Millions of British people have fallen out over paying the bill after dining out with friends

Almost 30 per cent of people have argued with friends or family when it comes to paying the bill, according to a new survey by restaurant pub chain Table Table. Almost half said it was just banter, while 42 per cent admitted despite laughing about it, they were actually really annoyed.

Seven per cent seriously fell out over it and more than one per cent claimed that the argument was so bad, that they haven’t spoken since.

The research showed the main cause behind the quarrelling was that the other person refused to pay a tip. Other reasons included people paying for just what they ate instead of splitting the bill equally.

The poll of 3,000 people also found that men are considered to be more generous when it comes to paying the bill, and 39 per cent said they would go off someone if they didn’t offer to pay the full bill.

A spokeswoman for Table Table, says “Dining out with friends should be an enjoyable experience, so it’s a shame settling up can cause tension. We recommend that people should look for simple ways to split the bills and remain friends - even if we feel the pinch of the credit crunch it’s not worth falling out over.”