A New Jersey pizzeria owner faced significant backlash after a video surfaced showing her confronting customers who brought a birthday cake for a 5-year-old child. Doreen Sullivan-Karcich, associated with Joey Tomato's on the Jersey Shore, was recorded verbally sparring with patrons who requested a knife to cut the cake.
In the video, Karcich questioned the appropriateness of the action, asking if she would be permitted to bring her own cake and candles to a customer's home and do as she pleased. She then sarcastically addressed other patrons, suggesting they take birthday cakes to customers' homes, before stating that bringing an outside cake and asking for a knife was "inappropriate" and that the customers owed an apology.
Karcich, who stated she has been with Joey Tomato's since 1990, emphasized that no one had previously asked to cut an outside cake in the establishment. The customer recording the video, identified as content creator Tom Jurkowski, responded by highlighting it was a child's birthday and they simply wished to cut the cake. Another individual in Jurkowski's party reportedly told Karcich she was embarrassing herself.
Jurkowski later stated on social media that his party had spent approximately $250 at the restaurant and had inquired beforehand about bringing a cake, receiving a positive response from an employee. He initially posted the video to his Instagram page but subsequently removed it, explaining he did not wish to prolong the conflict.
Joey Tomato's released a statement addressing the incident, describing itself as a family-owned restaurant. The establishment noted that the viral clip lacked context and was presented without the preceding conversation. The restaurant asserted its identity as a pizza venue, not a party venue, bakery, or rental hall, and defended its policies, stating they are not subject to public debate simply because one instance of enforcement was recorded. The statement concluded with a quip: "We don't do cake. We do pizza."