SRQ_3sport wrote:
DJRed wrote:
jharris wrote:
So, my best customer wants to get together for a work/ holiday dinner. I have two contacts from this company and I am meeting with both and also bringing my operations manager. The customer also invited 2 other people I have no met before. It is another vendor of theirs. So, my customer is meeting with 2 of their vendors, me, and them. I have no problem paying for us 4, my employee and I and my 2 customers. Although, I don’t want to pay for the other vendor that I don’t know.
A- Do I just pay for everyone to avoid looking cheap?
B- Do I wait til the bill comes and just say I will contribute X to the bill (about 75% of the bill)
C- upon introduction to the other vendor, should I just tell them, I’m gonna treat so and so tonight , so your off the hook (ha ha- make it funny)
What to do? Come on Lavender room- I know you have the answer!
Without reading any other responses, my approach to business meals is:
- The most senior person at the table from the paying firm immediately grabs the check.
- If you are going to grab the check, grab the check. Leave it to the others to step up and offer their share. Check splitting and "who had the extra mushrooms" crap is a bad look among friends. It's awful in business. You just need to know immediately what your response will be. In any event, if you are going to check split, it's presumably on credit cards, let everyone else go while you sort it out with the restaurant and your co-payer. Tell the server you'll walk your guests to the door and then settle-up.
I always see the junior person pays the tab because the senior one typically approves the expenses for that person. Especially if it might be pushing the limits.
At my company, this is a big no no and against policy...for that exact reason. It still happens a lot though.
Corporate policy is the most senior person at the table picks up the check....assuming it is a group expense.
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