A New Jersey singer-songwriter had an unusual birthday experience when she was allegedly given an offensive birthday greeting after ordering a birthday dessert at a fancy restaurant. She ordered an apple tart tatin, which came with a birthday message that read, “Happy Wheel Chair Birthday.” This message reportedly offended her, and later, the restaurant apologized, but she didn’t seem pleased.
According to the New York Post, the singer-songwriter Antonia Sinbaldi was reportedly enjoying her 29th birthday with friends and family at a fancy restaurant in New Jersey when she ordered the dessert, which came with an offensive message. The singer’s family confronted the staff, and in return, they offered her and her family complimentary drinks for the mistake. Sinbaldi reacted to the situation in an Instagram post, saying she received her food with the message “Happy Wheel Chair Birthday.” She has been using a motorized wheelchair since she suffered a cervical spinal injury at 2 years old.
Sinbaldi reportedly asked, “Not to complain about a fairly new restaurant in my town, but why would you make my dessert say this? She added, “What was written on my plate probably set my employee off more than me. I would never expect that in my town.” She was talking about the complimentary drinks as compensation, stating, “It offended me. This whole thing doesn’t sound real.”
Restaurant issues apology to Sinbaldi, says the birthday message was a mistake
According to WNBC, the message appeared to shock her, as Sinbaldi stated, “Body started shaking, body started spasming.” As the incident gained traction, the restaurant issued an apology to Sinbaldi through WCBS News, saying the message was a misunderstanding, as staff uses the messages to track table orders, and they mistakenly displayed it on the plate with the dessert. They said they had no intention of hurting any customer’s feelings.
They said in a statement to WCBS, “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 explained their side, “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.”
Sinbaldi reportedly didn’t welcome the restaurant’s apology, as she reacted to their statement, saying, “My chair is not my identity. Like I said, my body was reacting faster than my mind, so I couldn’t leave that fast.” It appears that Sinbaldi might not be convinced by the apology. No reports suggest that she has decided to take legal action on the matter.
Published: Aug 26, 2026 02:15 pm