'AITA for refusing to pay for the whole dinner bill even though 'I'm doing better'?'

"AITA for refusing to pay for the whole dinner bill even though 'I'm doing better'?"

I am currently on holiday in my country of birth. I suggested that an old friend of mine join me for dinner. He asked if he could bring along three women and a man he is friendly with, to which I agreed. I also suggested that we go to the place I rented after dinner since it was quite nice.

I recommended the restaurant, and everyone was fine with the choice. We arrived, and everyone began ordering cocktails, lobster, sushi - you name it. Everything was going well; we were having a good time.

However, when the bill came, it amounted to $770. I told my friend that we should split it evenly, and he was okay with that. The other guy, however, mentioned that he was a bit tight on money at the moment and could only contribute $25, despite having eaten close to $100 worth of food or even more. I had a feeling things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Two of the women were silent and disengaged, glued to their phones. The other woman had the audacity to openly and confidently suggest that I should cover the bill because "You are clearly doing better."

I asked her why she'd assume that, and she responded with, "That's what it seems like on IG." Keep in mind that all I have on my Instagram are pictures from holidays and business-related content. There are no flashy cars or anything of the sort.

I told them that I didn't know them and that this was not a date. She argued that they didn't expect to have to pay. My friend chimed in, saying he wasn't dating them either; he met them all at work.

I was growing increasingly upset at their sense of entitlement and asked my friend whether he had given them any impression that I would foot the bill. He said he hadn't and that each of them always pays for their own expenses. I suggested he deal with them since he had invited them.

It turned into a back-and-forth argument with the three of them complaining about it being "too expensive" and "not fair." It was fair when they were ordering as if they had an endless supply of money, but suddenly it wasn't fair when it came time to pay.

I got fed up and said that I wouldn't even split the bill evenly anymore; I would just cover my own expenses ($52) and go home on my own. This seemed to offend them even more than the idea of splitting the bill.

I stood up, went to the counter, informed the waiter of what I had consumed, and insisted that each person pay for their own items. I paid my share and returned to the table. Apparently, except for my friend, none of them had enough money to cover their portions, or so they claimed.

I felt a little guilty as they were struggling to figure out how to pay, but ultimately, I stuck to my decision. In a moment of pettiness, I left a generous tip for the waiter right in front of them. If they hadn't acted entitled and had discussed this matter before agreeing to come, I might have at least considered paying

Here are some of the top comments from the post.

annabels_raven says:

NTA (Not the A%#hole). You asked your friend to join you for dinner, and he requested to bring along several friends, to which you agreed. You never stated that you were taking them all out or treating anyone to dinner.

You're all adults, and if they were short on cash, they shouldn't have agreed to go to the restaurant or ordered so much food. They could have asked about the arrangements before ordering, as you mentioned.

If your friend had informed them that you were treating them all to dinner, then he's the one at fault for bringing an additional four adults without discussing the payment with you beforehand.

Subject-Toe-1042 says:

NTA - I never understood why people who can't afford it go out for meals. They acted entitled and rude, and had to face the consequences. I'd suggest discussing payment before you order the food next time.

VeryAnxiousDragon says:

NTA. 770€?! You never insinuated or stated you were paying, and they ate far more than they could afford. In some cases, you might pay extra to cover other’s meals, just to keep the peace (as frustrating as it is).

But that’s a huge amount of money! No way on earth any reasonable human being would expect someone they’ve never met before to pay for that. They can fix their own mistake.

What do you think? Was OP right to pay for what he ordered and nothing else, or should he have picked up the tab and then had a chat with his friend about who he is associating with.