May 28, 2007
The Rule of Eight
I first observed the Rule of Eight when I was at college (the first time round) and it has held true consistently since in several countries*.
It's the maximum number of people who can eat in a restaurant without there being a mess when it comes to paying the bill.
Eight or fewer, no problem. Nine or more, you're pretty much guaranteed that there'll either be an almighty argument ("I didn't have any wine, or a starter, so I shouldn't have to pay as much" "I don't think the service was any good, so I don't want to leave a tip!" etc.) or one or other of the diners will end up paying for a lot more than they consumed.
Yesterday was a case in point.
Once again, the food at the Norfolk Arms was excellent (half a dozen rock oysters followed by beef and finally cheese), yet those of us who stayed until it was time to pay the bill ended up forking out some serious money. I mean, I know I'm a big lad, but there's no way I can eat £120 worth of nosh in one lunchtime sitting, not in what is a reasonably priced pub.
Mind you, there was the champagne at the start...
*Sweden is an exception, as Swedes tend to pay for exactly what they consume, down to the last ore. No wonder they have the reputation for being boring! ;-)
Posted by dompannell at May 28, 2007 11:37 AMI think I ended up spending £100, which is an awful lot, even given my drinking habits. Eight is enough.
Posted by: Cathryn at May 28, 2007 4:13 PMMind you, there was all that champagne...
Posted by: Dom Pannell at May 28, 2007 6:49 PMStill, was good :)
Posted by: zoe at May 28, 2007 7:10 PMI suppose us Finns are just as boring as the Swedes: we simply ask for an individual bill for everyone. No complicated calculations followed by bitter arguments (or false smiles) around the table.
Posted by: Petra at May 28, 2007 8:36 PMEvery approach has pros and cons. The thing about splitting the bill is that it takes the focus away from the exact price of different items - which means the meal is more relaxed (a good thing), but it can be more expensive (bad).
Posted by: Dom Pannell at May 28, 2007 8:57 PMSounds delicious ;)
Funnily enough, most Swedes I know are this boring only when in Sweden, not when they go abroad.