Different countries & their unique splitting culture
Every country has its own sets of culture & traditions. These factors generally affect people’s behaviour. What is “normal” to one person is not normal or even offending to others. Even the simplest example of splitting bills varies from country to country.
You can see the stark difference when you are with your expat friends or travelling around the world. The splitting behaviour drastically changes with the kind of people you are dinning.
Here’s a quick guide of how people behave in various part of the world. Though every individual & group is different, the behaviour or experience changes accordingly.
Usually in most of the countries like China, Dubai, Italy, Ireland, India, Iran, Philippines or Vietnam the eldest family member/ senior member will pay. It’s an honour to pay for everyone. If dining with friends, men will take the charge for paying the bill. More often than not, one person would elect to pay the entire bill, silently expecting someone else to do the same on the next occasion. However, things are changing & people now prefer to go for an equal split. All the settlements will be done in discreet and not in the restaurant.
People from Australia, Guatemala, Scotland, and U.S.A also prefer equal split over an itemized split. Most of the restaurants in these countries wouldn’t accept the request of separate bills.
The splitting behaviour is completely different in Canada, Egypt, Germany, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Taiwan & Thailand. You might be surprised if the waiter asks you a question, “Do you want to pay together or separately?” People will take efforts to prepare & share a detailed expense sheet.
With the changing time, fairness, equality and accountability are paying a new role for fair split leading a new market for splitting apps. Companies are trying to address this issue by introducing fair & hassle free expense splitting apps.
One such app is ‘Wesplit’. It’s by a small team of enthusiastic individuals, trying to develop apps to assist the user’s daily life. It's available on iOS & Android. The app is fast & super lite. You can split the bill in 1 easy step either equally or as per individual item. No limit to party size. It’s in the early phase but very helpful. The team is working on new features in coming versions.
So how do you usually split the bill? Is it polite to ask to pay for what you had? Or it’s an equal split for you? Share your views in the comment section. :)
