The embattled New Jersey pizzeria owner who berated a group of customers for bringing a birthday cake into her restaurant and asked to use a knife to slice it defended her actions over the viral confrontation.
Doreen Sullivan-Karcich, the owner of Joey Tomato’s, stood firm in her decision not to accommodate the groups’ “innappropriate” request during a child’s fifth birthday celebration as a matter of customer safety.
“Let’s talk about that video,” said the 30-year-old family-run pizza joint, located on the Jenkinson’s boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, referencing the social media post.
“For a few days now, the internet has decided it knows everything about our restaurant based on thirty seconds of footage that started after the real conversation was already underway. No context. No beginning. Just a clip, built for outrage, and a comment section full of opinions. Thank you to the people who supported us,” the family said on Facebook.
“So let’s be clear about who we are. We are a pizza restaurant. Not a party venue, not a bakery, not a rental hall. We built our name on pizza — the kind the Jersey Shore is known for,” they said.
Sullivan-Karcich said her actions towards the group were in line with the protocols the business must follow.
“We are also Jersey Strong! Protecting our customers, employees, reputation, and brand is important. Every restaurant on this boardwalk has policies that exist for real reasons — food safety, liability, order in a kitchen running full speed on a summer night,” they wrote.
Sullivan-Karcich was captured on video scolding the large group when they asked for the common kitchen item to cut their own birthday cake inside the pizzeria.
“You don’t just walk into a restaurant and do whatever you want,” Sullivan-Karcich said, asking them, “How about if I just come to your house with a cake?”
“Okay so when I come to your house with my candles and my cake, am I going to be able to do whatever I want there now?” she questioned.
The clip went viral after Tom Jurkowski, the owner of the Jersey Coast Emergency News account, who was there celebrating his nephew’s milestone, shared it across social media.
“I don’t owe you anything, have a good day!” Sullivan-Karcich exclaimed to the partygoers who were insistent on getting what they wanted.
Despite facing backlash over the video, the restaurant owners said they were not budging from their ruling made against supplying the utensil to the revelers.
“Those policies aren’t up for a public vote just because one moment of enforcing them got recorded,” the statement said. “We have persevered, one pie at a time, long before this video and long after it’s forgotten. That’s not going to change.”
Joey Tomato’s, who Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy famously reviewed and prides themselves as having “the Best Gourmet Pizza on the Jersey Shore” suggested changing its motto to remember the viral incident.
“Although we are considering a new tagline: We don’t do cake. We do pizza,” the store said in jest.
The pizzeria’s response did not win over social media users who continued to bash the business after releasing the statement.
“I can’t believe you thought this was a good idea,” one person wrote.
“I’m sorry” would have worked, and no one would be pissed. This was a great way to fan the flames instead of putting them out,” another said.
“This message was a whole bunch of nothing,” a third said.
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