‘I ordered 2 appetizers and 2 main dishes': Broke intern over-orders at the work lunches to prove a point about splitting the bill evenly, coworkers get the memo after weeks of paying $40+ for someone else's food

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Sep 14, 2024 9:00 PM EDT

If a mandatory work lunch isn't comped by the C-levels, I ain't going.

However, in a lot of workplaces, the 'company culture' of the office requires that employees all eat together. While it's rare, this practice is almost impossible to get out of and if you're lucky enough to enjoy the company of your coworkers, maybe it's even fun every now and then.

But this broke intern dreaded the company lunches at their job for another critical reason: They always insisted on splitting the bill evenly.

With instant noodles in their cupboards and a pile of student loan bills waiting for them at home, u/RealityCheck18, a new hire at a big company, was worried about their finances. Rightfully so, they'd curb their spending to essential purchases, which incidentally at their new job, included weekly lunches at a restaurant with their coworkers. Now, I'm not saying that Friday lunches with your work besties is a bad thing, but when your managers and bosses making significantly more on their paycheck every week start ordering multiple appetizers, wagu beef, and another round of cocktails on the table's tab, a broke intern might just start to sweat a little.

But that's when OP got the brilliant idea to match their frivolous energy–If you're going to split the bill evenly anyway, you might as well make a point while you're at it.