Freeloading House Guests Blasted for Refusing to Split Restaurant Bill

A visiting couple who contributed little in the way of food or drink during a stay with friends have sparked fury after objecting to splitting the bill after a meal out.

Few things are quite as divisive as how best to settle up after dining out at a restaurant. In a survey of 2,000 diners conducted by comparethemarket.com, 36 percent felt it was best to split the bill straight down the middle. However, another 36 percent said it was better to divide things up precisely based on what everyone had.

Whatever your personal preference, 43 percent of diners said they are often left feeling awkward when it comes time to pay after eating out. That was certainly the case for one woman posting to Mumsnet under the handle SeriouslyLosingTheWill, although she may have had more reason to feel aggrieved than most.

It all started a few days ago when their not-so-welcome guests arrived. According to her post, their visitors were, in fact, relatives of her husband's ex-wife who had been eager to visit them as they live in a popular holiday destination.

Though she knew little about them, the woman said she was initially happy for them to stay as they had had a "hard couple of years" during which time their daughter had been quite unwell and evidently "needed a bit of a break from it all."

Her mood has shifted considerably since their arrival though, with the woman describing the couple as unfriendly to her and "incredibly entitled."

"They arrived with nothing - not a bottle of wine or a bunch of flowers," she wrote. "Not that I expect anything but its etiquette surely to arrive with a gesture when you're staying in someone's house for free."

Things have not improved in the four days since their arrival, with the unhappy homeowner writing: "They haven't offered to buy any food. My partner and I are cooking for them. Haven't bought any drinks, though they've been getting through ours very well."

According to the post, the "final straw" came when they decided to go out for dinner." I had a slightly more expensive starter than the rest of them," she wrote. "When the bill came, my partner said let's [it] split down the middle and they fussed about me having the more expensive starter."

Though she said they "grudgingly" agreed to pay half, the woman was left furious at the fact they said anything, particularly as she said they have contributed "literally nothing" during their stay. "I want them to leave," she wrote. "Feel like we've totally been taken advantage of."

The vast majority of people on social media were inclined to agree.

DeLurkingLawyer commented: "If they had behaved like that in a restaurant after the several days of entitled behavior you have had from them I'd have said 'are you f***ing kidding me.'" HoppingKangaroo agreed, writing: "I would have lost it at the restaurant and told them to find another place to stay for the night."

Even so, many felt the homeowners should have spoken up earlier. "I have no idea how people are such doormats that this happens in real life," ShirleyPhallus said. PlentyOFool added: "Seriously, it's embarrassing for grown women to allow people to treat them like this IN THEIR OWN HOME." Mymugisblue added: "For God's sake, just tell them to go, I'd have lost in the restaurant."

After much encouragement from those following online, SeriouslyLosingTheWill confirmed she confronted the couple and asked them to buy food for dinner that night.

They later came back with steaks and various accompaniments and, most notably, some snacks and alcohol. Though initially delighted, the woman did note one of the couple had "placed the receipt on the kitchen side."

Newsweek reached out to u/SeriouslyLosingTheWill for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.