New Jersey pizzeria owner skewered for livid response to 5-year-old’s birthday cake

A New Jersey pizzeria has defended an employee after video showing her berating a family for bringing a birthday cake into the restaurant went viral, sparking widespread criticism online. Doreen Sullivan-Karcich, a longtime staff member at Joey Tomato's on the Jersey Shore, was filmed angrily telling customers "we don't do cake, we do pizza" after they asked for a knife to cut a cake for a five-year-old's birthday, prompting the restaurant to issue a defiant statement insisting its policies are not "up for a public vote".

The confrontation was filmed by Tom Jurkowski, who runs the Instagram page Vintage New Jersey, after the incident broke out over his nephew's birthday cake at the restaurant on Jenkinson's boardwalk; he later deleted the clip, saying he did not want to prolong the row. Jurkowski said his family had spent around $250 at the restaurant and had rung ahead to confirm bringing a cake was permitted, with a staff member agreeing. Karcich, who said she has worked there since 1990, insisted no customer had previously asked to cut a cake in the restaurant and demanded an apology, while the pizzeria's statement argued the viral clip lacked context and jokingly floated "we don't do cake, we do pizza" as a new tagline.