Have your money situation figured out before you start ordering at a place.  Decide whether you are going to pay with cash or if you are going to use your debit card, and then open a tab right away.  Some places have a minimum for opening a tab though. 

 It really sucks having the check for your table come and everything has been grouped together, and everyone has debit cards and very little cash.  It's annoying, for your party and for the waiter, most likely.

 People who go to bars/clubs should be conscious of what they're going to do about paying, and honestly I think part of a server's initial interaction with you should be, "Would you like to open a tab...?"  I wouldn't consider that pushy or anything (like they're suggesting you should spend a lot and just put it on your card).