Restaurant marquee smack talk sparks ‘Sign Wars’ viral craze across NC beach town
Dank Burrito and Ioanni’s Grill stand just 40 feet apart, and they’ve always enjoyed a good-buddy rivalry in this laid-back beach town — until the great marquee feud began.
It started when Clarke Merrell of Dank Burrito poked some friendly fun at his neighbor’s sign out front, which had carried the same happy birthday message for a month.
“Ioannis,” he wrote on the Dank Burrito marquee, “quit being lazy. Change your sign.”
But Ioanni’s quickly returned fire: “Dank,” read their updated sign. “We’re not lazy. Just busier than you.”
And with those opening shots, “Sign Wars 2024” grew to a citywide smack-talk barrage that rages still — catching viral fire and inspiring multiple TikTok songs.
“It just exponentially started getting more crazy,” said Merrell. “It’s insane.”
Signs of the times
Initially, the roadside taunts stayed between Dank and Ioanni’s:
▪ Dank sign: “Y’all just look busy cause it takes 2 hours for a dollar taco.”
▪ Ioanni’s sign: “Dank can we use your lot? Cuz you are not.”
But soon all the neighbors jumped in.
▪ From Prime Bistro: “Boys, do we need to have a meat-ing?”
▪ At Glad Tidings Church: “Ioanni’s and Dank, lettuce break bread together.”
▪ And from EJW Outdoors: “Guys do we need to taco bout it?”
To which Dank replied: “Guac off, EJW. This is nacho beef.”
“Everybody got involved,” Merrell said. “The police department got involved, coffee shops got involved, massage parlors. Some people don’t have marquees so they’re using cardboard signs.”
Sam Turnage at Ioanni’s said, “It’s reached over 100 businesses, I’ve heard. I’ve seen them as far as Pamlico County.”
Viral spite, local love
Merrell and Turnage privately chuckle about the attention, which has gotten their sign wars on to local TV broadcasts.
“We’re on the back end, laughing at it,” Merrell said. “It was literally just me talking junk to my buddy, which I always do.”
But who will make the peace?
The battle-weary sides already show a willingness to hear cease-fire terms.
“It’s honestly exhausting,” said Merrell. “I don’t know if you had to change a marquee before, doing all the letters 15 feet high with a pole, but it’s a pain in the ass.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Restaurant marquee smack talk sparks ‘Sign Wars’ viral craze across NC beach town."