It wasn't just any cake that you can get from Publix or whip up at home with a package of Betty Crocker mix.
This was the irresistibly decadent strawberry pavlova from Piononos bakery in Key Biscayne. The signature walnut meringue cake filled with dulce de leche and covered in whipped cream and strawberries ranges in price from $36 to $103.
The birthday girl, Vlera, waited for fifteen agonizing minutes until staff returned the cake box to her party at the restaurant, which is owned by rapper Benito Martinez Ocasio AKA Bad Bunny and Miami restaurateur David Grutman.
It was then that Vlera and her friends made a shocking discovery.
@3bocagirls when @gekkomiami staff eats your birthday cake while “cutting” it in the back… #piononos #pavlovacake #pavlova #gekkomiami #gekko ♬ original sound - 3 boca girls
"The staff actually ate half of our cake," one of the women, Sabina, claimed in a viral Tik Tok. "It was as if the fucking whole staff took forks to it and were literally eating it. It was in the weirdest shape."
"We special ordered this cake for her birthday," Sabina added.
"She had to sign a contract for it," Vlera, who's now 27, chimed in.
The confectionery calamity was documented in painstaking detail on the social media channel dubbed 3 Boca Girls, run by Vlera, Sabina, and Vlera's sister, Fjolla.
To make matters worse, Sabina said they had to pay a $50 fee for the restaurant to cut and serve the cake. Fjolla insisted that they had been served "the skinniest fucking pieces." But when the leftovers were returned, the majority of the cake was gone.
Despite their suspicions, the crew paid the bill and headed out the door with their paltry pastry remnants. As they were leaving, their waitress supposedly made a stunning admission when Sabina asked her if she was the culprit. Sabina claims the waitress said, "No," but that she knew who was: her strawberry-craving coworker.
After the ladies' video chronicling their experience blew up on Tik Tok, the restaurant manager reached out to the ladies to apologize for what transpired and offered to make them a free reservation, the trio tells New Times.Fjolla insisted that they had been served "the skinniest fucking pieces."
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"They said that is not what they stand for and that should have never happened," the trio says in a statement. "They were very respectful, took accountability, and we accept their apology."
The women say they are happy the situation has been resolved.
"We love to joke, but on a serious note we don't want to persecute the staff or their brand for the lapse in judgment," they add.
Gekkō declined to comment when reached by phone.
New Times has been unsuccessful in tracking down the accused cake gobbler.
