A man was left gobsmacked when a restaurant failed to present his homemade birthday cake as expected.

Ryan Nordheimer, a New York-based food enthusiast who shares his culinary creations online, had dedicated ‘5-6 hours of hard work’ crafting a ‘funfetti’ cake for his friend’s birthday, which he valued at ‘hundreds of dollars’.

The 25-year-old took to his @ryannordheimer TikTok account to recount the incident in a video that has since taken the internet by storm, racking up views on the site as well as other social platforms.

In the footage, Ryan explains: “So for context, I make a birthday cake for all of my friends for their birthdays.” He then shows a snapshot of himself with the sizeable ‘funfetti’ cake, noting: “As you can see, they’re not small. This is a massive cake – at least twice the size of my head.”

He the further described the evening’s events, saying: “We went to the restaurant and I handed the cake to the hostess, they take it in to the back and we have a great dinner.”

Ryan shared a snap of his mate with the birthday cake, captioning it: “Then it’s cake celebration time, they bring out the birthday cake, put a candle in it and we all sing ‘Happy Birthday’. Again you can see how big this cake is compared to my friend so it’s not small.”

He then disclosed that he had phoned the restaurant beforehand to inquire if he could slice the cake himself, but was told it posed a “safety hazard”. Consequently, the staff took the cake away after presenting it, cut it up, and served it.

Ryan posted a picture of one of the cake slices they received, commenting: “You can really see here just how thin some of the slices were, we’re looking at a few millimetres of thickness.”

He noted there were ‘about 12 of them’ dining, so he estimated if everyone got a slice like the ones served, that would be roughly half the cake. “Definitely not all of the cake was served to us,” he alleged.

After the meal, he questioned the waiter about the remaining cake, only to be informed there was “nothing left”. He concluded: “So the only explanation is that this high-end New York City mid-town steakhouse took the cake back into the kitchen, cut all of us meagre slices to eat and they had just eaten the rest of it for themselves.”

Ryan expressed his mixed feelings, admitting he “sort of understands” why staff might share in a slice of cake due to long working hours. “They deserve maybe a little bit of a sweet treat,” he noted. However, Ryan’s disappointment was palpable as he added: “When the cake is my hard work and my friend’s birthday present that I gifted him, it’s definitely a little disappointing when my friend is just left with the memory of one of these slices and can’t really take home what he should have deserved – the rest of the half of the cake.”

Ryan said his his friend endured a similar experience last year at another New York eatery where only a few slices were taken rather than ‘half of the cake.’

Probing his followers for their perspective on the matter, Ryan queried if the restaurant was at fault or if he himself was to blame for not informing them about his culinary contribution, expressing the desire for the remainder to be returned. He also indicated that future celebrations might take place at home, quipping: “Clearly New York restaurants steal cakes.”

The TikTok post has gone viral, amassing more than 848,000 likes with scores of people weighing in via comments. The reaction was one of shock and indignation — one person suggested bringing the manager into the fray and withholding tips for such egregious service, while another couldn’t believe the presumption of not taking the dessert home.

A third speculated cynically about the small size of the slices, hinting that there had been some pre-service indulgence by the staff.

Some were puzzled as to why Ryan couldn’t slice his own cake, with one individual querying: “How is cutting your own cake a safety hazard if you can cut up your own steak?”

Alongside Ryan’s post, numerous people have taken to the restaurant’s social media platforms after learning its name. One person demanded on their Instagram page: “WHO ATE THE CAKE???” While another chimed in with: “Y’ALL STEALING CAKES OVER THERE???” A third queried: “If I want to bring a cake for my friend’s birthday do I have to bring enough to share with the staff?”

Ryan later posted another video to update his followers, revealing he’d received three separate calls from the restaurant’s management who admitted after reviewing security footage that they had ‘forgot to give a portion of the cake back to him and his friends’ and it had been left in the kitchen.

“They were super kind and offered a free dinner for two to makeup for the situation,” Ryan stated. “It’s disappointing we didn’t get our leftovers, but what most likely happened is that it was a busy Saturday night and there was a lot going on in the restaurant and unfortunately my cake just ended up on the chopping block at the end of the night.”

He then urged his followers to “take a chill pill” regarding the Instagram comments on the restaurant’s page. “I don’t think they meant it and they admitted it was a mistake,” he concluded. “I can live with that.”

Ryan also said his friend whose birthday sparked the viral tale “loves the reaction” to their dining escapade, noting with a chuckle: “Maybe his birthday present is the fun we had along the way.”

The restaurant in question has been approached for a comment.