Communal tables invite strangers to sit near each other, not to dictate who stays or goes.

So when rude strangers demanded one patron move halfway through lunch, he decided to take his time and make them wait.

Read on for the full story.

No, I won’t vacate my seat halfway through my meal when I was here first.

Petty revenge in progress:

I’ve come to a cafe near my office for lunch, and the only space they had to sit was at the end of a communal table.

No problem; I sat at the very end of the table, leaving three other spaces.

When a couple strangers asked for a spot, he gladly complied.

I ordered my lunch and sat there minding my own business.

A couple of women arrived soon after and politely asked if they could sit at two of the free spaces next to me. No problem.

But here’s where things get messy.

Then, when I was just starting to eat my lunch, two other people arrived to join them.

There was only one other free seat left, so what did they do? Yep, asked me to move somewhere else.

There’s nowhere else to move, so he tells them no.

The cafe is full, I’m in the middle of my meal, and I was here before any of them. I politely refused.

And they don’t take this well.

Now they’re carrying on about how selfish I’m being, taking up the entire communal table when I’m only one person.

They’re watching me eat, willing me to finish and leave. Forget them.

He’s not planning on leaving anytime soon.

Once I’ve finished eating, I’m going to order a coffee, linger over it, and then order a slice of cake.

He didn’t mind sharing his table, but he wasn’t about to be pushed out of his own lunch.

What did Reddit think?

They’ll be happy to move! If they sweeten the deal.

This commenter is taken aback by these strangers’ entitlement.

This person should really savor each bite as slowly as possible.

This user hopes this person teaches this rude strangers a lesson they’ll never forget.

When entitled people are involved, even the most peaceful lunches can escalate into passive-aggressive standoffs.

They wanted his table, but he gave them a lesson in patience instead.

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