AITA for refusing to pay for my friend’s meal after she invited me out for dinner?

A man went out to dinner with a friend who invited him. He ordered a light meal to save money, while she ordered much more. When the check arrived, she asked him to cover the total, assuming he would pay since he earns slightly more.

He refused, stating it was unfair since she initiated the dinner. She paid her share but called him stingy. read the original story below…

‘ AITA for refusing to pay for my friend’s meal after she invited me out for dinner? ‘

So, my friend (29F) and I (28M) went out for dinner the other night. She invited me out to this nice place, which was cool because we hadn’t hung out in a while, and I was really looking forward to catching up. When we got there, she ordered way more food and drinks than I did.

I kept it light since I’m trying to save money, so I only ordered a main course and water. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought the check, and my friend looked at me and asked if I’d “cover this one.” I was kind of thrown off, especially since she invited me out.

I told her that I wasn’t planning on paying for both of us and reminded her that she was the one who suggested dinner. She got really upset and said she thought it was obvious she meant I should pay because I make more money than her.

(I do, but it’s not by a huge margin, and I’m also trying to budget right now.) She ended up paying for her share but called me stingy and said I was being unfair. AITA for refusing to pay for her meal when she was the one who invited me out?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

shyfidelity −  NTA. That’s so embarrassing. How does one reach that level of entitlement?

Huge-Attitude4845 −  The person inviting others normally pays or the bill is split.

rostockerjung80 −  NTA. I have friends who I gladly pay for, knowing that they’ll pay next time and we see each other a lot. Just this entitlement itself, no-go, red flag, and whatever other word in that lane you can think of!

Pale_Conference_2748 −  NTA – If that was her intent then that should be made absolutely clear and not “implied”

Caspian4136 −  NTA Holy s**t, the second hand embarrassment I’m feeling right now for all of this is so real lolol. First off, the one inviting the other out usually would be the one to pay for it, or at least offer, unless it was a very casual “Hey, let’s meet for lunch at X”.

Secondly, it’s very common these days to split the bill, in fact usually my friends and family tell the waiter straight away we want separate bills, which is always appreciated by wait staff (it’s easier for them to sort it out before ordering everything). She orchestrated this whole thing to try to get a free meal at a nice restaurant for herself. What an absolute turd.

pepperinna −  She’s not a friend she’s a leech

Zakal74 −  Invite her to go car shopping. NTA.

Cosimo_the_Tired −  1) she invited you out. 2) you’re friends not dating 3) if you’re expecting the other person to pay, why would you go overboard on your order?

It’s not just entitlement, but a complete lack of respect and completely unacceptable. I would be hesitant to do any activity like that with her in the future due to that behaviour.

Spirited_Cry9171 −  NTA. I’m not saying that she should have covered you since she’s the one who initiated the invite, but expecting you to pay after the meal without discussing it ahead of time? That’s weird. Assuming someone is going to pay for you in any capacity is tacky as hell.

FasterThanNewts −  Lesson learned: don’t go out with her anymore. She’s an e**itled user. NTA

Did he have a right to refuse to pay for her meal, or should he have considered her situation? What do you think? Share your thoughts below!