Pizzeria owner hits back after refusing to cut five-year-old’s birthday cake in furious rant

A pizzeria owner has hit back over a social media video which appeared to show her yelling at a group of guests over a birthday cake request and thanked their supporters.

In the viral confrontation, shared widely online, the owner appeared to berate customers for bringing their own birthday cake for a five-year-old before then asking to use a knife to slice it.

But in response, the owner has defended her actions and stood firm in the venue's decision not to accommodate what it called an 'inappropriate' request.

Doreen Sullivan-Karcich, the co-owner of Joey Tomato’s, in Point Pleasant Beach, New York, said the request had been declined due to 'customer safety' adding that the restaurant is 'not a party venue'.

As per the New York Post, Sullivan-Karcich seen on video scolding the group when they asked to use a knife from the kitchen in order to cut their own birthday cake inside the beachfront venue.

The response was caught on camera (Jersey Coast Emergency News / Facebook)

“You didn't call. You don’t just walk into a restaurant and do whatever you want. It's inappropriate,” Sullivan-Karcich responded, adding: “You owe us an apology, I don’t owe you anything, have a good day."

After being told that the request was due to a child's birthday, she continued: "I don't care what it is. How about if I just come to your house with a cake?"

A video of the exchange was posted on social media after being posted by the Jersey Coast Emergency News account. The Facebook reel attracted thousands of comments, along with the caption: "I hate to be that guy, but I just had to take a video of this because this was the craziest thing I've ever experienced.”

Restaurant owner defends actions in letter

The 30-year-old pizza joint has since responded in a letter shared on their social media account with the owner standing firm in their decision to refuse the use of a knife at the premises. They said the 30-second clip did not give the full picture and added 'no context' to the exchange.

“Let’s talk about that video," it said. “For a few days now, the internet has decided it knows everything about our restaurant based on thirty seconds of footage that started after the real conversation was already underway.

The letter was shared online (Facebook / Joey Tomato's)

"No context. No beginning. Just a clip, built for outrage, and a comment section full of opinions. Thank you to the people who supported us."

It went on to state that policies, including food safety and liability, are in place and that it 'isn't going to change', comically quipping they are now 'considering a new tagline'.

The letter continued: We are a pizza restaurant. Not a party venue, not a bakery, not a rental hall. We built our name on pizza — the kind the Jersey Shore is known for.

The pizzeria has been around for 30 years (Google Maps)

"Protecting our customers, employees, reputation, and brand is important. Every restaurant on this boardwalk has policies that exist for real reasons — food safety, liability, order in a kitchen running full speed on a summer night. Those policies aren't up for a public vote just because one moment of enforcing them got recorded.

"We have persevered, one pie at a time, long before this video and long after it's forgotten. That's not going to change. Although we are considering a new tagline: We don't do cake. We do pizza."