Restaurant forced to apologise after writing ‘happy birthday wheelchair’ on woman’s dessert

Restaurant forced to apologise after writing ‘happy birthday wheelchair’ on woman’s dessert | Live News reporter Published August 27, 2026 4:01pm Updated August 27, 2026 4:03pm Antonia Sinibaldi, who suffered a spinal cord injury, was given a dessert that said ‘happy birthday wheelchair’ A restaurant has apologised after writing ‘Happy Birthday Wheelchair’ on a woman’s dessert. Antonia Sinibaldi, a singer-songwriter who uses a wheelchair and ventilator, was celebrating her 29th birthday in a New Jersey restaurant called Blu on the Hudson. However, after receiving her apple cinnamon dessert, she was shocked to find the words ‘wheelchair’ written next to ‘Happy Birthday’. Speaking to NBC New York, Sinibaldi said that she started to spasm as she reacted to what she had seen. ‘The body started shaking, the body started spasming. My body reacted faster than my mouth or my mind,’ she said. She also said that the incident had left her loved ones angry, while she was simply ‘baffled’. Sinibaldi said she had to relearn speech and communication skills after suffering a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen in 2024 (Picture: Facebook) ‘My family’s angry, my friends are angrier, but me, I’m just baffled by it,’ she told WCBS. She also added: ‘Don’t bring up my disability in every sentence is what people should know.’ In a statement, the restaurant told the publication that the word ‘wheelchair’ had been used so that the dessert could be delivered to the correct table. ‘The word “wheelchair” was used as a reference to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should be delivered,’ a spokesperson for Blu on the Hudson said. ‘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 restaurant said there was ‘absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation’ (Picture: Instagram/WCBS/CBS NEWSPATH/WKRC) The restaurant also told People: ‘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, who has used a wheelchair since suffering an incomplete spinal cord injury in 1999 when a drunk driver hit a vehicle carrying her and her parents, has since taken to Instagram to respond to the restaurant. Posting a screenshot of their statement, she said: ‘First thing first the first picture is 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.’ Speaking to Ability Speaks Magazine, Sinibaldi said she had to relearn speech and communication skills after suffering a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen in 2024. Metro has contacted Blue on the Hudson for comment. Arrow MORE: Wetherspoons refuses to serve disabled man because they thought he was drunk Arrow MORE: Opticians staff had to empty elderly man’s catheter bag after he was left stranded for nine hours Arrow MORE: Jeremy Vine steps down from charity awards after backlash for ‘stoking hatred’ News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.