A newly engaged couple have sparked heated debate after they ‘expected’ their friends to pick up the check at a dinner to celebrate their proposal.
Ebony Mackey took to TikTok to explain how she was ‘annoyed’ after she and partner Jon Nelsen were forced to cover the cost of an $800 holiday meal for their friends.
The New York business owner explained that Jon finally put his card down after the husband-to-be conveniently went to the restroom when the check was presented.
Later, she told her friend not to expect any contribution to the upcoming wedding because the dinner was “worth a lot more than most things in the registry office.”
Ebony Mackey took to TikTok to explain how she was ‘annoyed’ after she and partner Jon Nelsen were forced to cover the $800 cost of a holiday meal for their friends
The New York business owner explained that Jon finally put down his card after the husband-to-be conveniently went to the restroom when the check was handed out.
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 195,000 times to date, Ebony speaks directly into the camera to demystify the situation that has been ‘awkward’ for her for a few days.
She began by explaining that she and Jon had gone out to dinner with another couple who had recently gotten engaged because the group had “a lot of catching up to do.”
Ebony noted that the engagement had actually taken place months ago, but it was simply the first time the friends had seen each other since.
The content creator said she and Jon waited at the bar for 30 minutes for the late couple.
Ultimately, the foursome settled on ordering full meals, including snacks and drinks.
‘The conversation is going well. We’re having a great night,” Ebony explained.
“It’s been about an hour to an hour and a half. We all take a festive photo. And at the end, Jon and I notice that the restaurant is starting to close. They’re starting to pack.’
Ebony gestured for the check before the waitress dropped the $800 bill “in the middle of the table,” which “everyone sees.”
The post was quickly flooded with comments from other social media users, who remained bitterly divided
But that’s where things took the worst turn.
“The man suddenly says, ‘Oh, where’s the bathroom?’ I need to go to the bathroom,” Ebony revealed.
“Jon knees me under the table and all I’m thinking is, are they going to give us a bill?”
She explained how the woman looked at the remaining pair before Jon finally grabbed the check, to which she replied, “Oh, are you having a treat?”
“And Jon says, ‘I think so.’ And I’m sitting there, who cares?’ Ebony revealed.
The man who ran to the bathroom came back and, after seeing Jon’s card on the table, also exclaimed, “Oh, thank you for treating me.”
Jon said it wasn’t a problem, but Ebony admitted, “Right now I’m really irritated.”
“I’m annoyed with her and I’m annoyed with him and I haven’t said anything.
“And we ended up paying for their entire meal, plus their drinks, plus the tip. What would you have done in this situation?’
Ebony uploaded the clip with the caption: ‘This was honestly so awkward and expensive!!! I was so annoyed with both the other man and the woman, but we kept our cool and will probably NOT date them again.”
And the post was quickly flooded with comments from other social media users, who remained bitterly divided.
Ebony received so much interaction in response to the post that she shared a follow-up clip with the title: ‘Dinner story part two’
One person wrote: ‘In the future, if someone asks, “Oh, are you treating?” Be honest. Say, “No, I think it’s best we split it.” It’s really that simple.’
‘Honestly, I think it’s annoying that you guys are so concerned and yet don’t say anything! I would let them know IMMEDIATELY,” another person added.
A third person chimed in: “These situations ARE awkward, but (the people) who win are the ones who take charge. So take the check AND announce, “Let’s split it down the middle.”‘
“Split the bill 50/50 or tell the person waiting at your table that there will be two separate bills,” another person wrote.
One person gave the other couple the benefit of the doubt, writing, “Maybe they thought you were treating them as an engagement gift.”
Another person added: ‘I would have done what your husband did… he was kind… and it would have been the LAST meal for the other couple.’
Ebony received so much interaction in response to the post that she shared a follow-up clip with the caption: “Dinner story part two.”
In it, she provided further context about the situation.
“We live in Manhattan and every time we go out to eat when there’s a group of people, every guy pulls out his card when the bill comes.
“You don’t really go out to eat and say to the waitress, ‘Okay, we’re going to split this three, four or five different ways.’
“It’s just not really how it’s done in Manhattan. You just lay out the cards and usually the waitress or waiter will just divide it through all the cards.
‘We’re used to that. This is how we enter the catering industry.’
Ebony and Jon then said goodbye while the other man went to shake Jon’s hand, but he decided to ‘completely ignore’ him
She continued, “John will never do that (put down his card).
‘He’s a gentleman and he’ll take it on the chin. He’ll make a note of it and we’ll probably never go out to dinner with them again.
“And when we do that, Jon calls people up. One time he lets it happen, but the next time he says something.
‘He’ll say, “So do I have to pay for this now too or what’s going on?” He will.’
Ebony confessed that after the incident, she asked her friend to go to the bar with her to discuss it – because she didn’t want to argue publicly and become the ‘problem table’.
She said, “So I take her to the bar and I say, ‘Hey, what was going on there? Jon wasn’t really going to pay for everyone at the table.’
Ebony claimed the woman’s response was that her fiancé “went to the bathroom and Jon just pulled out his card… by the time he (the waitress) came back he was already taking the bill away.”
The disgruntled diner then told her friend, “If you get married, please know that we don’t contribute anything and if you don’t want to invite us, that’s fine…
“This dinner was worth a lot more than most of the things on your registry.”
Ebony and Jon then said their goodbyes, after which Jon decided to “completely ignore” the man as he went to shake his hand.