Man exposes friend who always expects someone else to cover her bill during dinner parties: 'Before ordering, I quietly asked if everyone was okay paying for their own meals. Everyone agreed'

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Jul 10, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

Cheap dinner

As we get older, we realize that being part of a group often costs money. We have to go for drinks, we celebrate birthdays, and we have dinner parties. On birthdays, we buy gifts, drinks cost money, and dinners are expensive, even if they are hosted by a friend of ours. For some people, it's very hard to assume you don't have that much money, and they'd rather fake it 'til they make it. Sadly, money doesn't work like that, and no matter how much you fake it, you won't make much. This Redditor exposed a friend who apparently was living through that. His way of communicating this to his friend was rather debatable, though.

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  • a group of people sitting around a table with food and drinks laughing
    via OurWhisky Foundation

    The friend enjoying the dinner she will later refuse to pay for

    Subjects are models

  • AITH for leaving dinner after my friend expected everyone else to cover her bill again?

    I have a close group of friends, and we usually go out for dinner once every month or so. Most of the time we either split the bill evenly or everyone pays for what they ordered.
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • One friend in the group has developed a habit over the last several outings of "forgetting" her wallet, saying her banking app isn't working, or claiming she'll send the money later. The first couple of
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • times nobody made a big deal out of it because things happen. The problem is that she almost never actually pays anyone back unless someone reminds her multiple times.
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • Last weekend we met for dinner again. Before ordering, I quietly asked if everyone was okay paying for their own meals. Everyone agreed.
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • When the bill came, the same friend smiled and said she'd forgotten her wallet again and asked if we could just cover her this time. A couple of people looked
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • uncomfortable but started reaching for their cards anyway. I said I wasn't paying for anyone else's meal and suggested she could use a mobile payment app, call someone, or even ask the
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • restaurant if they could hold her ID while she went home to get her wallet. She got upset and said I was embarrassing her in front of everyone. The mood at the table got awkward, so I paid for my own meal and left. Later
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • that night, a few friends said I should have handled it privately instead of making things uncomfortable. Others told me they were relieved someone finally said something because they were tired of covering for
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • person holding credit card
    via Square

    How the friend sees him

    Stock photo used for illustrative purposes

  • Sometimes we say things that we have to say, things that are true, but we say them in the worst manner. It’s okay; we’re not perfect, but once we do them, ideally we should pause and reflect on what happened. I don’t think the friend is perverse and wants to take advantage of anyone, at least I don’t think she is consciously trying to do that. I think that money is a complicated subject, and when you don’t have it, but you still want to belong, it’s very hard to be sincere about it and tell a bunch of people you consider ahead of you that you don’t even have money for going out. Maybe she thinks nobody realizes what’s happening.

  • her. Now she's barely speaking to me and thinks I made her look cheap over what she says was an honest mistake.
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • AITH for refusing to help pay for her meal and leaving after the argument?
    via Future_Swim_1780
  • dirty plate with leftover food and chopsticks
    via N1CE

    The dinner table after everything was said and done

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Either way, if you’re friends with someone like that, trying to have a conversation in private would be best. And then try to provide a secure place for the other person to open up and tell you what is happening, so you can figure out how to help him/her. Of course, nobody is perfect, and sometimes things are communicated poorly; if this friend gets past the initial hurt, maybe she can take away something from this experience and know she should do something about the issue.

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friendship friends entitled toxic relationship entitled people
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