I'll need an exact 1:1 retelling of every action you took because I can't replicate this bug. The table dialogue playing too early is a yes, that's a bug I fixed in the build I'm releasing later, but after seeing it you can just walk up to the door.
Do need to confirm that no one being there is still after you interacted with the table. Nothing is supposed to happen before you interact with the table, that's the only way to progress the story. And the npcs only appear for specific interactions (cake & fish only)