Day out friends..they left to go to diff restaurant on their own

[TFICoffeetime]

Met up with close friends yesterday. We live opposite sides country. We picked scenic village, countryside & meal at a nice country inn.
We were 40 mins late (it's 2.5 hrs for us) 1 hour drive for us & got caught in traffic then stopped once to let DD go to the toilet & stretched dogs legs so she'd wee. All communicated with friends. We arrived, had lovely stroll, river swim and meal at nice country inn with great views. They had booked the meal...we thought lovely place. But when we got there they said they had to leave at 5.30 to go to another restaurant (just them and child). They are starters and went. They said they hadn't realised this place was a fave restaurant & was close to their home. (So why go today). So we were left. It felt v awkward & like punishment for being late maybe. It had been lovely day and ended on weird vibes.
We finished our meal on own then went to another beautiful inn for pudding. After this I feel perplexed. AIBU to think their actions rude & far ruder than been late. We weren't intentionally late & just how it goes with traffic & teenagers.
I don't understand why we couldn't enjoy the meal together as planned. They booked it on the day (it felt like because we were late). We avoided confrontation but left sour note. Our children were perplexed. Just odd & awkward. This friend doesn't like confrontation even if it's "we were a bit sad you changed to go elsewhere" so she wouldn't discuss if I did. But I'm left feeling am I wrong. I just can't see myself having issues if they had longer to drive and was late & I would not change plans on a meal that was meant to be spent together. Xxx

In some countries. In the UK, Aus and NZ it's a starter.

Why are we even talking about it, this has nothing to do with the OP 🤣

It was obvious! I read it and chuckled.

Nothing at all.
🤣🤣

Y’all sound as bad as each other tbh. You know your kid has travel sickness and your dog needs a wee break so you need to factor that into your journey time. If you plan another get together then you need to leave earlier to get there on time. Your non confrontational friends need to get a fucking grip. If they’re pissed off with you then they should tell you that instead of fucking off to another restaurant which is just as fucking rude.

It’s up to the individual really isn’t it. If I had a 2.5 hour journey and was meeting a friend (but not for a meal straight away). I’d add in 15 mins for a toilet stop and 10/15 mins for traffic. Obviously traffic could be much worse than that.. but unless I was getting a flight an extra hour seems too much.

So in OP’s situation I’d have ended up about 10 minutes late. Which doesn’t seem too bad. That would have been down to traffic rather than the loo stop - that I would definitely need.

However - I guess because the OP was driving 2.5 hours - much further than her friend then she didn’t need to add contingency and the friend should have been more relaxed about timings (which she may have been).

@NoCommentingFromNowOn Thank you & to all the posters that defending me.

defended, christ I cannot type anymore! Got a bloody nappy over my eyes!

Jesus fucking Christ on a bike. I’m starting to think you’re just trolling now, along with a couple of others -

Entree in Australia and the UK

• Meaning: An entrée is a light dish served at the very beginning of the meal.
• Position: It functions as an appetizer or starter.
• Example: A small plate of bruschetta or a soup served before the main course.

Origin of the Difference

• The term "entrée" comes from the French word for "entry" or "beginning".
• In traditional French fine dining, the entrée was indeed a dish that acted as an "entry" into the meal.
• As dining habits in the English-speaking world evolved, particularly in North America, the meaning of "entrée" shifted to describe the main dish that was the primary "entry" into the most substantial part of the meal.
• However, in places like Australia and the UK, the term retained its original meaning, referring to the starter or appetizer course.

I’m in Australia - an entree is used as its original meaning. A starter. At the entry to the meal. A fucking entree. 😂

Just because they abruptly left doesn't mean it was because of her.....

I've named numerous things it could be in my previous posts.

In her position I would be more worried for my friend and asking her if everything is ok in her life. Not assuming she would stand up mid meal and abruptly leave as pay back. If it was payback they could have said when they arrived we can no longer do dinner.

@Raven85 Unfortunately, your detective work wasn't quite up to scratch ( in other words - don't give up your day job!), as the OP stated very clearly that her "friends" told her when they were all ordering their meals, that they would only be ordering the starter. They didn't even give a lame excuse for only ordering the starter, they just said that they had - sometime that afternoon - booked a restaurant much nearer their home, where they would have the main course and pudding (presumably if they still wanted one).

So I think that you need to go back to the drawing board to have a re-think, and to maybe give the OP a little apology for not reading her replys properly? But then an awful lot of people replying to this thread owe the OP apologies for complaining for a second or third time (+) about her Opening Post. Oh, and maybe the very rude "friends" could have given the OP the truthful reason for their very strange behaviour, and again, maybe they could have asked to speak to her - or her and her partner - in private (away from the children if they didn't want the children to hear what they were saying)?

Maybe they were bored spending time with someone who can’t communicate properly where they kept having request clarification to re-confirm what they mean

If im wrong I apologise and im not one of the people mocking her original post....

They told her after they ordered the starters.... who's to say they acctually did it earlier in the afternoon or at all?

They could have been making an excuse as they didn't want to pay those prices.....

So many reasons it could be. She should just ask her friend. Yes it will be awkward but whether she was late or not what they did was rude.

Personally I don't think its because they were late. Unless the friends ate there for dinner because they were late and didnt want to say that....

It’s being talked about because in my vernacular I automatically used the word entree when talking about the meal, then the usual suspects, @SomethingUniqueThisTime @TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne @Negroany took it upon themselves to come along and confidently tell me that I was WRONG, that an entree is a main, not a starter - despite me screenshotting a menu from my local pub bistro clearly showing the entrees (clearly starters) and explaining that I’m in AUS. Not everyone lives in the UK. And even though the original and true meaning of entree is a starter and is used as such in many places all over the world. The fucking word doesn’t even sound right in my head any more 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣

But some posters just need to be contrary. As is clearly demonstrated on this thread. Just a shame when they’re fucking wrong into the bargain.

OP I have understood all of your messages perfectly fine.

I also don't think it was your lateness that caused your friends to leave early but something else. Hopefully you'll find out what that is from your friend and you can forget all about it.

For what it's worth I'd not be bothered by having to wait 40 minutes either, especially for someone who had traveled 2.5 hours to meet me.

For a website that prides itself on support, it sure doesn’t seem to attract the right kind of people sometimes.

And yes, in a meal, the entree in the UK is a starter. Other countries may use the word differently but this is a British website and OP has given no indication that she is anywhere but here in the UK.

In other news, most schools are back on Wednesday. Thankfully.

Yeah, can’t blame them for being bored of their pesky dyslexic, badly communicating close friend huh 🤔

Ignore the twats OP. They’re everywhere, like mosquitoes.

One more thing, if they have secret money problems which from the wife's behaviour seems entirely plausible , then they may not have wanted to share that.

People carry a deep shame when it comes to financial distress.

@Raven85 , I don't either, but I pp In your position, I'd text your friend and ask if she's OK, and mention that it was an abrupt end to an otherwise agreeable day.

@Didimum , to an expected journey time of 2.5 hrs (i.e. no stops at all), I'd have added 30 mins or so for loo breaks, and an extra hour for delays. It seems generous but they were going to meet friends on a the last Saturday in August, somewhere where waiting for others would be OK.

You are missing my suggestion quoted in bold in my reply to @Catladyof7 and @Raven85 to ask the friend if she's OK.

Was it the dog? Had that come to the restaurant too?

Maybe they dislike dogs at the dinner table, especially as you said it was an expensive place.

OP is dyslexic. Are you always this vile?

All of OP’s posts are understandable to anyone who has two brain cells to rub together – or perhaps you’re lacking that.

No one adds 60% on to a journey time. If you do, you’re the weirdo.

OP you’re right it’s absolutely weird and I’d be messaging the friend to ask if we’d done something to upset them. Let us know her reason if she gives you one.

Apologies if I’ve read it wrong but I’d be baffled too, if I’ve read it correctly? it sounds like although you were late meeting up, it wasn’t close to the meal and you spent time together before the time the table was booked for.
You headed to where they had booked a table, altogether and then whilst you were ordering they informed you that they were only having starters and then left after they had eaten those, despite you still eating?
Regardless if they only wanted starters they could have asked them to come out at the same time as other peoples mains (my friends with smaller appetites do this) and even if they weren’t eating they should have sat at the table until everyone had finished, because otherwise it’s rude.
Like someone else has suggested I think they got a better offer and decided to continue their evening with others at a different location. I think the lateness is slightly irrelevant if it didn’t impact the time you were sitting down to eat.
If your lateness made you late for the table booking and they were sat there twiddling their thumbs then they would have every reason to be annoyed but it sounds like your lateness didn’t impact on actual activities?
I think they were rude to get up whilst you were still eating, pay their share and go. If they had somewhere else to be they could have said so, or just waited for you to finish your main dinners and say they didn’t want anything else and to ask for the bill then.
Has she replied to your msg that you sent with photos of the day?

We weren't intentionally late & just how it goes with traffic & teenagers.

It isn’t just how it goes with teenagers. We have a travel sick DC and we know this so we allow extra times for stops. We regularly do a 6 hour round trip to visit family which can easily increase by an hour each way with stops and traffic, so we leave extra early. Add in a dog that you say needs to walk so she can wee.

They were rude in leaving so abruptly and it may have nothing to do with your lateness; I think there may be more to it but you won’t know unless you ask. I don’t think I’d be travelling to meet them again without finding out more.