Modern Dining: The Do’s and Don’ts of Digital Payments

Apps pack a powerful punch when it comes to paying for food—whether it’s 12 friends celebrating at a restaurant or your standing egg-and-cheese order at the neighborhood diner. Venmo^®, Zelle^®, PayPal^®, and Apple Pay^® set a high bar for P2P (person-to-person) transactions while adding your debit card to your mobile wallet keeps your cash flow current.

These apps don’t solve everything, like how to answer, “Separate or together?” at a group lunch or how much to tip the teen who scoops your ice cream. We can help here with a few tips for dining in the digital age.

Dining as a group? DO discuss the bill early so everyone can enjoy their meal.

You’re having a tasty meal and terrific conversation. Then, when the bill arrives, everything turns into chaos—and math. There are other options. Make it easy on yourself—and your server—and discuss the payment plan before the drinks arrive. It doesn’t have to be awkward, even if you're the anxious type. Keep it light with something like, “What do you think—separate tabs?” or “How about I pay the bill, and you can Venmo me later?” or tell the waiter, “We’re splitting the check on our cards, except watch out for Uncle Joey. He always eats twice as much as the rest of us.”

Splitting the bill evenly? DO pop open your Flagstar app.

Flagstar Mobile Banking comes with the P2P service Zelle^®. With a few taps, Zelle^® will do the math for you and then request that amount from your fellow diners. If everyone is already enrolled with Zelle^®, the check will be squared up before the great debate over the last bite of dessert. Zelle^® is also available in online banking, so you can use your laptop to settle up later if you prefer.

DO ask for an itemized bill if you need one.

No one wants to see the waitperson roll their eyes. But if they hand you a tablet showing only the total, it is perfectly fine to ask for more detail. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a full accounting. Just ignore the eye-rolling. (And who knows? Maybe your mother was right, and their eyes will get stuck that way.)

DON’T be too polite. It’s bad for your budget.

You order a small appetizer and watch everyone else scarf down drinks, entrees, and dessert. Now they want to split the check evenly? Yikes. There’s no virtue in paying $75 for a plate of mozzarella sticks. The right approach here is an honest, up-front conversation with the meal’s organizer and a second time when the bill comes, if needed. (It’s also another good reason to get a customized bill.)
 

DON’T skip the tip. (And don’t get us started on tipping.)

Tipping is everywhere! The U.S. has a long history of leaving a gratuity for restaurant servers who facilitate your evening out—definitely tip this group. And be sure to include the tip amount when you’re splitting the bill. You don’t want to be the only one rewarding great service, especially when the going rate is 20% - 25%. The rules for counter service and fast-casual dining are not quite as clear, but a dollar or two is a nice way to say thank you for a particularly helpful, clever, or efficient interaction.