Please Stop Harnessing the Power of AI to Make Your Restaurant's Food Look Like Nightmares
Mom and pop restaurants have it tough. Margins are razor-thin, promotional budgets are non-existent, people don't go out like they used to, social media is basically an invitation to have people yell at you in public about not having free chips and salsa.
That said, don't use AI.
There was a time when a bar and grill would just put "2 FOR $4 BAR-B-Q'S DURING VIKINGS GAMES" on their Facebook page. That was it. Maybe it was in yellow letters on a purple background if they were feeling frisky. That was good enough. There was no picture, as good food photography is expensive, but we all know what "bar b-q's" look like. It let us know the price. It let us know the time frame.
Now, that same message gets handed over to the robots, and it spits out these...well, that's not ground beef. That's crickets or dog food piled so high as to defy gravity. The bun looks like it was lacquered. The number of fingers on the hand holding it is between 4 and 7. The lettering is often in faux-nostalgic fonts because I assume one of the prompts is "old-fashioned" or "diner" or "Applebee's but if segregation was still legal." Spelling and grammatical errors that would be charming coming from a human are just off-putting and weird.
But enough about these hypotheticals. Look at these unlikely tacos from a recent Facebook ad I was served:
Have you ever in your life seen a taco hold that much content? No, you have not. And what are all those extra tortilla slivers doing? Where did they come from? What are they doing? But still, at least they got the name of the restaurant correct, right?
I look forward to visiting El Originai Mey Can Y Bestaurant as soon as I stop being scared of their food.
Again, I understand the need to promote something when your ad budget is zeroed out. But this is not the way. Nobody wants this.
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Gophers: I attended the season opener on Thursday night, during which the U demolished Eastern Illinois 59-7. The new quarterback looked good. The new receiver/punt returner looked even better. Real competition awaits, but a fun night at Huntington Bank Stadium regardless, as anyone who knows what the words "Touchdown Jackrabbits" mean.
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The Closer
In the search for other dire AI slop, I found this. I cannot tell if they're doing a bit; what I can tell you is that it is roughly every third post on Facebook now and it made me deliriously happy.
No Monday newsletter due to the Labor Day holiday. See you back here on Tuesday with lungs full of mosquito fog and a can-do attitude.
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