Freddie’s pizza shop wants fans of horror video game to stop calling

A family-owned pizzeria in New Jersey has become inundated with calls from around the country asking if the restaurant inspired the setting for a popular online video game.

The Asbury Park Press reports that Freddie’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, in Long Branch, has received thousands of calls over the past year from people asking if it’s Freddy’s Fazbear Pizza, the setting for the video game Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Video above shows actual game play 

In the horror video game, the player is a security guard attacked by animatronic robots. In the game your boss calls you on the first night and warns you that the some of the animatronic robots can be a little quirky at night. He tells you not to worry but advises you that sometimes they wander and because it’s after hours may not recognize you as a human but instead a rogue robot (out of costume) breaking the rules. Anybody who ever was creeped out by the Chuck E. Cheese robots should probably not play this game. 

The game’s creator Scott Cawthon has tried to prevent Five Nights at Freddy’s fans from calling businesses that might share a similar name to Freddy’s Fazbear Pizza. The Asbury Park Press reports that a recorded message on Cawthon’s phone asks fans to stop calling. “Please do not call any phone numbers that you think may be associated with the game; there are NO phone numbers associated with the game or marketing; all locations are fictional.”

The calls won’t stop

The phone calls at Freddie’s, in Long Branch, usually begin ringing after school lets out and ramp up as the day goes on.

A worker says the restaurant has added phone lines and shifted workers around to handle incoming calls. Regular customers have experienced difficulties getting through and placing their orders.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story