When you’re a small business owner, closing for the day can feel impossible especially when your business is just getting started.

In this story, a couple decides to open a restaurant. They have only been open for a few months, and they hardly have any employees. They basically do everything themselves. It’s a lot of work, but they’re passionate about making their business a success.

The problem is that there’s a funeral, and the wife’s dad thinks they should close the business for a few hours.

They’re not going to do that. Is the dad overreacting, or should the couple prioritize the funeral?

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AIO I’m assuming my dad has an issue with my husband?

My great Aunt, 78, passed a few days ago.

My dad (R) asked my husband (D) to be a pallbearer for the funeral that is on a Saturday at 10am.

D respectfully declined. We run and own a very small restaurant that we opened up 6 months ago, so we’re still in a financial hole.

There was no one else to work at the restaurant that day.

We only have 1 employee who works our front order counter 20 hours a week.

Also that one employee requested that same Saturday off over a week ago.

We open at Noon, D gets to work at 9:30am. He runs the kitchen all by himself all day everyday. (We had a kitchen employee but he quit after Thanksgiving)

It’s not like D knew the great aunt very well.

D and I are best friends, we run our business together, we talk out all of our issues and always have each other’s backs.

D respects everyone in my family and if he can make something happen, he will.

He had only met my aunt a handful of times and was not close with her so I felt okay with him not going.

I will be attending the funeral, but will have to leave the celebration of life early to be to work at 12pm.

Her dad’s comment really bothered her.

I happened to see my cousin yesterday, she tells me my dad asked her if her husband could be a pallbearer because my husband, D, “had to work, but that’s another story”.

I’m the most non confrontational person especially when it comes to my family. The past few years my husband has been helping me work on, that if I feel something is bothering me- speak up about it and don’t hold it in.

Maybe I overreacted but that statement from my Dad rubbed me the wrong way. If it wasn’t an issue why even make that remark about D? This also comes after my dad leaving my husband on read about the situation over text.

To be fair, her dad is probably grieving, but he really didn’t handle her question well.

I called my dad and asked him if he had an issue with D not being a pallbearer for the funeral.

I approached the situation with calmness and just trying to talk it out. (My husband did not know about this.)

My dad blew tf up.

He got so worked up, started yelling and saying how he does stuff for everyone and no one does anything for him, and saying a lot that doesn’t have to do with why I called.

Her dad seemed to assume they’d briefly close the restaurant.

He called my cousin a little witch for saying something to me. (But I’m like you said something to her first? 🤔)

Then he says, “well I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal to close for a couple hours”.

It’s our busiest day of the week, we have 2 children under 2 we have to support, and I was still going to be able to make the funeral.

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So am I overreacting to assume my dad felt a certain type of way about the situation because he said that statement to my cousin?

I get her dad’s perspective, but I think he’s the one who’s overreacting.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who restored a vintage camera with her own money and doesn’t want to hand it over to family.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

This person thinks there’s more to it and that they should discuss it later.

This person thinks they should close the restaurant if they have to so they can prioritize the funeral.

Another person has a couple theories about why the dad is upset.

If there were ever a time to close the restaurant, it would be now.

I agree that a funeral is a good reason to close your business for a few hours, and although it can be hard to process this when your business is new and money is tight, family is more important than work. They should prioritize the funeral. They should close the restaurant for a couple hours. It won’t break them. The customers would understand. They could leave a note on the door explaining that they’re closed for a family emergency and a time they will reopen that day.

If they don’t both go to the funeral, OP’s dad probably will resent them. Maybe it’s childish, but he’s probably grieving. It probably hurts to feel like his family isn’t there for him.