Ask for a comfortable ceiling
Collect budget preferences privately before choosing a venue. Ask what someone can comfortably spend on the whole day, including transport and food. A low admission fee doesn't make an outing affordable if everything else is expensive.
Use the lowest workable ceiling for the shared part, or offer two clearly different plans.
Keep extras optional in practice
Choose a core activity everyone can join. Shopping, premium seating or an additional paid activity can stay separate if declining them doesn't leave someone stranded.
Avoid booking a minimum-spend table that forces people to buy more than they wanted. Confirm the venue's terms before presenting it as a cheap option.
Make the final amount understandable
List what is included and what each person controls. If transport is shared, calculate it using confirmed attendance. Explain how a cancellation changes the split.
Use Explore to compare places, then verify current prices with the selected venue. Don't label a friend as the reason the group chose a simpler day. The budget is a shared planning constraint, and a smaller outing can still be the one everyone enjoys.
Rules, fees and opening hours change. Confirm anything that matters before you rely on it.