A restaurant in San Francisco ‘received criticism’ for using AI photos as menus

AJ and Lyndsey Lozano had to remove the AI-generated menu photo at Grind & Unwind restaurant, days after receiving harsh criticism from locals.

AJ and Lyndsey Lozano opened Grind & Unwind restaurant on Haight Street in San Francisco, California in May. She and her husband took over the space that formerly housed Citrus Club, a longtime Asian fusion eatery and bar that closed a month earlier.

The Lozanos’ restaurant Grind & Unwind serves coffee, pastries and sandwiches in the morning, then transitions to pub fare and beer in the evening. The concept combines Lyndsey’s bakery experience and AJ’s desire to open a bar. Lyndsey’s banana cakes and chocolate chip cookies are almost “sold out” every day.

However, their marketing strategy is unpopular. When the Lozano family uses artificial intelligence (AI)-generated food images for their window display, things get worse.

“Delicious but trash” was the title of a Reddit post on June 30, attracting more than 670 votes and featuring a close-up image of the menu board.

“I think using AI images is not appropriate for the business culture of this neighborhood,” the poster commented.

“I’d rather see crappy photos taken in a light box with a one megapixel camera than this AI nonsense,” another wrote.

Others called the focaccia cake pictured like a “loofah” or “lungs,” said the Frappuccino drink looked like it was wearing “mesh socks” and that the cabbage salad topped with shredded pork sandwiches reminded them of mutant cordyceps mushrooms in video games Last of us.

“It caused a stir on Haight Street, which is both good and bad, I guess,” Lyndsey Lozano said. “But the response was not what we expected.”

She said the poster was only temporary, because they were busy taking care of their three children, all under 5 years old, so the store didn’t even have a sign yet.

On the morning of July 2, Lozano went to the shop and saw that the awning outside his store was covered in graffiti, with words scribbled in red. She felt frustrated. AJ is also depressed.

“I want people to come to our restaurant, but why has this become such a big deal that it’s affecting people so intensely?” Lozano said. “Is it really that terrible that you have to act like that?”.

Citrus Club has been a familiar place in the neighborhood for decades, famous for its cheap noodles and creative cocktails. The sudden closure of the restaurant unintentionally made it difficult for the new restaurant to conquer the community that is very close to this place.

On July 6, the Lozano family removed the AI ​​image and covered the graffiti with paint, estimating the cost to complete the job was more than $700.

They’ve now put LED lights around the windows and placed a cake stand in the middle so people can admire Lyndsey’s homemade treats. Business is booming, and the Lozano family has hired a chef to help launch new menu items, including an American-style burger. They plan to open events for the community such as pasta making classes and painting evenings with drinks.

“Hopefully people will come try our quality food and really support us,” Lozano said.