The tune comes from SpongeBob SquarePants, the Nickelodeon animated series that began in 1999 and follows SpongeBob working as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, the restaurant owned by Eugene Krabs. Music cues from the show became shorthand online for workplace and money jokes, and this restaurant theme in particular spread through fan edits, reaction videos and short-form clips. It remains popular because it is instantly recognisable to viewers who grew up with the show and immediately sets a familiar restaurant scene.