“It’s Inappropriate”: Joey Tomatoes Owner Confronts Family Over Birthday Cake at Restaurant Despite Their Prior Permission

A video of a Joey Tomatoes owner berating a family celebrating a five year old’s birthday has been going viral. The woman found it “inappropriate” for them to be cutting cake at a restaurant and shared her thoughts on it. 

@VintageNJ1 shared a snippet of their experience at the Point Pleasent Beach restaurant in New Jersey. According to the caption, they had called ahead and asked for permission to bring a cake, a request the restaurant approved by phone.

The family spent $250 on four large pizzas with different toppings and five large drinks. Once they finished eating, it was time for dessert, the cake and so they asked the waiter for a knife.

That’s when the customer recorded the apparent restaurant owner’s reaction in conversation with a woman from the family. The business owner questioned whether it was appropriate for the family to cut a cake at a restaurant.

In a heated moment, the entrepreneur asked the woman how she would feel if she and other customers would show up to her home with kids and cake. 

She then addressed the other customers and sarcastically mentioned that they were all celebrating at the other woman’s home. This earned no reaction from bystanders, but it did earn one clap from the individual recording the interaction. 

In response to the situation, the Joey Tomatoes owner told them, “You can’t just walk into a restaurant and do whatever you want, it’s inappropriate.” The woman and a man recording reminded her that it was a toddler’s birthday and they were only cutting cake. 

Once more, the entrepreneur brought up a scenario in which she would show up at their homes to cut cake, which the two of them didn’t mind. Instead, they told her she was embarrassing herself in public. 

X Disagreed With the Joey Tomatoes Owner But Pointed Out Policy

With nearly 580,000 views on X, Commenters debated whether the family or the owner was in the wrong. Many cited the well-known policy of no outside food at a restaurant. Many stated, “No outside food allowed!!” 

However, the users justified the need for them to bring a cake instead of ordering dessert at the pizza joint. One such individual addressed the criticism and said, “ Pizza places in NJ (New Jersey) don’t offer a whole cake on their menu…” 

They added an alternative way for the restaurant owner to have navigated the situation, saying, “She could have mentioned it quietly and charged an extra fee if it was about the additional work.”

Others claimed that Joey Tomatoes was allegedly overpriced and shouldn’t have been considered as an option to celebrate a birthday at.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events depicted in this video, including whether the family received prior permission to bring a cake. The details above reflect the account as shared on X by @VintageNJ1. Joey Tomatoes did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.