Handling the bill for groups and tables of friends
Published
A table of eight friends is good business, right up to the moment they ask for the bill. Everyone wants to pay at once, each in their own way, and the waiter redoes the maths on the back of a ticket. A few simple rules make this moment quick and fair for everyone.
Start the free trialWhy group bills go wrong
The trouble almost always starts the same way: nobody noted who had what, a shared dish muddles everything, two people pay cash and one by card, and at the end 40 DH is missing that nobody wants to own. The waiter, pulled away by other tables, collects roughly the right amount and moves on.
The result is either a loss for you or an embarrassed guest who will not bring friends back. Both are prevented before dessert, not at the till.
Set your rules before service
There are three common ways to split a bill: each person pays for their own items, the total is divided equally, or one person pays a fixed amount ('I'll put in 100 DH') and the others make up the rest. Decide which ones you accept and tell your team clearly.
For very large groups, you can also ask at the start whether they want one bill or several. What matters is that every waiter applies the same rule. Otherwise guests compare notes and argue.
Prepare the split when you take the order
The best moment to ask is when the order is taken: 'One bill for the table, or separate?' If separate, note dishes by seat. A simple method: seat 1 is the one closest to the door, then go round clockwise.
Shared dishes, such as a large pizza, a pot of tea or a plate of pastries, cause most disputes. Suggest putting them in a shared part split equally, and say so to the table when they order.
At payment time: one payment at a time
Bring an itemised bill, line by line, so everyone can find what they had. Then take one payment at a time: cash, then card on your terminal, then the next person. Write down each payment as you go.
Never close a table until the payments add up to the total. It is the simplest rule and the one that prevents the most losses. If something is missing, say so calmly while the group is still seated, not once they are out on the street.
Tips and invoices in a group
In a group, tips get lost easily: everyone assumes someone else left one. Offering a tip at the moment each person pays their share solves this without awkwardness.
If a guest asks for an invoice for their company, with the company name and its ICE number, check whether they want it for their share or the whole table. Settle this before collecting payment: redoing an invoice afterwards always takes longer.
Brief the team in five minutes
Before a busy night, remind your waiters of three things: ask 'one bill or several' when taking the order, mention shared dishes, and check the total before closing the table. Add one rule: if there is a disagreement, the waiter does not argue but calls the manager.
The usual mistakes never change: splitting in your head, forgetting the first round of drinks, giving change before everything is collected, or letting part of the group leave before the bill is settled.
With Tablilo
With Tablilo, each guest sees the bill on their phone and can choose to pay 'my items', an equal share, or an amount they type in ('I pay 50 DH'). Payment is in cash, on your own card terminal, or through your own online payment account: Tablilo never touches your money and takes no commission.
Tips can be offered with the waiter's name, and an ICE invoice can be printed or sent by WhatsApp. If a table is closed without payment, the owner's phone gets an alert straight away. You can try all of this free during the trial period.
Related features
- Split bill for restaurants and cafésSplit the bill on the phone: everyone pays their own items, equal shares or a set amount. Cash, the venue's card terminal or its own online payment.
- Waiter tips, per waiter and with no mathsTip buttons on the bill with the waiter's name. Tips are tracked per waiter in 'Mon service' and in the owner's reports.
- Waiter app for restaurants and cafésA waiter app on each waiter's own phone: personal PIN, orders to confirm, table calls and the day's tips. Nothing to install.
- ICE invoice for restaurants and cafésA company invoice with the guest's 15-digit ICE, issued by your venue (ICE, IF, RC), printed or sent by WhatsApp in seconds.