A restaurant in New Jersey has responded after a woman was left “baffled” by an unusual message that they had written alongside her birthday cake.
If you head out to a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, more often than not, the restaurant will make a fuss over you. They might give you a free slice of cake or let your party put up some balloons – it’s a pretty common thing to do.
However, in the case of Antonia Sinibaldi, she was left “baffled” after heading to Blu on the Hudson for her birthday back in June. Sinibaldi, who has been in a wheelchair since she was two because of a car accident, was out to celebrate her 29th birthday.
When it came time to grab dessert, she was presented with a cake that had the message “Happy Wheelchair Birthday!” The 29-year-old’s table was left stunned that she’d received that bit of customization.
Restaurant apologizes after “Happy wheelchair birthday” message
Speaking to CBS News, Sinibaldi said the restaurant initially offered free drinks as an apology, which didn’t make things any better.
“We at Blu on the Hudson are aware of the recent video circulating on social media, and we are deeply saddened by what occurred. We sincerely apologize to the guest and to everyone who was hurt or offended by this incident which took place on June 20, 2026. Treating every guest with dignity, respect, and care is fundamental to who we are as a company,” they told CBS News.
The restaurant explained that there was “no malicious or disrespectful intent” behind the message, but a mix-up in their systems.
“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 apologize, although we have not yet been able to connect with them.”
The 29-year-old said that her “family is angry,” and that her friends are “angrier,” but she is just “baffled” by the whole thing.
Elsewhere in New Jersey, a pizza restaurant came under fire after confronting a kid’s birthday party that said they’d been given permission to bring their own cake.
“You don’t just walk into a restaurant and do whatever you want. How about if I just come to your house with a cake?” the owner of the pizza joint said.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
