Uncanny and unappetizing: appetites spoil as AI images take over food menus

Consumers are increasingly encountering AI-generated images on menus and marketing, and many find them unappetizing and misleading. Examples include a viral tweet showing Jamaican barbecue pictures that made meat look like leathery belts with beetles, a San Francisco cafe whose AI-created signage prompted graffiti and a $700 cleanup, and a diner spotting odd breakfast photos at a downtown cafe whose owner defends experimenting with ChatGPT to save on graphic-design costs. A 2026 restaurant-industry report found about 26% of operators use AI for tasks from marketing to scheduling, and delivery platforms now offer “AI-enhanced” photo tools that automatically label edited images, complicating consumers’ ability to tell machine-made art from photos.

Industry voices and researchers argue AI can help back-end efficiency but should be invisible to diners, because AI images often fail at texture, color and lighting and can turn people off. Food photographers and restaurateurs report uncanny textures and odd arrangements; a 2024 experimental study found people preferred AI food images until told they were machine-made, after which appeal dropped. The same research suggests AI tends to exaggerate fattiness in food pictures, raising concerns it could nudge portion and recipe choices. The result is a split: some businesses embrace AI to cut costs, while others tout handmade or hand-drawn authenticity and avoid machine imagery.