Has anyone come up with a easy and fair way, to split a large friends/family
group restaurant bill, without coming across as petty? Esp. restaurants that
don't facilitate separate checks. In the past we have split the check + tip
among the males in the group, but someone always has to overpay in order
to make it right, because some people have had more food and drinks, than anybody else. Or, should you just, take the high road, pickup the entire tab,
and let someone else, pay the entire tab next time? No one wants to be
thought of as petty and cheap, so I'm wondering what do other people do?

My friends and I just decide on a certain amount after we've all looked at the bill. One of us may suggest "$15.00 each" or "$20.00 each" and there's not much conversation since it's usually agreed upon. We don't pull out a calculator and pay the exact amount for what we individually ordered.

One may decide to put the bill on their credit card and we give them the cash + whatever extra fees there were (drinks usually).

It all depends on the people involved. When splitting checks people fall into various groups: the generous, the fair, the cheap, and the larcenous. I'm in the generous group. If others order more expensive things than I, I'll split the check evenly. If I order a $100+ bottle of wine, which for me is common, I'll kick the entire cost for the bottle even if others share the wine or order other drinks for themselves. The fair don't usually care how the check is split. The cheap want to make sure they don't pay for other's food, and the larcenous insist on collecting the money so they can cheat for themselves. The latter group usually get weeded out over time.

The best way is to ask for separate checks. I know a few restaurants waitresses don't that. But they should do it. It make takes more time but it is SO much easier for each person eating. IF JIm orders a chowder, lobster, a beer and Sally orders a hamburger and coffee, no should split the check. Sally's bill comes to $9.95 and Jim's is $40. NO way should Sally chip in $25.00 . Also putting in what you owe with one big bill, somehow the bill is never right. Someone is too low or someone is too high all struggling to get the right total. You pay with separate checks and no one is fumbling. I went to restaurant with 30 people and the waitress only did separate checks.