There are many indicators that show how the economy is doing and how we all feel about it. You know, GDP growth, national debt, consumer spending and confidence, and so on. But I think one of the ways to easily tell how our economy is doing is by watching what happens after the check comes for a group work lunch.

When I got out of college I worked for a big consulting company where we made enough money to feel like we were doing OK and worked so hard that lunch was often the only social time of the day. We’d go out for lunch in large groups and when the bill came, we’d just put our credit cards in a big pile and tell the waiter to split it evenly. Sure, someone had the overpriced smoked salmon platter while I ate my salad, but it didn’t matter — times were good and a few extra bucks weren’t an issue.

After the Internet bubble burst I worked at a company where a group lunch was fairly common as well, but the bill paying process was entirely different: The bill would make its way around the table, with each of us paying for our own food, plus tip. This was sometimes a longish and a bit awkward process, but we didn’t mind — jobs never felt secure, the stock market was in the toilet, and it seemed important to save every extra dollar.

Since our company is virtual we don’t get to do many group lunches, but I have seen more than a few instances lately where a large group of co-workers splits the bill according to who had what to eat. The other day I was in a little cafe, next to a group of about five women, two of whom took out calculators to figure out their share of the bill. Times are tough and many of us are freaked out about the economy, and yes, about saving those few extra dollars.

How do you handle splitting the bill when you go out to lunch with co-workers or a group of friends?