On 17 Jan 2006 09:28:58 -0800, "Sheldon" > wrote:
>
>P.Aitken wrote:
>> wrote:
>> > Nancy Young wrote:
>> >
>> > wrote
>> >>
>> >>
>> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>>>Side note: Our friends have the opposite problem. They raised their
>> >>>>kids to eat everything very early on, and now every time they go out
>> >>>>the kids want lobster and steamed mussels. :-)
>> >>>
>> >>>My sister brought up her kids the same way. This can be a very
>> >>>dangerous thing for the pocket book. I can remember their great uncle
>> >>>taking them to dinner and being a bit shocked when the oldest (10-12
>> >>>yr?) started with escargot and proceeded down the menu from there.
>> >>
>> >>I guess they hadn't gotten around to the lesson where you don't
>> >>order everything on the menu when someone else is paying?
>> >>
>> >>nancy
>> >
>> >
>> > He was making sure that they felt free to order whatever they wanted.
>> > 
Serves him right
>> >
>> > The cost really didn't bother him, rather he was shocked I think he was
>> > expecting the Kids Menu hamburger.
>> >
>>
>> I think it is weird to take people to dinner, offering to pay, at a
>> restaurant where a lot of the menu items are too expensive and you
>> expect your guests to somehow know they should order only the less
>> expensive items. No, guests should not order the most expensive menu
>> item, but they should be free to order items that are typical for the
>> place. If the host has a limited budget he should choose the restaurant
>> accordingly.
>
>Exactly. But I also feel it's rude for a guest to order excessively,
>where they not only order the most expensive items in each catagory but
>they order doubles on appetizers, salads, desserts, etc., and drink
>like they think you own the bar .... then when they obviously can't
>possibly eat it all the greedy *******s want to take it home... hey,
>that's my food you didn't eat, I didn't offer to buy your dinner for
>the next day. Occasionally that has happened to me, I never offer to
>treat them again, in fact I no longer associate with those types (you
>only get to do that to me once), invaribly those kind never offer to
>treat anyone, they never heard of the word reciprocity, they are
>schnorrers, low lifes not worth knowing.
>
>I also detest that when I treat for dinner any of my guests insist on
>paying the tip... I consider that the ultimate insult by which to end
>the meal... as if they are saying I can't afford it. Hey, you wanna
>show appreciation, don't think you're getting off the reciprocity hook
>with a measly tip, next time it's your turn to choose the place and
>treat everyone to dinner. And anyway it's none of anyone elses
>business how much I tip (in fact when it's my treat no one needs to see
>the tab... anyone asks they better be prepared to pay), and I certainly
>don't want any cheap ******* choosing how much my tip should be. I
>mean don't you think it's awkward announcing in front of everyone "Hey,
>l'll leave the tip... how much should I leave?" What if there were
>six of us, the tab is like $500, and I respond a C-note and schmucko is
>thinking like five bucks a head, like thirty dollars should make him
>appear flush. Geeze, the friggin' piker drank more than that. duh
>
>Sheldon
>
Your experience of people ordering enough to take home to feed
themselves for several meals and also offering to leave a tip is
foreign to me. Firstly because we don't tip in NZ. The amount on the
restaurant bill is the total bill. It is not necessary to leave tips
in NZ, though I accept you must tip in some countries. Also, for the
most part we don't tend to take doggy bags home, so that's not an
issue either. That's not to say we "never" take doggy bags home, but
it's fairly unusual to do so.
And the restaurant... I would hesitate to order the most expensive
item on the menu if someone else is paying, unless that item was only
a few dollars dearer than most items. If it were double, for example,
I'd forego it. Other than that, I'd expect to be able to order what I
actually liked, and for my guests to do the same. I would gear my
order to what others were having... if they were having three courses,
I might have two or three, depending on my appetite. I would not have
three if they were having one.
But my experience of paying for crowds is limited to special
occasions, and because they are special I don't worry too much about
the bill. I choose a restaurant for the worst-case scenario and feel
comfortable with the probable bill. If someone orders up large, the
chances are others will be light eaters and drinkers so it evens up in
the end.
But I do think you need to be sensitive to the host's wallet.
Kathy in NZ