Disabled Woman Says Weehawken Restaurant Wrote “Happy Birthday Wheelchair” on Dessert

A Hudson County woman says she was left confused and hurt after a restaurant served her a birthday dessert with a demeaning message written on the plate.

Antonia Sinibaldi, 29, a singer and activist who is quadriplegic, said she celebrated her birthday with friends and family on June 20, 2026, at Blu on the Hudson, a Weehawken restaurant that opened in 2023 and that she had not visited before.

Sinibaldi was diagnosed with an incomplete cervical spinal injury at age 2 after a car accident and is paralyzed from the neck down. She said that toward the end of the evening, her family ordered dessert, and when hers arrived, the plate read “Happy Birthday Wheel Chair.”

Sinibaldi said she was confused by the message and did not understand why a restaurant would serve it. She said the others in her party received desserts with no such writing, and that no one in her group had requested the message. She also said the server appeared uncomfortable when delivering the plate but did not say anything.

Sinibaldi said management apologized after being confronted about the incident. She has since posted about the experience on Instagram to raise awareness and call for accountability.

“Just, why?” Sinibaldi said, adding that she was never given an explanation.

HudPost reached out to Blu on the Hudson for comment but did not receive a response.