Is It Rude To Order Something Cheap When Someone Is Buying You Lunch/Dinner?

5 comments

1. I mean get what you want is someone’s offering. Don’t abuse the offer but don’t not abuse.

2. They’re offering to pay for your meal it is best to not abuse this. Go for a relatively cheap option , not an appetizer but also not one of the more expensive menu items. What you’re doing is the right thing .. not rude at all

3. Usually something in the middle, so it doesn’t look like you’re abusing the offer or think they are poor.

4. I do that too. I normally just try not to order entrees/drinks and order the cheapest meal on there that still looks like a meal, so they don’t notice.

5. It’s not rude at all but yes, it can be annoying. It depends. Generally spoken if someone invites you then you indeed stick to some middle option because it makes everyone feel comfortable. That going for the most expensive is ironically cheap of you doesn’t need an explanation, but if you go for the cheapest also creates an awkward situation. See, it really doesn’t feel nice if someone worries that much about my money whilst I could easily afford anything on card they wanted.

   And here we are why your friends might be annoyed. They know that you order by price and not by your wishes whilst there is no need at all to do so. If I make clear that someone shall not watch my money, if they know I don’t care the slightest if it’s expensive, that I can afford it without problems and I only want them to have what they really want and they still just order the cheapest option, yes, I’m annoyed. I still would never think it’s rude but I’d roll my eyes. It’s a bit like the annoyance you feel if you want that someone just decides for once what you will do for an evening and all they care about is to please you and can’t decide about anything without asking how much you’d like it. It’s not exactly the same but quite similar.

   I’m pretty sure they also don’t think it’s rude. You just can’t have it both. Either you worry about the money of people who already expressed it to you they dgaf about money and only want you to have a nice meal but then you annoy them or you try to jump over your shadow from time to time. I mean in that case you don’t need to go for the most expensive on card either.

   Explaining your stance, probably not for the first time, won’t change it, quite the contrary. I’m sure they already know.

   However, whatever you do is your decision. There is no “should.” I mean honestly it’s unimportant, the world doesn’t stop moving just because your friends have a moment of little annoyance. They know you, they like you, so do what you feel best with! We all have our little quirks that make our friends’ eyes rolling from time to time. 🤷🏻‍♀️