Woman issues response after restaurant apologised for ‘hurtful’ message on birthday dessert

Antonia Sinibaldi was out celebrating her 29^th birthday at a restaurant in Weehawken, New Jersey, on 20 June when they brought out a special dessert.

Only Blu on The Hudson left a ‘hurtful’ message on her apple cinnamon treat which they’ve since publicly apologised for.

When Sinibaldi read the words ‘Happy Birthday Wheelchair’, she said she started ‘spasming’.

And she’s since taken to Instagram to issue a response to the US restaurant’s apology. The singer-songwriter has slammed it as a ‘bs response’ as her story goes viral.

In 1999, Sinibaldi sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury after a drunk driver hit a vehicle carrying her and her parents. And in 2024, she suffered a lack of oxygen-related brain injury.

As a result of her injuries, the artist relies on a wheelchair and a ventilator.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Blu on the Hudson said: “We want to provide some context regarding what happened, not as an excuse, but to explain how this unfortunate mistake occurred.

“Our standard operating procedure is to use table and seat numbers on tickets to identify where each dish should be delivered. In this instance, the word ‘wheelchair’ was used as a reference to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should be delivered.”

However, the statement explains this ‘notation was misunderstood’ and instead written onto the plate with the birthday message.

“There was absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation. However, we fully understand how seeing that word written on a plate could be deeply hurtful and upsetting.”

The restaurant ‘sincerely apologised’ to Sinibaldi and ‘everyone who was hurt or offended by the incident’.

But she took to Instagram yesterday (25 August) to respond to the statement.

“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,” she wrote.

Sinibaldi said the explanation was simply a ‘bs response’.

“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,” she continued.

Speaking to CBS News after the incident, she said: "It took me by surprise. I shouldn't be reminded of something that I already know."

And after complaining to management, she claimed they offered ‘to send more drinks, more drinks’.

"What good will that do?" she questioned. "My family is angry, my friends are angrier, but me, I'm, I am just baffled.

"Don't bring my disability [up] in every sentence, is what people, they should 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."

Sinibaldi has made it clear that she has no plans of ever returning to the New Jersey restaurant.