Hilary,
Thanks for your question!
When you make a dining reservation, even one tied to a resort reservation, all you need to do is provide them the number of people attending. Whether they are a Disney resort guest or not does not matter. So having a friend join you who is not staying in your room is not a problem. Just make sure that they are counted in your total number. When booking online they will ask you to enter a name and e-mail address for that guest, but they do not have to have a Disney account, or be part of your traveling party, for you to complete this. They will then be sent a confirmation e-mail, and you should be all set.
When it comes to paying the bill, it is just like at any other restaurant back home. Let the server know how each person dining will be paying for their meal, whether it is tied to a
Disney Dining Plan, a Disney hotel room account, by credit card, or with cash. That helps them keep everything in order.
Every time I come to Walt Disney World, the first order of business is to meet my friends Todd and Rochelle for either a quick drink, or possibly dinner. Our last visit was to
Oga's Cantina, and it was not just fun to catch up with old friends, but we got to take in the excitement of
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge together.
For you and your guest, you will want to consider if they have park tickets, or not. That will help you decide if you want to choose a restaurant in a park, or outside. You also want to think about what is easy for you to get to. Because you are staying at
Disney's Beach Club Resort, I would recommend these choices as great places to catch up;
I hope that this helps. Write me back if you want other dining suggestions!
Have a Magical (and delicious) Vacation!
Doug