Restaurants Increasingly Turn to Ugly AI-Generated Food Images on Menus
Restaurants and cafes are increasingly using AI-generated food images on their menus, though many look unnatural and unappealing. Beyond imagery, companies are also using AI to help decide what new foods and flavors to sell.
AI-generated food images are becoming a common, if unwelcome, sight on restaurant and cafe menus. Social media users have been sharing examples of unsettling AI visuals — dishes with odd holes or strange cuts of meat that look more like an alien's guess at human food than an actual meal.
Why restaurants are using AI images
The trend traces back to the rise of digital menus and delivery apps such as DoorDash. Restaurant owners, eager to stand out on third-party platforms without paying for professional photography, have turned to free or basic AI image generators. While the most advanced AI models can produce photorealistic results, many of the tools actually being used produce noticeably low-quality images.
Brendan Sweeney, CEO of restaurant marketing company Popmenu, recalls ordering pizza and noticing five different pizzerias using the exact same AI-generated image. He argues that an obviously fake-looking image does more harm to a restaurant's reputation than having no photo at all. The practice has also spread beyond delivery apps into physical spaces, appearing on posters and printed menus in coffee shops and delis.
AI is shaping menus beyond just pictures
Tastewise, a data insights company that works with major food brands including Nestlé, PepsiCo, and Kraft Heinz, is using AI automation tools to help companies decide what products to develop and sell. Its chatbot tool, TasteGPT, offers insights on emerging trends, flagging items such as dates as a rising ingredient and cake-flavored plant-based snacks as another notable trend.
Despite criticism of low-quality AI imagery, a recent Toast survey found that around 85 percent of restaurant owners feel comfortable using AI tools and plan to expand their use going forward. At the same time, some popular restaurants have gained attention online for publicly refusing to use AI-generated promotional images, instead posting handwritten notes explaining their stance.
