Ex boss

So my boss is leaving the business after years of hard work. I thought it was a nice idea to arrange a leaving meal. I phoned a lot of restaurants to decide where to go & who would accommodate a large party & decided to go with a local family run restaurant & all expenses paid for.

My ex boss has been telling my employees he won’t be attending because I’ve chosen a sh*t hole of a restaurant.

I’m really upset by this & am going to cancel. It was supposed to be a nice gesture but he’s been laughing about it behind my back.

Keen to see how others would respond to this situation