[DanBC]

> I realize some of these questions could be viewed as hitting on someone, but that was not my intention, and believe that question was cleared up once they responded to me that they were going to see their boyfriend/girlfriend.

Multiple people felt the need to tell you that they have a partner.

Why do you think the problem is non-existent?

[freeflight]

When the question is "What do you do on the weekend", then, of course, people with partners will most likely respond with something involving their partners.

How does that imply a problem with the OP, except his inability to magically know the relationship status of his coworkers? Which would be the only ability allowing him to evade such answers to a rather casual question.

Maybe he's new in town and looking for places to go to during the weekend? Is the weekend question really that inappropriate in such a context?

[DanBC]

OP has interpreted this as not being g a problem. I'm looking out that if many people felt the need to drop the "I'm not interested in you, and I have a partner so back off" line then maybe there was a problem.

[freeflight]

That's the thing with these kinds of situations, whatever the OP original intentions had been, they don't matter anymore as soon as the other party thinks he/she is being "hit on" and feels offended about it.

If the other party is actively looking to be offended, then there's literally nothing one can say/do to make it not worse, just walk out of the situation in silence and take a break.