to dread eating out with these group of friends. 

How do you and your group of friends split the bill?