Let me first say I'm not defending this specific guy, but the tone of the entire article doesn't sit well with me and I have a few questions....

So the guy sitting next to them offends them by inquiring more into their lives but at the end of the story the author states "the staff sat down with us, and got to know us a little, and we got to know them a little."

It was OK for the staff to get to know them a little better, but not a straight, middle aged white guy?

Honestly, we only know one side of the story and that story came from a person who jumped to conclusions the moment this guy said something to them. Sure, in all likelihood, he may have been "the sweaty, gross, fancy, rich dude" portrayed in the article, but he could have also been a father, whose on daughter is LGBT and he was simply trying to be social while waiting for his wife to arrive for dinner.

I'm speculating here, but the author of that article did the same thing by immediately thinking this guy had ulterior motives. We don't know what he asked by inquiring into their "private lives" which was OK to share with the entire restaurant staff afterwards.

Honestly, for myself, I don't give a flying fuck who you are or who you love. It's not my business. But there are people who are simply socially awkward and will ask. The author of the story is guilty of their own projections. An example of this ""You're on a date, huh?" he said, sweating, leering, being gross in the specific manner of dudes who have a lot of money and think it lends them some inherent dignity or value."