'Happy birthday wheelchair': Disabled New Jersey woman shocked seeing hurtful message on cake; restaurant says it was a reference for where the cake was to be served

29-year-old Antonia Sinibaldi, a New Jersey-based singer-songwriter, was left speechless when her birthday cake had this message: Happy birthday wheelchair or Happy wheelchair birthday -- depending on whatever way one chooses to read the unnecessary information that Sinibaldi did not need to be reminded of.

Because she has been wheelchair bound since the age of 2 when she had met a road accident involving a drunk driver. She was diagnosed with a cervical spinal injury and, as a result, had to rely on a motorized wheelchair and ventilator, CBS reported.On June 20, she went out with her friends and family to celebrate her birthday at Blu On The Hudson in Weehawken."It took me by surprise," she said. "I shouldn't be reminded of something that I already know."

She also said that she ordered the same thing that her cousin ordered and hence the logic of marking her plate specifically did not make any sense. And the entire episode turned out to be a cruel joke on Sinibaldi.Sinibaldi said when she raised the issue with the management that wanted to send them more and more drinks.

We are deeply saddened, says restaurant

The restaurant issued an apology for the message and said it was an unfortunate mistake. "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 said."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." the statement read."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 statement added."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," it said.