Restaurants appear to be using AI-generated images on menus and marketing to save money. The big problem is that a lot of the results look very unappetizing, with meat that looks more like leather and other weirdly textured dishes.
Even if it saves some places money, diners are not impressed.
Here's what to know
AI already has a foothold in the industry beyond imagery. A 2026 National Restaurant Association report found that 26% of operators use it for marketing, inventory management, employee scheduling, menu optimization, and order-taking.
Part of the issue is that AI still struggles with one of the most important elements of food photography: texture. If a menu photo looks fake, some customers start to question the food itself.
A 2024 study by University of Oxford professor Charles Spence, who researches experimental psychology, found that diners tend to respond more positively to AI-generated food images when they did not know a machine had created them. Once diners learn the images are AI-generated, they find them less appealing.
What can be done?
Some restaurants are opting for hand-drawn artwork instead of synthetic images.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Platforms are also beginning to set limits. DoorDash said its AI tools are meant to improve existing dish photos by changing lighting, color, or background, and that its policies prohibit misleading menu images. Some listings also include an "AI-enhanced" label.
Where can I learn more?
The blowback over uncanny menu photos is one small piece of a much bigger argument over how AI is changing daily life, public trust, and the food system. The technology turning diners off in restaurant marketing is also fueling worries about jobs and resource use as it spreads into kitchens and farms.
• Public anger is rising as outcries against AI grow over jobs and security.
• Researchers are warning that advanced AI's e-waste is creating new sustainability strains.
• At a global summit, leaders warned AI could become an engine of inequality.
• In commercial kitchens, Winnow says an AI system is changing how chefs track waste.
• Scientists are using next-gen weed control to push AI deeper into food production.
That broader tension helps explain why fake food photos strike such a nerve. As AI moves from menus to farms, people are still sorting out where they want efficiency and where they still expect a human touch.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
