Many first dates can often include the awkward “check dance,” when it may be unclear who is paying the check or whether it will be split between two people.
Recently, a man took to TikTok to share his experience asking his Tinder date to split the check. “The Tinder date was mad because he had to split the bill,” he wrote about the clip, which was posted under the username @thewaterboy. The man was apparently recording the date he was on, while he showed the check with a credit card.
The video then showed a woman placing a second card in the folder, before he asked his date: “What did you say?”
“Why are we splitting the bill?” she responded with a question. She explained that since it was a first date, maybe they should split the bill. The video later shows the two sitting in the car, with the woman still discussing how they split the bill. “I can't believe you made us split the bill,” she said.
“I mean, you ordered an appetizer that I didn't even touch. “Why do you think I should pay for…” he told her, before she intervened: “Okay, but you asked me out.”
He replied, “I know, but you ordered something that I didn't…”
She chimed in again and said, “You asked me out.” The man decided to take her home and tried to say goodbye to her several times. She simply said, “Bye” and closed the car door.
“I don’t even know her and she wanted to split the bill???” She started her TikTok title. “After SHE ordered an appetizer that I didn't want!! THIS is what dating is like in MIAMI smh. I have to move somewhere else, these girls have a RIGHT.”
His video received over four million views, as many people in the comments section expressed how much they disagreed with him. Several commenters sided with the woman, mentioning that the person who asked for the date should be the person who pays the check.
“I'm with her. You asked for the date… you pay!” a comment read.
Another commenter agreed, writing, “You asked her out, dude. That means you pay, buddy.”
“If you ask someone out on a date, you pay them. If you don't intend to do it, make it known from the beginning,” a third commenter noted.
Other commenters said they wouldn't have minded splitting the bill if he had specified that he was low on money, or even asked to split the bill before the date started.
“Bruh… you're just saying you don't have enough money to go on the first date? It doesn't matter if it's a Tinder date. Be a gentleman about it,” one commenter wrote.
“Coming from a guy, this is something that should have been communicated to him before leaving. 'Hey, it's our first date. Would you agree…' etc?,” said another commenter.
A third commenter agreed, writing, “I think if you ask her out and also have the expectation of splitting the bill, you talk to her about it AHEAD OF TIME.”
