AITA for choosing to sit indoors at a restaurant and not on the dog friendly patio?

A Reddit user recently faced criticism for choosing to sit indoors at a brewery while his friends opted for the dog-friendly patio. The reservation was initially made for outside, but upon arrival, the user preferred the indoor seating, especially after learning that several friends were bringing their dogs.

While some friends joined him indoors, tensions arose when the organizer expressed frustration about the change. Now, the user is left wondering if he was in the wrong for prioritizing his comfort over the group’s plans. Read the original story below to understand the dynamics of this situation.

‘ AITA for choosing to sit indoors at a restaurant and not on the dog friendly patio?’

A bunch of friends and I planned a dinner and drinks out at a brewery this past weekend.  A friend that we are cordial with said they made a reservation. I was the first one to arrive with my wife. Turns out the reservation was for outdoors. I asked if we could move indoors. They said yes but needed a few minutes.  

More friends arrive as we wait and we are all led to our table. All had no issues being indoors. We ordered our first round of drinks while others arrived. The friend that made the reservation walks in without his wife.

He asks why we are indoors when he made the reservation for outside. He informs us that he brought his 3 dogs. He said a table was still available so we could move outside. He asks why we moved the reservation inside.  

I said I didn’t think it mattered and preferred to sit indoors. He said another friend brought their dog too. I said i’m going to stay here, I don’t really want to sit outside. I informed him I think letting everyone else know you are bringing your dogs is need to know information.

He said we are supposed to be sitting outside so it didn’t matter. I said it does matter, I don’t want to sit around 4 dogs while I eat and drink. He called me the a**hole for switching it up and not telling him. The friend group was split. Some people went outside to be nice, but the night fizzled out and wasn’t really what every one expected. AITA?

See what others had to share with OP:

CatteNappe −  ESH. A reservation was made, it wasn’t just a “first one to show up grab a table”, so the outdoor seating was a deliberate choice for reasons known only to the person making the reservation (as far as you were aware on arrival).

Changing that reservation started an alpha dog pissing contest between you. He was an AH for the sneaky game of bringing the dogs – presumably that’s why he reserved outdoors, and shared that option with at least one other friend.

The rest of you should have been told in advance and given the chance to opt out, or make their case that they’d prefer a dog free evening.

Little_Soft_3237 −  YTA simply for moving it indoors without asking anyone first. Like, not even one person. A couple of quick calls to ask what everyone preferred/if there was a specific reason for being outside would have been the better thing to do, rather than decide for everyone without consulting first.

Then you sat inside, pouting and wanting to be “right”, forcing everyone else to choose between what is now 2 groups, and creating an awkward environment on what was supposed to a nice evening out.

First_Grapefruit_326 −  YTA. You accepted an invitation to visit and someone else made the reservation. Two parties brought dogs— who need to sit outdoors.You changed someone else’s reservations without checking.

Then you made a scene, embarrassed your host, and started a rift, refusing to sit with your party who needed to sit outside with their dogs.. Yikes!

Queen_Sized_Beauty −  ESH.. You don’t get to move a reservation someone else made without their *explicit* permission. They need to realize that not everyone is comfortable eating around dogs, and communicate that they will be there.

Mysterious_Beyond_74 −  Plus side you probably won’t get invited out again .
You left them no choice and forced an issue and probably put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth , all because ???

No_Atmosphere_864 −  YTA: He coordinated the event and made the reservation, you changed it with no input / preferences from others. It sounds like you ruined the night for your friends by making a big deal out of needing to sit inside.

Unless there is some info we are missing (are you extremely allergic to dogs? Was it 90+ degrees? ) it feels like you should have been apologizing to folks and being flexible to go outside again, or at least been supportive of them going while you and your wife stayed inside.

YaketyMax −  YTA – The excuse that you didn’t know went out the window after you refused to move outside to accommodate the friends who brought dogs.

[Reddit User] −  YTA – You shouldn’t have changed the reservation to start with. And then when you realized that even one, let alone multiple people in your party had brought their dogs based on the reservation, you should not have held your protest to stay inside. It’s clear you don’t like this individual, and were just using this against him.

Tigger7894 −  You probably shouldn’t have changed the table, but it should have been known to everyone that dogs were coming. There could have been people who had an issue with the dogs.

ESH I also don’t understand why everyone brings their dogs everywhere. I don’t bring my pets everywhere, and they know how to survive without me constantly with them.

SalesTaxBlackCat −  YTA. You changed a reservation that you didn’t make, then got snotty with them because they brought their dogs. It’s a brewery FFS.