Friend Ignites Viral Debate After They Refuse to Split the Bill at a Group Dinner: 'Not Paying'

A Redditor is igniting strong conversation after refusing to split the bill with a large group

A Redditor is igniting strong conversation after refusing to split the bill with a large group and instead asking the server for a check with just their items included.

On Reddit, user RebelElan writes, "I was invited to a group dinner and decided to go. I usually decline because two couples in this group are freeloaders and the split the check type. They order expensive items on the menu, appetizers and cocktails while I get a moderately priced dish and a coke."

Once the dinner (attended by a group of nine people) was over, RebelElan says they decided to take matters into their own hands.

"I excused myself, went to flag down my server and asked if he would please separate my bill from the others. He agreed."

Once the bills came, the two couples expressed their displeasure, saying, “Oh, I thought we were splitting like we always do.” As RebelElan writes, this "prompted two other people in the group to ask for separate checks too, which the server happily did."

The following day, the Redditor received a text from someone else in the group, saying "they do normally split the bill, as it gives everyone a chance to have a nice meal they couldn’t otherwise afford."

"I told her I would not be guilted to staying within my means and not paying for moochers," RebelElan writes. "Then I said the only reason why I came was because I thought the mooch couples wouldn’t be there because they’ve been doing this for years. Still I’m being accused of disrupting the group vibe. Did I? I would think not because of the two that also asked for separate bills."

In a follow-up comment, RebelElan says the group has since spoken and decided not to invite those two couples to group dinners anymore: "The four of us are going to start having a new group dinner at a different restaurant."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Commenters on the post weighed in, with many agreeing about the hassles of bill-splitting. "I freaking hate splitting the bill equally, it's always the people who spend the most who want to do that," wrote one.

"Splitting the bill because otherwise you couldn’t afford your nice meal means someone is subsidizing your nice meal," wrote another. "There’s literally no way this could give everyone a chance at saving money on their meal."

Still another offered a different perspective, writing, "If all the dishes are more or less the same price and people are ordering a bottle of wine to share, then it can feel a bit petty to say, 'I'll pay my share only' - but at the same time, it's really exasperating to have budgeted your meal exactly and then to find 'nope, you're now just that bit over budget.' "

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.