Who is responsible for paying the bill?

[OneMoreFarang]

We had some comment here were two people were together in a restaurant and one walked out and didn't pay - but he was supposed to pay.

What happens in such situations?

Who is legally responsible to pay the bill? The last person who was at the table? The person who made a reservation? Everybody only for his own part of the bill?

 

I never had that situation and I won't walk away without paying. But I think it's an interesting question.

Some invited people might not be able to pay an expensive bill.

Others maybe just don't want to pay if they were supposed to be invited.

 

How is that handled in Thailand?

 

Independent but related to the above question: A long time ago I saw that the police arrested a guy who didn't want to pay two lady drinks (less than 300B at that time). The staff asked him many times to pay. He didn't. The police arrived and told him to pay. He didn't. The police arrested him. So it seems the police do arrest people who don't pay.

[thaibeachlovers]

In reality, IMO, it would be the last person at the table, but normally one person doesn't walk out to avoid it.

 

I once went to a dinner party with colleagues and we all paid the same as the meal was divided between all. I was happy with that, but some added a dessert, and some didn't. I thought it was wrong to expect the rest to pay for something only a few had, and they should have paid that themselves.

I didn't make a fuss at the time, but I never had another meal with them.

[CharlieH]

Ultimately, I would have thought whoever consumed the food would have to pay for it, in the absence of who ordered it. Failing that whoever is left at the table.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

but some added a dessert, and some didn't. I thought it was wrong to expect the rest to pay for something only a few had, and they should have paid that themselves.

How much was that dessert? Maybe 100 or 200B? And that was a major problem for you? Amazing!

[mstevens]

Assuming the people knew each other, it would be assumed whoever was left at the table would be expected to pay. If by some strange situation two strangers were seated and were eating at the same table then perhaps it may be different.

Edited September 23, 2019 by mstevens

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How much was that dessert? Maybe 100 or 200B? And that was a major problem for you? Amazing!

What if I ordered a $300 bottle of wine?

[cobra]

This is only a problem if a Cheap Charlie had infiltrated the group,

which we know they abound in LOS,

 

I once witnessed someone go back and retrieve a tip from the table after the others had left.

[kevin612]

Last person on the table.

[Blue Muton]

23 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Ultimately, I would have thought whoever consumed the food would have to pay for it, in the absence of who ordered it. Failing that whoever is left at the table.

.....and whoever wore the beer?

[CharlieH]

The other danger is if the restaurant picks up on a "split the bill" by a group and they add extra dishes to the bill as the person paying doesn't know what was actually ordered by who etc.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How much was that dessert? Maybe 100 or 200B? And that was a major problem for you? Amazing!

Assuming much? You know what they say about assumptions making an ass out of...………………...

 

I never said it was in LOS- the word "colleagues" should have told you it wasn't in LOS. It was a 5 star hotel in Riyadh and very expensive. Long time ago, but probably more like 1 thousand baht for each dessert if converting riyals to baht

Edited September 23, 2019 by thaibeachlovers

[Puchaiyank]

The following comments are for educational purposes only:

 

1st time to Cambodia...sat along riverfront cafe eating lunch...enjoying my day...a nicely dressed Indian man walked by...spotted me, came over, sat down and started a conversation, ordered his lunch...finished before I did...walked over to the cashier and then disappeared down the street.

 

Finished, went to pay my bill...seems my new Indian friend told them I would be more than happy to pickup his lunch tab...

 

Weighing my options...decided to chalk it up as one of life's bad experiences rather than make a scene...paid the entire bill...still pizzed!   ????

[worgeordie]

Not the one who goes to the toilet,just as the bill arrives.

It should be the ones responsibility that invited other's for

a meal

In regard to the post,were the A/h left the girl to pay the bill

i hope the police are involved in looking for him,OK she threw

beer on him ,maybe he deserved it,but the way he told the story

everything was her fault,but there are always two sides to every

story.

regards Worgeordie

 

[geronimo]

Sadly, if it happens in Thailand and there's a farang involved, he's likely to be held responsible, because, er, because, well just because!

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

What if I ordered a $300 bottle of wine?

I personally wouldnt be hanging with anyone that orders a $300 bottle of wine, since something like that screams poseur in my social and cultural mileau.

 

Like when I took my exgf out to a fancy joint one night and there she is, all of 19, asking for the wine list and trying to order a Fussy Cachet 1934 at $500 a bottle. I says, oh, are we an oneophile, now...her response, "well its expensive and must be good".

 

Love ya baby, here, have a Margarita.

[Denim]

35 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

started a conversation

 

' And ....you are coming from ? '

[OneMoreFarang]

Interesting comments.

 

Maybe I should have asked more clearly: My idea was to ask who is legally responsible to pay the bill?

And what happens if the last person on the table (maybe the nice girl which wasn't so nice anymore) can't pay?

[geronimo]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Interesting comments.

 

Maybe I should have asked more clearly: My idea was to ask who is legally responsible to pay the bill?

And what happens if the last person on the table (maybe the nice girl which wasn't so nice anymore) can't pay?

The establishment would call the cops, and they would apply pressure to the last person in the group to pay up. Technically, I suppose the person responsible is the one who ordered, but in their absence, the remaining person would cop it!

[tifino]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

What if I ordered a $300 bottle of wine?

then you weren't in Thailand at the time? 

[tifino]

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Interesting comments.

 

Maybe I should have asked more clearly: My idea was to ask who is legally responsible to pay the bill?

And what happens if the last person on the table (maybe the nice girl which wasn't so nice anymore) can't pay?

... sort of like the thai girl left behind at The Centara?

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I once went to a dinner party with colleagues and we all paid the same as the meal was divided between all. I was happy with that, but some added a dessert, and some didn't. I thought it was wrong to expect the rest to pay for something only a few had, and they should have paid that themselves.

I didn't make a fuss at the time, but I never had another meal with them.

This is also the kind of situation which i dislike the most, and try to avoid it.

Was out with a group of Thais, somebody had just drinks (me included) and others also had food (maybe 3 people had food, 3 people no food), when the bill came it was simply divided by 6. The next time we were out, i knew this already, i also had food then. But one of the Thai guys didn't drink or eat anything. When the bill came he was expected to pay his share and did so as if it's completely normal.

I don't understand the logic behind this and definitely prefer the western way of splitting the bill.

 

It also feels strange when i go to eat with friends (not close friends), with who i usually don't eat and might never eat again, and who then pay the whole bill. But in this case i just approach the person who paid when we are walking out and offer to pay my part, sometimes they accept it, sometimes they decline.

[geronimo]

3 minutes ago, jackdd said:

 

I don't understand the logic behind this and definitely prefer the western way of splitting the bill.

 

 

It is simply a case of not losing face, which we all know is paramount for Thais.

[pgrahmm]

Went out with couple from oz, nice restaurant.....We split the bill & I paid our half....He said to go on ahead while they finished their drinks, so we left.....

Turns out, he pocketed our money & walked out the door without paying.....

 

Somebody caught up to him for something later on, he was murdered/decapitated.....

[geronimo]

7 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Went out with couple from oz, nice restaurant.....We split the bill & I paid our half....He said to go on ahead while they finished their drinks, so we left.....

Turns out, he pocketed our money & walked out the door without paying.....

 

Somebody caught up to him for something later on, he was murdered/decapitated.....

A case of karma if ever there was one ....

[SteveK]

Given the circumstances of the aforementioned post, I think the guy was entitled to walk away, the girl had 15k of his money to settle the bill anyway and was acting like a complete idiot. So it doesn't really matter that he walked out - he will be paying the bill anyway.

 

I once walked out of a bar after having half a dozen beers and lots of food. It was on Koh Samet and an early afternoon beer had turned into a marathon drinking session with a friend from the UK. Loads of drinks, food, and games of pool were had. It wasn't until the next day that we realised nobody had settled the bill, we must have been trollied, but I went back to the bar and apologised profusely - the worker there didn't seem fussed in the slightest, gave him 500 baht to say sorry. The OP has left Pattaya now so I hope the lady paid the bill, if not then it's on her not him because she was holding his money.

Edited September 23, 2019 by SteveK

[robblok]

23 minutes ago, jackdd said:

This is also the kind of situation which i dislike the most, and try to avoid it.

Was out with a group of Thais, somebody had just drinks (me included) and others also had food (maybe 3 people had food, 3 people no food), when the bill came it was simply divided by 6. The next time we were out, i knew this already, i also had food then. But one of the Thai guys didn't drink or eat anything. When the bill came he was expected to pay his share and did so as if it's completely normal.

I don't understand the logic behind this and definitely prefer the western way of splitting the bill.

 

It also feels strange when i go to eat with friends (not close friends), with who i usually don't eat and might never eat again, and who then pay the whole bill. But in this case i just approach the person who paid when we are walking out and offer to pay my part, sometimes they accept it, sometimes they decline.

I agree its a bit strange that people pay more then their share. Though its hard to calculate everything. Can become a bit boring too. So just dividing by the number of people is easy.

 

Still i get it its unfair for those who drink less don't eat. I always lose out as I am not drinking alcohol and eating relatively cheap. So i always subsidise others who do drink and eat a lot. I don't lose sleep over it but I do get the point.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In reality, IMO, it would be the last person at the table, but normally one person doesn't walk out to avoid it.

 

I once went to a dinner party with colleagues and we all paid the same as the meal was divided between all. I was happy with that, but some added a dessert, and some didn't. I thought it was wrong to expect the rest to pay for something only a few had, and they should have paid that themselves.

I didn't make a fuss at the time, but I never had another meal with them.

Most of the time, when we are dining with a number of friends, we just split it evenly. Some have appetizers, some have expensive dishes, some have dessert. But, it seems reasonable to just split the bill. Sometimes, when I am dining with fairly affluent friends, I will ask for a separate bill for either myself, of my wife and I. It is not an unreasonable thing to do, judging by the company.

 

 

[Skallywag]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

I will ask for a separate bill for either myself, of my wife and I. It is not an unreasonable thing to do,

This is how we would do in the USA, ask for separate bills before ordering.

 

For the OP, I dont know the law, but there is the old saying "getting stuck with the bill" so if you are the last one present when the bill arrives, think you are "stuck" with paying it.  

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

This is how we would do in the USA, ask for separate bills before ordering.

 

For the OP, I dont know the law, but there is the old saying "getting stuck with the bill" so if you are the last one present when the bill arrives, think you are "stuck" with paying it.  

I thought that was called a Dutch thing.. guess they are cheap in the USA too ????.

 

Anyway what works in the USA can give a lot of confusion in Thailand and a lot of mess. Unless you are at a really good restaurant. Otherwise it could get hard to split the bill.

[spidermike007]

The funniest story I ever heard about this was when a good friend of mine was dining with some friends and business associates. One of them was a billionaire. He flew into town on his private jet, and met them at a very high end restaurant. This guy insisted on picking out this restaurant. And when he came he insisted on ordering many of his super expensive appetizer and entree suggestions. Some objected, and he more or less said let me handle this, and take care of it. And in addition, he ordered alot of high end wines. My friend just went along with it, and assumed this guy would pick up the bill. The money did not really mean anything to him after all, in comparison to the rest of the guys at the table, including my friend, who is successful, but not wealthy. The host had just sold a company for $600,000,000. Plus he already had a fortune. 

 

That did not happen. When the bill came he looked at it, and said ok there are 12 of us, the bill is $13,700, so that will be $1141 each. My friend just looked at him and did not know what to say. 

 

My second favorite story was a guy I used to know, who was friends with some friends of mine. I dined with him twice. Relatively simple restaurants. Each time the bill came he made a really, really big deal about tiny amounts that he felt he were being overcharged. I mean a real scene. He was very rude to the waitress over nothing. We are talking about 10 or 20 baht! This is a guy who made alot of money in Hawaii real estate. I yelled at him the last time we ate together and told him what an unbelievable fool he was. Never saw him again, thankfully. Made it a point to avoid him. Life is just too short to spend time with people like that. 

 

I would never let someone walk out without paying for a meal, unless it was a good friend in need, who was broke, or forget to bring some money. Regardless, the bill always has to be settled. We are civilized folks, right?