How to Deal With Split Checks as a Waiter

When a large group of people go out to dinner, they often want to split the check so they don't have the hassle of calculating how much each person owes. Sometimes they'll tell you right up front, other times they ask right before the check in presented. Here's how to handle split checks.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Pay attention to who's at your table. You can often tell if it's a family, friends, double-date or work gathering.

2. Assume that if it's a family, one person will probably pick up the tab. Any of the other groups may want to split the check.

3. Greet your customers. Introduce yourself and give the daily specials and soup.

4. Ask the guests if this will be all on one check. This is a perfectly acceptable question, especially in a casual restaurant.

5. Avoid asking about the split check if you're in an upscale restaurant. Usually people in this situation will ask you to split it or plan to have one person pay. It's classier to handle it this way.

6. Write down what each person orders legibly in your notebook. This will help you remember when it comes time to divide the menu items on different checks. Put all the orders into the computer on one check.

7. Use the waiting computer station to divide the food into separate checks. It usually involves opening the current bill and opening a fresh one. You then drag the items from one check to another.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid asking someone at the end of the meal what they ate. You need to remember. It's tacky to ask later.
• Don't put the orders in the computer on separate checks or the kitchen will cook them separately. You don't want half the table to get their food first.