AITA for telling a young adult to sit down in a nice restaurant?

During a dinner at a semi-formal restaurant, a man and his wife were bothered by a young woman at the neighboring table who repeatedly stood up and loitered near their table while conversing with her date, even eating while standing. Finding the behavior disruptive,

the man told her, “If you’re going to go to an adult restaurant, you need to sit down and act like an adult.” The couple left shortly after, but now he wonders if he overstepped. read the original story below…

‘ AITA for telling a young adult to sit down in a nice restaurant?’

My wife and I were out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Not like suit and tie nice but not blue jeans and t shirt casual either. At the table beside us was a younger couple, if I had to guess late teens early 20s. The girl kept standing up.

I’m sure it’s a nervous thing or something like that but she would literally stand by our table kind of lording over us while talking to her boyfriend. She even did it while she was eating.

My wife was clearly annoyed by it and I decided I’d had enough. I said to her if you are going to go to an adult restaurant you need to sit down and act like an adult. The boyfriend mouthed something that I completely ignored but the girl sat her ass down and then they left.

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

Ok-Double-7982 −  In that manner? Yes, it was rude. I would have just led with, “Would you mind please sitting down or not hovering over our table, so that we can enjoy our space without being crowded?”

Visual_Constant_1141 −  NTA – This sounds just like people talking on speakerphone in public. If they don’t have manners, then maybe they deserve to be admonished publicly. If she needed to stretch her legs, she could’ve walked to the restroom, walked outside, etc.

But to hover over your table, your wife, and continue to talk to her dining companion? She got what she deserved.

v_a_n_d_e_l_a_y −  NTA I’m tired of coddling people behaving badly because they might have some reason for it. If you have issues that mean you need to stand up and walk around other people’s tables then don’t go to a restaurant.

EsharaLight −  YTA for how you said it, not what you said. You could have very easily said “Hey, it is very distressing/annoying to have you standing up so frequently. Could you please stop” rather then going straight to insults about being an adult.

We_4ll_Fall_Down −  YTA Someone standing next to me at a restaurant would get on my nerves too, but I’d never speak to someone that condescendingly. This is precisely why young people get so annoyed with old people: because y’all treat people any kind of way and think it’s acceptable because you’re old.

If you wouldn’t want to be spoken to like that, then don’t speak to others that way. You have *no idea* why she kept standing up. Maybe she has restless legs or whatever. But all you needed to say was “excuse me, I’m feeling uncomfortable with how close you’re standing next to my table as my wife and I are trying to eat.

Do you mind giving us some space?” Most people would all oblige that request as it is perfectly reasonable. But you lose the higher ground when you start talking to grown adults like they’re petulant little shits.

AdDramatic8568 −  YTA. “Hey, you’re very close to our table, can you please give us some space.” Learn how to talk to people before you consider yourself an adult.

Puzzleheaded_Mix4160 −  INFO: what does “lording” over your table mean in this context?? Try as I might to visualize this, I’m having an impossible time figuring out how this is possible unless the tables are practically stacked on top of each other in this nice restaurant.

Was she crossing the aisles between your seating accommodations and standing right next to your table or something?

Obvious_Huckleberry −  ESH The adult comments were unnecessary. You could have said that what she was doing was making you very uncomfortable and ask her that if she needs to stand to stand somewhere else.. now if she responded rudely… then you bring out the catty comments

tacohut676 −  Ehhhh kinda TA?? Like you could have been nicer and just said something like “hey guys! So sorry but can you please sit down, you’re disrupting our meal by being over our table” Teens and early twenties don’t deserve to be treated like children, they still need basic respect.

NYDancer4444 −  I can understand finding that annoying, but you handled it terribly. There was no need to speak to her that way. You could have simply asked her to please move away from your table. Lecturing her like that & being insulting was over the top and completely unnecessary. YTA.

Was it inappropriate for the man to confront the young woman, or was he justified in addressing what he saw as disruptive behavior? Share your opinions below!