How to Split a Restaurant Bill

(Without the drama)

$247. Seven people. Three shared appetizers. One person had water. Another got the lobster. Someone has to figure this out.

Here's how to do it in 30 seconds.

Why equal splits aren't fair

You've been at this table. You ordered a $14 salad and water. Someone else got a $45 ribeye, three cocktails, and half the truffle fries. Then someone says "let's just split it evenly."

You don't say anything. You never do.

Researchers at UC San Diego studied this exact scenario. They found that when people know the bill will be split evenly, they order 37% more expensive food—because they expect everyone else to do the same. Economists call this the "Unscrupulous Diner's Dilemma."

The twist? When asked, 80% of people said they'd prefer to pay for what they ordered. The social cost of speaking up is just too high.

"I don't think it's because you care more, but because you know you can get away with it once, but next time... he'll eat the lobster."
— Uri Gneezy, Behavioral Economist

But here's the thing: the check already knows who ordered what. Every item is printed right there. The problem isn't information—it's that turning those line items into "Mike owes $47.23" takes mental math nobody wants to do at 10pm after two glasses of wine.

That's what splitty solves. Not the math. The doing of the math.

Read the full research

Manual methods (and why they fail)

Calculator apps

"Okay, what did everyone have?" Then you type numbers for 10 minutes while everyone waits. No item assignment. No shared items. Just a total divided by people.

Mental math

"My stuff was like... $30? Plus tax and tip... call it $40?" Someone always miscalculates. The person collecting ends up short. Arguments ensue.

"I'll Venmo you later"

The check gets paid by one person. Everyone else promises to pay them back. Two weeks later, you're still chasing three people. Someone "forgot."

The splitty method: 30 seconds

Scan the check 3 seconds

Hold your phone over the check. Tap capture. Every line item appears—the $24 salmon, the $3.50 Diet Coke, the $5 fries with the +$2 bacon. Tax and tip included. You don't type a single number.

Assign items to people 15 seconds

Items start split equally among everyone—you just tap to adjust. Tap the ribeye, assign it to Mike. Mark the appetizer as shared between Sarah, Alex, and Jordan. The math updates automatically.

Send payment requests 10 seconds

See each person's total—including their proportional share of tax and tip. Tap "Request via Venmo." The request goes out pre-filled. One tap per person. Done before the waiter brings back your card.

Total time: ~30 seconds. Everyone pays what they ordered. Nobody has to bring it up.

Pro tips for tricky situations

Shared appetizers

Mark the item as shared, select who's splitting it. splitty divides the cost among those people only—not the whole table.

Someone doesn't drink

Assign each drink to whoever ordered it. The person who had water doesn't subsidize the person who had four margaritas.

Birthday person doesn't pay

Don't assign any items to them. Their share gets distributed among everyone else automatically. Full guide →

Tax and tip

splitty reads the actual tax from the check (not a guessed percentage). Tip gets split proportionally—bigger orders pay more tip.

Common Questions

Quick answers about splitting bills with splitty

01 Do my friends need to download splitty?

No. Only you need the app. Your friends just receive a normal Venmo request (or whatever payment method you use). They don't need to download anything.

02 How does splitty handle shared appetizers?

Mark them as shared. Select who's splitting the item, and splitty divides the cost among those people. Their share of tax and tip adjusts automatically.

03 What if the birthday person shouldn't pay?

Just don't assign any items to them. splitty distributes their share among everyone else. See our birthday dinner guide for the full workflow.

04 Is splitty really accurate?

99%+ on typical restaurant checks. splitty reads every line item, modifier, tax, and tip. You can edit anything if needed—but you rarely will.

Ready to try it?

Your next dinner is coming. Be the person who handles the check in 30 seconds.

3 free splits. Then $9.99/year or $24.99 lifetime.