A woman told him to 'be a gentleman' and pay for everyone. His response went viral.

A man’s simple dinner invitation to an old friend turned into a masterclass in standing up to entitlement after he was ambushed by a massive bill and four strangers who refused to pay. His story, shared on Reddit by user u/SEO403, quickly went viral as thousands of people weighed in on the audacious encounter.

The man explained that while on vacation in his home country, he invited a friend to dinner. The friend then asked if he could bring along three women and another man, and the original poster agreed. The group enjoyed a lavish meal at a restaurant of his choosing, but the pleasant evening took a sharp turn when the $825 bill arrived.

While his original friend was ready to pay his portion, the four strangers were not. One of the men, despite having ordered $107 worth of food, announced he could only contribute $26. As the two other women stared silently at their phones, the third made a shocking demand.

Friends dine out at a restaurantCanva

She told him to "be a gentleman" and cover the entire bill. When he asked why she would assume he would pay for everyone, she replied, "That's what it seems like on Instagram."

Stunned, the man explained that he barely knew them and this was not a date, but the woman insisted she "wasn't expecting to pay." Even his friend began to backpedal, admitting he only knew the others from work.

"I was getting upset at the entitlement," the man wrote, noting that the group was now calling the bill "unfair" and "too expensive," despite having no issue with the prices when they placed their order.

An upset couple at dinnerCanva

Fed up, he made his decision. He announced he was not splitting the bill with them and would only be paying for his own meal. He then walked up to the counter, paid his share, and pointedly left a large tip for the waiter in front of the entire group. He informed the staff that the others would be settling their own tabs. As it turned out, only his friend had the money to pay his share; the four strangers did not.

His refusal to be taken advantage of earned him widespread praise on Reddit. "I never understood why people can't afford to go out for meals. They act entitled and rudely and have to face the consequences," one user commented.

A gif saying "quality work"

Another user, u/libraa00, was more direct, suggesting the entire situation was a setup: "Hell no, even if you know for a fact that someone else is paying for your meal, you don't order a bunch of the most expensive shit on the menu without making sure it's cool with them first... Nah, they set out to con you from the start."

This article originally appeared last year.