Paying For Anothers Food ...

[joko]

this is hypothetical, i'm just curious, after a discussion with a mate and watching a TV show.

if you went for dinner with say 6 people, and everyone ordered individual items - it wasn't a set banquet or anything - and after the food, 3 people got up and left without paying, would the remaining 3 be expected to pay for them?

i am sure the restaurant would try to get you to pay, some would even claim you have to, but surely there's no legal reason why you have to is there?

you can ask for separate bills when you go for a meal so you are not always viewed as a group.

my mate reckons they'd be within their rights to demand payment, as you came together ... i disagree, and there is no way i would pay.

cheers

[Sharingan]

I would think you are only obliged to pay for what you have had personally. I can't see how they can legally force you to pay for something you have never asked for, never had and never wanted.

[Noth43]

You tell it NOX

[craft1948]

Going for a 2nd naughty night Noth?

[Noth43]

well, c'mon...

[douglas9401]

Sharingan, how do you account for the monarchy and aristocracy? ;)

[Mamyalynne]

I think it would depend on whether one of the party booked the table in their name, but if they all just turned up then it is likely each person would only bee liable for paying for their own meal.

[Mamyalynne]

Monarchy ??

[boxtops]

I'd pay for my own, but I'm sure the restaurant who try to get the rest of us to pay

[ummmm]

C'mon what?

[Sammy48]

I wouldn't have let the others leave without paying their bit. I'dhave thrown a bread roll at them to stop them leaving lol lol

[Maydup]

If i were in the group I'd pay for my food and leave.

However, if I were the restaurant owner I'd expect the group to pay the bill between them!

[joko]

eh? have i missed something? whats with all the weird random responses?

[Jemisa]

Whats the monarchy got to do with anything?

Was it the Royals that walked out? That would explain it, cos they don't pay for anything....

jem

[Peter Pedant]

Yeah I have been in a restaurant when this occurred
and oh god a fight broke out.....


also at uni (erm 1890 or something) some of the rugby club delighted in turning the table over at the end of the meal and running out....
and hahaha one of them ran into the men's lav instead of out of the door.
He paid when he came out

[Peter Pedant]

oh and at a wedding - clearly I have been keeping the wrong company -
I paid four of the punters' hotel bill for the night and found
when I was doing a receipt snoop that I had been charged for five ( and paid) you know sort of underhand.....myGod that did teach me to scrutinise bills before paying !

and the hotel were unusually unhelpful afterward in even answering my totally rational questions that I had booked for four and paid for five

and that was because the groom's half-sibling had attended, had a good time and then done a runner !

[tamborine]

http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/law/yourrights/restaurantrightsthebill

It is a criminal offence on your part to go into a restaurant and order a meal with the intention of not paying for it. Restaurants often wrongly believe this means you have to pay for a meal whatever the circumstances. This is not the case. So long as you have a genuine reason for not paying and you leave your name and address, you have not acted in any way dishonestly