The code to left is known as a Quick Response Code, commonly referred to as a QR code. The information-bearing squiggly lines are also referred to as Smart Tags or 2D Codes.

Many industries are beginning to incorporate these codes into their marketing, using them as a form of unobtrusive communication, by linking the QR codes directly to a url.

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant is one of the first restaurants in the country to use these codes in their restaurant. Vickie Smith-Siculiano, Director of Marketing for Mesob, and her mother Debi Smith have created and placed information bearing QR codes throughout Mesob.

This presents an opportunity for the diner to enhance their experience. If you’re waiting for your meal to arrive and happen to be curious about the process of making Injera, or if you want to watch an Ethiopian fashion show, you can do this directly from your chair by simply picking up your smart phone, downloading the free app, (NeoReader is suggested for the iPhone, and Bar Code Scanner app for others) and scan the code. Voila! You’re taken to the video!

Speaking of which . . . click play to see the video.

For further cultural immersion, such as the proper method of eating Ethiopian food and Ethiopian Christmas Day traditions, click here.