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Original poster

AIBU to wish cafés and restaurants would stop using AI designed menus?

44 replies

fidsk · 08/09/2026 08:36

Wish cafes, bars and restaurants would ditch the AI generated menus, posters etc. They look samey - can’t differentiate between them as use the same font etc.

Plus the food looks disgusting. I remember seeing on SM a poster for burritos. It looked like bone cancer.

Please could these places go back to pre AI generated shit

OP posts:
Doctordoolittle · 08/09/2026 12:06

I agree they look rubbish and it puts me off! If they can’t even be bothered to sort their own menu/poster then what effort will they be putting into what they produce 🤷🏻‍♀️

OnlyUsername · 08/09/2026 11:51

Ugh, they are awful. All in horrible brown and sludgy muted colours with uncanny-looking fake kids or runners or, indeed, pizzas.

AIBU to wish cafés and restaurants would stop using AI designed menus?
Nutmuncher · 08/09/2026 11:34

I’m a huge advocate for AI except when it comes to poster and menu design done by those using lazy prompts. Horrendous. It’s no different to a child using their mums best make up for the very first time, same products totally different end result.

Aleveldilemma · 08/09/2026 11:27

Totally agree almost every business is using that same AI design poster now

Original poster
fidsk · 08/09/2026 11:09

JustAPeach · 08/09/2026 08:50

They all look the exactly the same so you don’t remember the business because it doesn’t stand out which surely defeats the object.

Exactly! Business are losing on their USP - unique selling proposition. What makes them stand out.

As if you are planning on going out for a meal etc and you remember one poster had a good deal but didn’t remember the name as the posters look samey

OP posts:
nutbrownhare15 · 08/09/2026 09:35

Hate them. Avoid places that use them.

JustAPeach · 08/09/2026 09:33

SwanUpmanship · 08/09/2026 09:19

Before AI, many small places would simply use stock photos and probably still do. I get takeaway menus through the door from different places all showing exactly the same pizzas, kebabs etc.

Large chains use professionally shot pictures but they are dressed up to look appetising - e.g. shoe polish type stuff on meat to make it look browned, sprayed with glistening gunk to make it look moist and so on.

I don't think AI is the culprit here!

I’ve never liked the stock images much either but at least the leaflets looked different. Now they all look exactly the same.

TallSturdyGirls · 08/09/2026 09:28

Bjorkdidit · 08/09/2026 09:01

It is utterly bizarre how they've all come out of nowhere this year. Surely no-one thinks they look good?

If you don't have any design skills just stick a few photos and some simple wording in the free word processor that comes with Google/Apple, save as a PDF and job done. It takes no time at all and gets your message across without making you look like a complete fool.

Edited

They haven't come of nowhere, they've all comeout of the same shit AI machine.

Thundertoast · 08/09/2026 09:24

What really annoys me is that you can make things via Canva incredibly easily/quickly and use your own photos etc. There are thousands of templates and lots of it is free to use. There's just no excuse for this, from a time or money or skill perspective.

SwanUpmanship · 08/09/2026 09:19

Before AI, many small places would simply use stock photos and probably still do. I get takeaway menus through the door from different places all showing exactly the same pizzas, kebabs etc.

Large chains use professionally shot pictures but they are dressed up to look appetising - e.g. shoe polish type stuff on meat to make it look browned, sprayed with glistening gunk to make it look moist and so on.

I don't think AI is the culprit here!

DreamingOfGeneHunt · 08/09/2026 09:19

I agree. I don't want everything to look like a cartoon, I'm not 5.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 08/09/2026 09:12

Agreed! Any AI designed artwork just completely turns me off whatever it’s trying to promote.

Bjorkdidit · 08/09/2026 09:01

It is utterly bizarre how they've all come out of nowhere this year. Surely no-one thinks they look good?

If you don't have any design skills just stick a few photos and some simple wording in the free word processor that comes with Google/Apple, save as a PDF and job done. It takes no time at all and gets your message across without making you look like a complete fool.

Ponoka7 · 08/09/2026 08:52

A local cafe has just used AI for their new Sunday dinner menu, it's got heavy criticism. It's been a pile on by the cafe supporters, but it doesn't fit in with the family/home cooked vibe and their food is excellent, so I agreed with it not being needed.

JustAPeach · 08/09/2026 08:50

They all look the exactly the same so you don’t remember the business because it doesn’t stand out which surely defeats the object.

Hedjwitch · 08/09/2026 08:48

I refuse to click on any FB post that uses these ugly posters and flyers. Petty,but a teeny protest against AI.
A slightly bigger protest is ditching Google as my default browser and using DuckDuckGo where AI is optional.

Ablondiebutagoody · 08/09/2026 08:46

Oh God those stupid over-colourful fliers with the same grinning cartoon characters are everywhere. Like they are purposefully designed to appeal to fans of Paw Patrol or something. I judge the owners of such organisations as idiots with zero taste whose event/establishment I do not wish to visit.

Mum2Fergus · 08/09/2026 08:43

It’s not just cafes/restaurants - these generic outputs appear to be everywhere and used for everything…

Lentilcakes · 08/09/2026 08:37

😂 at your description of the burrito!
A.I. has its uses but design is not one of them.