ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Staff members at local diner Joe’s Old Fashioned Burgers reported that the QR code located on each table to access their menu was once again mistaken for a great ska logo, fed-up sources confirmed.
“I was debating between the rib combo or smoked wings when I saw this beautiful creation that I thought would be perfect to represent our band. It wasn’t anything wild, just clean, simple squares printed on a tent card, but it really caught my eye,” said Boden Holloway, trumpet player for the local band The Waffle Skampers. “I tried to snap a photo to show the band, but the damn menu for the place kept popping up. After about 35 minutes I figured it out and the guys agreed that the logo had all the nostalgia of checkered Vans mixed with the clean lines of something more modern. I went right home, through our bands name under the photo and slapped it on the flyer for our next show.”
Max Bowen, a fan excited to see the band live, is having trouble figuring out where it’s happening.
“I saw the poster yesterday but for the life of me, I couldn’t get the QR code to scan. It just kept bringing me to the same barbecue menu,” Bowen explained. “At first, I thought it was some kind of inside joke. Like maybe Pulled Porkpie or Brisket and the Skandwiches were opening? But no, just regular menu items. No Eventbrite link, no ticket sales. Just food and an address. So I think I’ll just show up on Friday and see how it goes.”
Kira Salas, the owner of the restaurant, is getting used to these mix-ups.
“I used to be caught off guard, but it’s become pretty routine recently. As soon as we realized that every local ska band was ripping off our QR codes, it became a little easier to understand why kids sporting suspenders and stupid hats were wandering in asking about the stage. So I’ve got a plan now,” said Salas as she pulled back a curtain. “Witness what I call ‘the ska experience.’ We bought these animatronic rats from an old Chuck E. Cheese, dressed them in black and white, and put trumpets in their hands. Combine that with this old iPod loaded with Reel Big Fish, and suddenly I can serve up $5 chicken fingers for $30 on checkered paper in a dirty plastic basket. It’s a hit every time.”
At press time, Bowen was seen trying to read a sunbleached poster covered in cobwebs, muttering to himself, “What black metal band is this?”