Horrified customer left furious at ‘birthday message’ from New Jersey restaurant

A woman was left blindsided after receiving a bizarre 'birthday message' on a dessert that had been brought to her in a restaurant.

Antonia Sinibaldi, a singer-songwriter, spoke out after the plate was delivered to her table at a New Jersey venue.

Antonia was diagnosed with a cervical spinal injury at the age of two following a car crash injury, and she now relies on a wheelchair and ventilator.

She had been celebrating her 29th birthday on June 20 at the Blu On The Hudson in Weehawken with her friends and family when she was left horrified over a message in her dessert.

However, after ordering dessert, it came along with the written message, "Happy Wheel Chair Birthday!" which understandably stunned the table.

Sinibaldi told NBC that her body started spasming when she read the message, adding: "My body reacted faster than my mouth or my mind."

'Don't bring my disability up in every sentence'

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

But after complaining about the incident to management, she told the outlet that 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."

Restaurant apologises over incident

In a statement given to CBS, the restaurant later apologised for the mistake and said they were 'deeply saddened' by what had happened.

A spokesperson for Blu On The Hudson said: "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 apologise 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 went on to add: "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.

"Unfortunately, that notation was misunderstood and was written on the plate itself. 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.

"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."