Hostile and entitled man hijacking my table

I wouldnt mind 3 people joining me on a normal table with chairs but would feel uncomfortable with a stranger sitting next to me in a booth where they would need to get up to let me out.

You can't expect to be able to sit alone at a table for 4 in a market hall at lunchtime, that's completely unreasonable. 😂

It sounds like there were no other seats available. It's not reasonable to expect someone to try to eat and drink standing up when there's a free seat available.

Well, excuse me!

But a place for that is primarily for sitting and eating, not for being "super busy" unless you are putting together a big business proposal, in which case find somewhere more appropriate to work in.

Can't you read? What is the point of making up your own story when OP has written down what actually happened?
"Man and woman approach and ask if they can share my table.
I asked is it just you two and pointed at the seats opposite me and he nodded. So I said ok because it was super busy."

"They didn’t actually need her permission to sit down at the table."
Decent people don't just sit at someone else's table without permission. You must be a nightmare eating out, just joining anyone's table.

Nobody should be sitting down at an already occupied table unlessthe occupant is 100 per cent happy. It is not the social norm in the UK to share tables and in this case it was first come first served.

Glad you stood your ground OP.

It's not just about 'standing up for yourself' ...its about sharing. It was a table for 4. Entitled beyond belief. Grow up.

True; but I just can't imagine how mean-spirited you'd have to be to fiercely protect "your space" in a busy place where you're entitled to no such thing, and prefer other people to wait around for a seat while their food goes cold.

It sounds like "two bulls on a bridge" to quote my MIL 😂

Because with 2 people sitting on the other side of the table, the table creates distance and it doesn't feel like you are truly sitting with the other people.

Once a 3rd person joins on the same side, then the person on their own is encircled.

I would be OK with 2 strangers sitting on the opposite side, but I wouldn't be comfortable sitting encircled by 3 people.

It's interesting that this one has a 50/50 split between YABU and YANBU.

Joining in the YABU chorus. You can be a 'lone woman' and still be entitled. They might have misunderstood you when you asked if it was just those two and felt begrudged when you rudely rescinded. Also v biased language. 'Puffing out chest' and 'tantrum' indeed. They could easily describe you as rude instead of 'firm' and having a tantrum yourself!

If you were that bothered about sharing then say no in the first place, or look around for a smaller table and let the larger group have the booth!

Do not be a solo diner at a 4 occupancy table if you don’t want other diners to join you
If you’re genuinely so,sensitised to proximity of others don’t over occupy allocated spaces

It would have been interesting to see how this situation developed in real time. In principle, op is in the wrong, but there are a whole host of other variables at play.

She describes feeling surrounded when the 3rd person turns up. Sometimes we react on intuition and feelings. If the man in question gave off an aggressive air, then this may be why op reacted in the way she did. The fact that the other woman was so apologetic suggests she was also
aware of this or the man had previous form for similar behaviour. On paper op is unreasonable, but perhaps not if you were there experiencing it alongside her.

Don’t behave like one, pretty easy situation to avoid.

You don’t own the table. They could have just sat down and not even asked you - and they probably should have done. They’d have done better to sit down and ignore your idiotic behaviour once you started up with the complaints. It made no difference whether three people sat there or two - what were you getting so worked up about? Outrageous and entitled behaviour on your part. I feel so sorry for them having the bad luck to encounter you.

Having someone in front of you instead of to the side, and their legs in your space too, it's very intrusive if you don't know them.

Having 2 people to the side if you us different to being surrounded. Fuck that, I would have done the same. Well done OP.

Also the man lied to get what he wanted, clearly lots of people on this thread are fine with that but it really winds me up

Price increase is for Private patients eg sourced independently not nhs prescribed

There's another element to this kind of situation. Any woman who stands up for herself in public now runs the risk of being filmed and shamed online as a 'Karen'.

It’s not a gender thing or a man thing. It’s a you were unreasonable thing and you are scraping the bottom of the tired trope barrel to justify your entitlement and misplaced expectations @BluntPlumHam

He was wrong to get so irate and be aggressive towards you but YABU to think you own a table. You were also being ridiculous to ‘allow’ two people to sit on the table but not the third person when there were 3 empty seats!

In busy places like you describe, it’s quite normal to have multi-group tables. Yes, it’s a courtesy to ask, and also good to check that there’s the number of spaces there appear to be in case someone’s popped to the loo, but the answer should always be Yes if there aren’t any other spaces.

JohnTheRevelator · Today 18:10

"Amazed that 52% think YABU! 😱"

Yes, it should be at least 95%

You say you “revoked permission” but the problem is you didn’t have the permission to give or revoke in the first place. It wasn’t your table, they were courteous in asking to sit but you didn’t have the right to dictate who sat where. You sound very proud of yourself for taking a stand but to me you seem confrontational, rude and entitled. It’s also baffling why you quibbled over an another person sitting down in a free seat as essentially you weren’t letting a family eat together. Very bizarre behaviour

I wouldnt have had that battle. You were under occupying a table for four at a busy time. Theee other people needed to be seated.
Sure he was rude, but you weren't in a position to say no either.

This, entirely.

You were massively unreasonable and if I had been them I’d have told you to get stuffed and stayed put.

This. ^ YABU @BluntPlumHam You and this man sound as bad as each other to be honest. You didn't own the table, (and you sound entitled and standoffish,) and he sounds like a knuckle dragging thug.