If a rock band wanted to shoot a video in your pizzeria, would you say yes? What if the song was about restaurant employees who hate their jobs? And what if the song was titled, “IDK—I Just Work Here”?
Pagliai’s Pizza in Mankato, Minnesota, took the risk—and it helped that the video rebranded the restaurant as Papa Durry’s, a nod to the indie band’s name: Durry, founded by a brother-sister duo in Burnsville, Minnesota.
In fact, Pagliai’s Facebook post about the video has garnered 393 reactions, 137 shares and nothing but positive comments, including customers who praised the real restaurant’s pizza and service.
The video dropped in early May and has earned more than 468,000 views on YouTube. “IDK—I Just Work Here” is the single from Durry’s upcoming album, This Movie Sucks. It’s a catchy, poppy, guitar-driven tune with piercing lyrics that bemoan the life of a bored, burnt-out restaurant worker, including the opening verse:
If you’ve got time to lean
You’ve got time to clean
That’s what they told me
But they don’t own me
They just own the only thing that’s keeping me alive
They swear that’s not a threat
‘Cause I could always starve to death
I guess I’ll pledge allegiance to the paycheck
According to the Mankato Free Press, the band first considered shooting the video at a burger joint but couldn’t find one that was willing to participate. “Then the idea evolved into a fast-food situation, but then no fast food places even responded to us,” Taryn Durry, the band’s co-founder and guitarist, said. “So we ended up with pizza, and I’m so thankful it worked out that way.”
“A friend of a friend worked at Pagliai’s and suggested that we connect with them,” Austin Durry, the band’s lead singer/songwriter, told the Free Press. “And they were just ideal. It was just so perfect. They were like, ‘We’re closed on Mondays, you can come on in and take over the place for a little bit.’ And I really don’t know if any other situation would have worked as well as it did shooting there.”
For the video, the fictional pizzeria, Papa Durry’s, outfits employees in yellow T-shirts and visors with red lettering. Pizza boxes sport a logo designed by a friend of the band, while the slogan proclaims, “Turn That Frown Upside Down!”
There’s even a phone number—(919) PZA-TIME—that fans of the song can call for a true multimedia experience. In the recording, a male “employee” speaks in a deep, drowsy drone, inviting the caller to leave a message at the tone and to “have a terrific day.”
In multiple scenes, Austin’s character stands forlornly outside the restaurant brandishing a large sign that reads “PizzaTime” and looking terrifically bored. Taryn appears as a worker on the cash register who forces a smile for the customer, then rolls her eyes in utter disdain.
In another scene, Taryn takes a phone order and struggles to feign interest in a customer’s gripes, finally responding, “Uh, I mean, I don’t know, man, I just work here.” As the video roars to its high-energy climax, Taryn’s character gets fed up with another complainer (Austin in an old-lady wig), leaps over the counter and starts throwing punches. She’s also shown casually tossing pizza boxes out of the car window as she and her brother make their delivery rounds.
Polished and clever, the song and video blisteringly portray the angst and frustration of restaurant workers who don’t like their jobs.
Sold my soul for the payroll
Just don’t ask me why ‘cause I don’t know
I just work here, I suppose
I don’t care
You can burn it down as far as I’m concerned
But Durry’s darkly satirical vision of restaurant life doesn’t appear to reflect poorly on Pagliai’s Pizza, at least as far as the pizzeria’s customers are concerned. Pagliai’s has been in business since 1969, making it Mankato’s longest-running pizza spot and one of the city’s oldest restaurants. One Facebook follower commented, “Aww, [Pagliai’s was] my first waitressing job and where I met so many of my friends.” Another wrote, “I’m sure thankful your employees follow your lead instead of Durry’s! We enjoy your quality food, cleanliness and excellence in service! Integrity is written all over your Pagliai’s name! Thanks to your dedicated team!”
Finally, it should be noted that, since Pagliai’s was closed for business that day, Durry wasn’t able to feature the restaurant’s actual pizzas in the video. Instead, they reportedly ordered a pie—presumably tweaked to minimize eye appeal—from a national chain that we won’t name here. Popular pizzas at Pagliai’s include the B’s Special (sausage, salami, Canadian bacon and onions) and the Maverick (sausage, beef, Canadian bacon and pepperoni).
