Restaurant apologized after woman 'baffled' by hurtful message on birthday dessert
A restaurant has released a statement after being ousted for writing an inappropriate birthday message on a dessert that left a diner ‘baffled’.
Antonia Sinibaldi was celebrating her 29th birthday in June in New Jersey at the Blu on the Hudson restaurant, when her apple cinnamon dessert came to the table with a hurtful message.
On her plate was the message ‘Happy Birthday!’ in chocolate, but to the side, it also read: ‘wheelchair’.
The singer-songwriter relies on a wheelchair and ventilator to live after an incident in 1999 involving a driver who crashed into a vehicle carrying both her and her parents when she was two.
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In 2024, she also suffered a lack of oxygen-related brain injury, and had to relearn how to speak.
She told NBC New York that her body understood what she was reading on her birthday dessert before her eyes did, saying: “The body started shaking, the body started spasming. My body reacted faster than my mouth or my mind.”
In another interview with WCBS, Sinibaldi said those she was with were left furious.
“My family's angry, my friends are angrier, but me, I'm just baffled by it,” she said.
However, the diner has since released a statement, in which it claims the whole thing was a misunderstanding between staff.
What has the restaurant said about the incident?
“The word ‘wheelchair’ was used as a reference to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should be delivered," a spokesperson said, per the Independent. "Unfortunately, that notation was misunderstood and was written on the plate itself."
“There was absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation,” they added. “However, we fully understand how seeing that word written on a plate could be deeply hurtful and upsetting.”
Another statement given to People states they understand how Sinibaldi could be left feeling upset by the message: "We sincerely apologize to the guest and to everyone who was hurt or offended by this incident which took place on June 20, 2026."
Sinibaldi responded to the apology via Instagram, where she called out the restaurant, and its explanation of the message.
'I shouldn't be reminded of something that I already know'
Posting a screenshot of the statement, she captioned it: “First thing first [sic] the first picture is a bs [sic] response. My chair is not my identity.
“Yes I heard back but only after the event. I’m sorry that my brain isn’t as fast as it used to be before my brain injury so now I remember more details. My chair is not my identity.
"Second, my aunt reminded me that they were kicking us out towards the end. Like I said my body was reacting faster than my mind so I couldn’t leave that fast."
Speaking to CBS News she also said: "It took me by surprise. I shouldn't be reminded of something that I already know."
The restaurant added in a statement to the outlet: "Since the incident, we have reinforced with our team the importance of following proper ticketing and communication procedures and have taken steps to ensure that something like this does not happen again.
“We have also made an attempt to reach the guest directly to personally apologise, although we have not yet been able to connect with them. We understand that an apology cannot undo the hurt or frustration caused by this incident, but we sincerely hope it conveys how deeply sorry we are.
"Blu on the Hudson is proud to be a part of the Hudson County community, and we are committed to being a place where every guest feels welcomed, respected, and valued.
"We are deeply sorry for this occurrence, have learned from it, and are committed to doing better moving forward."
Britt Jones