AITA for leaving the family restaurant and starting my own after finding out I wouldn’t inherit it?

A person shares a situation where their father willed a family-owned pizza restaurant to their stepmother, and upon finding out they wouldn’t inherit it, they decided to leave and start their own pizza business. As the family restaurant is struggling, the person is being blamed for its downfall, while their own business is thriving.

‘ AITA for leaving the family restaurant and starting my own after finding out I wouldn’t inherit it?’

My dad owns a pizza place that was handed down to him from my grandfather. I’ve been working at the pizza place my while life, even part time while I got a business degree. I found out last early last year that my dad had willed the restaurant to my stepmom. His reasoning being she needs to be taken care of after he dies. And that it would go to me after she died.

I was pissed and “quit” the next day. My dad ended up hiring two people to make up the work I was doing. Now this is the potential a**hole part. A month after I quit, I found a great location where another pizza place had shut down. I bought it and had it up and running in two months. My restaurant is take out only, but my business is doing extremely well.

My dad reached out to me last September and said that his restaurant was losing business because of me and to please come back to the family business. He offered to buy my business so I would get something out of it. I declined the offer. Now the craziness of 2020 happened and because my restaurant was already setup for takeout, I’m only seeing a 5-10% drop in revenue. The family restaurant however, is going under.

Now there’s a whole lot of arguing about me causing my dad’s family to become financially ruined.. AITA?

Check out how the community responded:

alcarcalimo1950 −  NTA. Inheritance issues are always complicated, but you went out and did something on your own and made your own living, not dependent on the family business. It sucks that your family’s business is going under, but I don’t think it’s fair to blame you for that. It’s also not fair for them to assume that you should just sell them the business you built, after your dad wasn’t leaving his business to you.

scarletfeline −  NTA. Blaming his restaurant’s failure on your success is unfair. If it wasn’t you, it could very easily wind up being a different competition eventually. You had to do what you had to do to secure your future…he should be proud of your success. Also, maybe I’m misreading here…but the family business wasn’t setup for people to get takeout pizza???

Nagacry −  NTA. Feels like your dad made that decision with his heart and not his head. Like you have stated in your comments. Your step mom doesn’t know anything about running a business and you literally are going for a business degree. On top of that, you have proved that you CAN run a business AND be successful. Your dad’s loss. He could have figured out a better situation with you still inheriting the store. But he didn’t. He took your hard work for granted.

Herdnerfer −  NTA. You needed to secure your financial future just like he needed to secure his wife’s. Not your fault you did a better job. Maybe offer to buy him out so he will “get something out of it”.

MoisturisingCoaster −  NTA- You found out you wouldn’t inherit the business as expected so you set up your own successful enterprise. Nothing wrong with that and good on you.

lilirose13 −  NTA. This sort of thing is exactly why my dad didn’t finalize his will until he’d sat down and talked to me and my step mom together and let us come to a decision. He could have just as easily split ownership of the shop until your stepmom died and chose not to and now he’s suffering the consequences of his actions. And clearly, his child is better able to run a successful business in the modern world than he and his wife are.

KeremsWorld −  Seems like a NTA to me, you worked there your whole life and he just leaves it to your stepmom. The grandfather wouldn’t be okay with this too I would say.

NomadofExile −  NAH. You dad has the right to will his business to whomever he chooses. You have the right to set up your own business and put your efforts into that since if/when your family restaurant becoming yours is now in flux.

Swegh_ −  NTA – I saw in one of your comments that you don’t get along with your step mom and she has children of her own. Let’s be realistic, she would probably leave the business to them and not you. You needed to take control of your life and it’s good you have your own business now. Your fathers restaurant isn’t failing because of you, it’s because he can’t adapt.

dreadedbeedee −  NTA. You did not cause his business to go under. Superior product will always keep customers coming back. Too bad he didn’t see your value prior to you leaving. Sometimes people don’t realize how good things are until life slaps them in the face.