Side of slop? Bizarre AI food images jump from online to IRL menus

AI-generated “slop” is moving off social media and onto physical storefronts, with surreal food images appearing on menus and signs at bodegas, cafés and restaurants.
The images can be difficult to mistake for professional food photography. Shrimp in a scampi image resemble miniature life preservers. A breakfast burrito appears to contain something from a horror movie. Some “protein” dishes look as if they are covered in bugs.
In at least one case, an X user tried to order a menu item advertised outside a café, only to learn that the dish did not exist and the image had been produced by ChatGPT.

Why small businesses are turning to AI images

The spread of AI image-making tools has coincided with persistent inflation and pressure on small-business budgets. The technology has become more capable and, in some cases, free to use, making it an accessible option for businesses that may not be able to pay for custom photography, branding or graphic design.
Paul Shovlin, an assistant professor of English at Ohio University who studies AI, said many businesses displaying AI food imagery are likely smaller, family-owned establishments operating on limited budgets.
That cost calculation can make a strange-looking image seem preferable to hiring a designer. But the savings may not last if the resulting files need to be repaired or recreated.
Daniel Silva, owner of Miami graphic design firm Silva Heeren, said clients often arrive with AI-generated designs that are not delivered in the right file format or resolution. Fixing those problems, he said, is not cheap.
“ChatGPT will tell the user that their design is genius,” Silva said. “But then we tell them that ChatGPT isn’t giving them the right file or the right resolution and that it won’t be cheap to fix it. And they often go running.”
Silva said small-business and do-it-yourself customers have declined as AI use has grown, forcing his firm to change its pitch. “We no longer sell creativity,” he said. “We sell experience.”

When online “slop” becomes a real-world problem

The consequences can extend beyond an unappetizing menu. A San Francisco coffee shop paid hundreds of dollars to remove graffiti that appeared to be connected to its use of AI-generated food images on its facade, according to SFGate.
Co-owner Lyndsey Lozano questioned why the images had provoked such an intense reaction.
“I want people to come to our restaurant, but, like, why is this such a big deal that it influences people on such intense level?” Lozano told the outlet. “Like, is it really that horrific that you have to act on such a feeling?”
The incident illustrates a broader risk for businesses: AI graphics may be cheap to produce, but they can still shape how customers perceive a physical establishment.

A growing pushback against AI branding

Some businesses are responding by emphasizing that their promotional materials are made by people. Jill Winger, co-owner of Chugwater Soda Fountain in Wyoming, shared a photograph of her daughter holding a handwritten sign promising that the business would not use AI flyers or photos. The post received 119,000 likes.
Winger said she is not opposed to every AI application and uses the technology when planning large cooks. But she also believes resistance to AI’s growing presence is building.
“I’m seeing which way the pendulum is swinging,” she said.
That sentiment reflects other signs of an AI backlash, including a net-negative view of AI among U.S. employees found by Glassdoor and a decision by financial site Benzinga to pull back from AI-generated text in favor of human-written work. Its chief content officer, Brad Olesen, said human bylines began performing better with both search systems and readers.
For restaurants and cafés, the question may be increasingly practical: whether an instantly generated image is worth the risk of looking unreal, misleading customers or damaging trust before the food ever reaches the table.