A New Jersey restaurant has been forced to apologize after writing “Happy Birthday Wheelchair” on a woman’s dessert.
Antonia Sinibaldi, a singer-songwriter who relies on a wheelchair and ventilator, says that she received the apple cinnamon dessert while celebrating her 29th birthday at Blu on the Hudson with her loved ones.
However, upon reading the words drizzled over the sweet treat, Sinibaldi told NBC New York that she started to spasm.
Sinibaldi said: “The body started shaking, the body started spasming. My body reacted faster than my mouth or my mind.”
Speaking to WCBS, Sinibaldi said that the incident on June 20 left both her friends and family feeling angry.
open image in gallery“My family’s angry, my friends are angrier, but me, I’m just baffled by it,” she told the outlet.
A spokesperson for the restaurant told the outlet that the word “wheelchair” had been used to identify where Sinibaldi was sitting.
“The word ‘wheelchair’ was used as a reference to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should be delivered,” the spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, that notation was misunderstood and was written on the plate itself.”
“There was absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation,” the spokesperson continued. “However, we fully understand how seeing that word written on a plate could be deeply hurtful and upsetting.”
open image in galleryIn a statement given to People, the restaurant added: “We sincerely apologize to the guest and to everyone who was hurt or offended by this incident which took place on June 20, 2026.”
Sinibaldi later responded to the restaurant’s statement on Instagram.
“First thing first (sic) the first picture is a bs (sic) response,” she captioned a picture of the statement. “My chair is not my identity.”
Sinibaldi shared with Ability Speaks Magazine that she suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury in 1999 after a drunk driver hit a vehicle carrying both her and her parents.
However, after watching The Sound of Music at the age of 5, Sinibaldi decided that she wanted to become a singer.
open image in galleryThe now-29-year-old told the publication that she had to relearn speech and communication skills after suffering a lack of oxygen-related brain injury in 2024.
Speaking to WCBS, she asked listeners: “Don’t bring up my disability in every sentence is what people should know.
Sinibaldi also confirmed to the outlet that she has no plans to return to Blu on the Hudson.
The Independent has contacted Blu on the Hudson for comment.