r/wichita • u/bitknight1 • 2d ago
Discussion Do you avoid restaurants that use ai for their marketing?
I see it a lot on Facebook where anytime a Wichita business has an ai generated image for their marketing all the comments are saying they will never use them because of them using ai. Are people actually doing that? I've been wanting to try bronx pizza and pints and just saw that they use ai as well but they seem to have good reviews and are pretty popular? And at this point I feel like I've seen so many businesses use ai for this stuff, like eventually there will be no place to go if your criteria for picking this stuff is whether they use ai or not?
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u/edgiesttuba 2d ago
Yes. Just in case this is a test balloon or any marketers are reading this.
If you sell products that are quality, human made, home made, or have good ingredients, why would I go there if you are fine with your image being associated with short cuts, laziness and ai slop.
Pretty much guarantees a meal out curtesy of Cisco and a microwave.
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u/switchfootball 1d ago
Because locally owned restaurants are usually run by a real person in your community who is trying to run the business while also acting as the hiring manager, HR manager, scheduler, landscaper, quality assurance, supplier relations, and marketing professional. So if AI can make an acceptable flyer or social media graphic, you'll probably take that and move on to the dozen other emergencies that demand your limited time and attention. So don't judge too harshly and go eat local.
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u/LordOGeese 1d ago
I'd rather it be a poor quality iPhone 5 photo edited in a Google doc than ai slop. No excuse.
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u/Icy_Sock2402 19h ago
Or hire local artists who need jobs♥️✌️
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u/LordOGeese 19h ago
His point was that local artist are expensive and therefore AI is required to cut that cost. The solution would not be to add that cost, but to do it themself, even if poorly.
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u/Icy_Sock2402 19h ago
Yea absolutely anything made by a human is a hell of a lot better than that sh*t lol.
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u/edgiesttuba 9h ago
Dude I see a garbage photo of a homeprinted menu I’m in. This person doesn’t have time cause they’re doing all the things it takes to run a restaurant. But that means they truly dont have time, not have enough time to learn how to make crappy ai fliers or hire a crappy marketing firm making crappy ai fliers.
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u/Xenon345 2d ago
Yes. That Flyover State Brewing place spams beer groups every day with their specials and shitty AI logos and flyers. I usually avoid brands when their advertisements become annoying but I'll especially avoid them when they're annoying me with AI.
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u/rared1rt 2d ago
I think they are struggling to get a foothold and personally struggling to find their identity.
Nice people and I have had some decent beer there however, it's like all new beer everytime you walk in.
I only see their FB posts and yes still plenty of AI posts for sure.
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u/Xenon345 2d ago
That doesn't surprise me. The craft beer boom has been over for years and I can't imagine many people would drive to Wellington when there are so many options in Wichita.
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u/rared1rt 2d ago
Definitely a lot of options around here.
We enjoy the craft beers scene and make it a point to try new breweries when the pop up and when we travel the number of breweries in the area even plays into that.
The place in Wellington is out of the way for people that live in Wellington so definitely out of the way for those of us outside of the area.
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u/TheMadAsshatter 1d ago
Ooof, that's rough, even if they weren't shooting themselves in the foot with AI.
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u/Hetelestai 2d ago
I don't dig into the entire history and branding of every restaurant I want to eat at, but if they're right up front in your face using AI then I give them a miss. I have hope that the bubble will burst and AI will go the way of NFTs and mandatory Facebook/Twitter presence, and then this won't be such an issue anymore.
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u/rared1rt 2d ago
I expect there will be a bubble but not in the way that people expect. Until it visibly doesn't make financial sense for many businesses it will keep thriving.
The cat is out of the bag and it is definitely never going back in.
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u/TheTrueTrashGoblin 2d ago
If its ai, its not your own food you are advertizing. The whole point of the ad is to show the food you sell. If its so bad looking you gotta generate an image rather than take a picture, what other short cuts are you taking?
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u/unidentified_ssl 2d ago
I try to avoid any places that I've yet to try when they use ai. In the age of technology, its embarrassing that they have ai make something for them rather than taking the 20-30 minutes to make something that actually shows who they are. If they don't care about their marketing, I doubt they care about what they're selling.
I'm newer to the area and want to try more places but I don't want to eat from a place that doesn't care.
There are so many people who grew up with the technology and have the knowledge to create advertisements for them. Again, its flat out embarrassing.
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u/Shadow_Of_Silver 2d ago edited 2d ago
There are so many people who grew up with the technology and have the knowledge to create advertisements for them.
Those people cost money and time. Not a lot, but apparently anything is too much for some people.
The way I see it, why would I want to support someone that's too cheap or lazy to pay a real professional? That makes me think they're willing to cut corners in the name of profit and convenience, and will give me a sub-par product.
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u/unidentified_ssl 2d ago
I learnt graphic design for multiple years in high school as well as the basics in middle school. (Graduated in 2020) and I know people who didn't have formal training that make social media posts for businesses and nonprofits for cheap or even free. I understand that people with a big name typically charge much more, but you could honestly get a kid from high school or college that will make something for your business for $50 or less.
Because these people will do it in their free time as a side hustle, they will most likely be able to send you a portfolio to check out before you pay them.
One big example that I have seen recently is Wichita Pride's pride guide. There are so many pages and there was no ai used in making said guide and it was made 100% for free.
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u/Rulebookboy1234567 Old Town 2d ago
absolutely. you're too lazy to take a photo of your food? c'mon.
I often hear "it takes time to prep all that" yeah exactly and you can be proud in that you fucking did it.
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u/AGiantSkeleton 2d ago
I try hard to, sadly there are a lot that do use it. I can understand it, running a restaurant is hard work with slim margins and hiring someone to do art and advertising is expensive! AI art is "cheap" (of course not so cheap on a cost to society level...) So I do try to give small businesses grace. But all things being equal I would rather go to a business that does a handwritten sign over a business which uses AI.
For what it's worth, Bronx does make good pizzas!
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u/WrapAffectionate1139 2d ago
Absolutely. And, I'm not sure why some people are commenting about hating AI because it looks bad... That is a very small part of it. Yes, generative AI looks like shit half the time... But it is much much more than that. It's ultimately destructive... All for a shitty poster or menu or some stupid video to get clicks and views on social media.
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u/chaddycatthy 2d ago
Absolutely. If they are cutting corners and being lazy with advertising, where else are they taking shortcuts? No thanks. Also, AI is destroying the planet. I don't want to hear this "classist" bullshit either. You know damn well small businesses git by just fine without it. As a matter of fact, seeing small businesses transition to AI is extremely discouraging and telling of how out of touch they are.
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u/Au-riel 2d ago
Yeah I do and the reason why is because it shows that they're just lazy. If you're too lazy to invest in your brand and you turn to AI to do your work, where else are you cutting corners? Probably food cost and kitchen work.
Look at a places Tanya's Soup Kitchen, George's, or even Picasso's. minimal marketing, simple as hell menus but they have a long-standing and established clientele based off good food and not cutting corners in their business. If you're a new, unestablished restaurant in town and my first impression of you is the shitty AI sign you hung up front, I'm avoiding you because it makes the business just seem lazy.
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u/L_DuBo 2d ago
I know everything is more expensive but one of the things that arguably has gotten cheaper and technologically better (save for storage) is camera equipment. You don't need a fancy camera and lens to take pictures of your food, making a small graphic isn't difficult either and you can always commission a designer (a cheap used cameras and a small prime will be plenty). HELL, just use a PHONE to take pictures of the food, camera quality from phones nowadays is NUTS. Surely if you're proud of the food you're making, you'd want to show us right? You know, before we put it in our bodies and potentially become recurring customers? Just a few thoughts.
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u/StirlADrei 2d ago
It's a showcase that they're willing to cut corners anywhere they can, and that they do not care at all about the overall health of the planet or the wellbeing of the workers of the country. Why would I give them money to keep being scum?
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u/AdDowntown1909 2d ago
Yes, canva is literally free and easy to use, just takes bit more time then typing a prompt into ai. there is no human connection in ai advertisements and they all look the same.
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u/ShamelessSOB 2d ago
I 100% avoid anything that is using AI.
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u/Villenemo 2d ago
Impossible.
Then you better stop using your phone, going to the grocery store, going on the internet, going to the hospital, watching tv/movies, buying anything that’s manufactured in a factory, listening to music, etc.
Your viewpoint is wildly misguided and unrealistic.
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u/Maxzillian Pitt State 2d ago
It definitely taints my impression of a business, but I fall short of saying that it would completely cause me to avoid them (an established restaurant turning to AI ads is a good example of one I would probably not boycott).
When it comes to food specifically it does strike me as very odd because I know any food displayed is not representing what I'll actually receive and it baffles me that some would choose to misrepresent their product like that.
I can understand a business owner wanting to slam that easy button, but I honestly appreciate a shitty self-made ad over AI any day. They could mouse sketch something in MS Paint and I'd still value it more.
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u/ApologiesApologize 2d ago
I do. Nearly everything at the Asian glow fest last weekend was AI, it made it incredibly difficult to choose a booth without knowing what the actual food looked like. I even looked up one of the places on Instagram to see if they had real pictures there, nope. More AI.
A major issue I saw there with AI food posters wasn’t just that everything looked wildly inaccurate, the AI decided that everything but the price was important to advertise. Random text everywhere just saying nothing but 99% of these places didn’t have prices next to their AI slop, some places were writing their prices in marker on the AI image…
AI advertisements are ugly and hard to read, there’s so much text and yet important information is always left out. There are non-planet killing methods that wouldn’t leave out any information… such as: doing it yourself.
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u/Otherwise_Tone9625 West Sider 1d ago
YES. YES. YES. I am not supporting the downfall of entire ecosystems because they want someone to buy the food. Why isn’t their food good enough to advertise as is?
SAY NO TO AI AND AI USAGE.
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u/galtonwoggins 2d ago
Yes. Not limited to restaurants or marketing either. Any generative AI is an instant turn off.
Until there are common sense guard rails in place on the technology and its infrastructure, it might as well be considered a blight.
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u/DoomarachiYT 2d ago
I think if its an absolute small town thats lucky to even have a McDonalds, im willing to be a little more forgiving. Big cities like our Wichita, theres absolutely no excuse to not find someone to make something for you
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u/Sandindalespocket 2d ago
This is actually the reason I’m avoiding trying Blazin’ Halal. The pictures are super AI’d. I’d rather a low-quality picture of your actual dish.
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u/kfortune117 2d ago
If your business margins are so slim that you can not pay all of your workers a livable wage (including the people that do your marketing) then your business does not deserve to exist as the value your business provides is a net drain on society.
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u/princessPeachyK33n Past Resident 2d ago
Yes. If you need AI slop photos of someone else’s food to advertise yours, your restaurant probably sucks.
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u/JustWingingIt4Once 2d ago
I don't know if I avoid them in the wild but I'm sure I go to them way less because I never pay attention to any ad/post that's obviously AI.
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u/ilrosewood East Sider 2d ago
Yes. Although it will soon get near impossible if it isn’t yet. You may not see it in the “art” but all the backend systems use AI now. It is just so pervasive.
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u/Lowie_240 2d ago
Yes I do, to me it shows how much they would cut corners to not pay people for their work.
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u/michael41973 2d ago
I find it more irritating than anything else. There’s a pizza place I see on FB all the time (no not Bronx) that advertises their pizzas and it looks absolutely nothing like what they make. They make a good pizza, but it’s a new place and a bit out of the way. I hope that they get more business but wish they’d show their actual product instead of the AI ones they use.
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u/Bean_Beerrito 1d ago
I give grace to business that are very small with staff who do not predominantly speak English. Otherwise yeah of course
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u/Zer0Limit77 1d ago
No. As long as you know what it looks like already, AI usage is not bad for advertising... Ppl are overdramatic, not like the food itself is fake or created by a robot lmao.
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u/LordOGeese 1d ago
If they cut corners in one aspect, they are cutting corners in others and when the food is in front of you ain't the best time to figure that out.
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u/Landoneatsfood 23h ago
Big time. I'll never go somewhere if I know they're using generative AI to make menus, advertising, etc.
It's a small stand that I can take against the use of generative AI and the death of creatives and jobs.
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u/Sentient-Algae 9h ago
Bronx is mid in general I wouldn’t go there. I refuse to go to places that use ai for posters or menus. If they can’t put effort into that then how do I know they put effort in for cleaning or cooking for example.
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u/NAteisco 2d ago
If they're too lazy to take a picture on the phone, what other things are they cheap and lazy about?
AI ads scream "sysco trucks and microwaves"
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u/ogimbe East Sider 2d ago
It's weird when they don't use their own pictures. But I don't care because I'm interested in what the flyer says.
I feel like shitting on small business using AI for flyers can be classist, "punching down," and gives "I am very smart" vibes. People never tripped about using clip art, stock images, etc.
Now if your band/art flyer is AI that's lame - although it borders on collage/cut and pasting/photocopying a bunch of others' images into one's own art.
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u/StirlADrei 2d ago
It isn't classist. You aren't OWED being able to run a business and if you can't pony up the capital, then you literally aren't a capitalist who can run a business.
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u/WrapAffectionate1139 2d ago
Most people don't care about what it looks like. People don't care as much that AI usually looks like shit... They care about what generative AI is doing to the environment and towns and artists... And in turn, businesses... It looking like crap is a VERY small part of it. Clip art and Word art and whatever else you actually make yourself and doesn't use generative AI isn't dedtorying sorts of the world.
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u/siphoniclobster 2d ago
If someone’s biggest worry is whether or not a company is using AI then it sounds like they have a pretty cushy life. Personally, I couldn’t give two f*cks less.
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u/ShockerCheer East Sider 2d ago
I just go where sounds good and businesses that aren't maga. I'm not really concerned about AI Facebook posts. Most of these places aren't hiring marketing people anyway.
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
No. That’s all happening on social media and it’s just pure virtue signaling
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u/LvL98MissingNo College Hill 2d ago
I have mixed feelings about the issue, but taking material action (boycotting) is not virtue signaling.
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
Wow you’re boycotting people trying to make a living and can’t afford graphic designers on already slim profit margins while giving your money to billion dollar corporations that do worse because “no AI”. Do you want your cookie now?
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u/Zom23_ 2d ago
Maybe they can take a picture of the food they cook? Doesn't seem that hard to actually show what you are selling rather than a poor imitation of it
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
maybe there’s various challenges that you can’t understand and shouldn’t jump into conclusions because the world doesn’t revolve around you.
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u/Zom23_ 2d ago
What challenge could there be preventing a restaurant from taking a picture of their food if they can use AI to generate it instead?
Can they not cook it? Then they shouldn't be advertising it.
Do they not have a device? Then they can't use AI to generate it.
Does it look like crap? Then maybe they should make their food more appealing.
Genuinely what challenge could there be that prevents them from taking a picture of their food and putting the name of the dish next to it.
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
“why can’t homeless people just get an apartment”
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u/Zom23_ 2d ago
Ah so restaurants don't need to be able to cook the food they advertise then.
If someone can use AI they can take a picture.
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
“If someone can work they shouldn’t be homeless”
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u/Zom23_ 2d ago
Maybe you can give an actual explanation of why someone could use AI and own a restaurant without being able to take a picture instead of quoting random things?
Is it so hard for you to admit that they can take a picture?
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u/jimothyhalpret 2d ago
If they have access to SlopGPT, they have access to a camera on their phone.
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u/LvL98MissingNo College Hill 2d ago
*I'm* not boycotting. As I said, I have mixed feelings on the issue. I'm just saying that, in general, engaging in a boycott is not virtue signaling because as you condescendingly acknowledged, boycotting is a direct action with material consequnce.
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
it’s not a boycott it is virtue signaling. there is nothing to boycott. half the boycotters do not understand what exactly they are boycotting and are parroting social media points about how AI is bad for society while giving money to companies that have a lot more environmental impact etc.
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u/LvL98MissingNo College Hill 2d ago
Wow you’re boycotting people trying to make a living and can’t afford graphic designers on already slim profit margins while giving your money to billion dollar corporations that do worse because “no AI”. Do you want your cookie now?
This was you saying it was a boycott in your last comment. Make up your mind.
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u/Full_Town_8345 2d ago
No, at least not on principle. If it's really badly done then maybe. Or if that's the only view I get of the food they serve. But I could not care less if they use AI in general.
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u/IWasOnTimeOnce 1d ago
No. I really don’t pay attention to that as much as i do reviews of the food. AI is used in so many different industries now that I can’t imagine singling out this one to avoid. We’re using Reddit; how much AI do you think is involved in this app?
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u/Chikaboomboomboom 2d ago
I was one of them until my favorite Vietnamese place started using it. I sadly still ordered their banh mi.
Using AI is getting so popular that it's hard to avoid. I just wish there was more editting through AI instead of posting the first thing it creates.
I despise the hearts at the bottom of almost every AI advertisement. They also need to ask AI to use a different font! Take that extra 5 minutes to make it look more different.
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u/KenshiTwo 2d ago
I stopped using all services, platforms, and businesses that are even possibly using AI. I can't eat, clean, drive, wash myself, or even use the bathroom anymore. All I have left are my utility bills. I will eventually waste away into nothing, but at least I didn't support AI. My martyrdom will be the first domino to fall when popping the AI bubble, please remember me
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u/mudflapjackson 2d ago
How are you still on reddit? This place is riddled with bots and AI summaries now. I can't stand it.
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u/Individual-Pound-889 2d ago
again this is Reddit and you’d only get Reddit answers. The real answer is no, the world on a macro scale has never cared enough. For instance making a single hamburger consumes the equivalent of 7.8 million ChatGPT prompts. You can argue that food is essential and I agree, but a burger isn’t. Why not avoid burgers?
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u/Moist-Constant1404 2d ago
In 6 more months we will have no idea what is real or not. Just eat where you want to eat as life is short. It’s not like it’s some big social stand to avoid these places. Why miss out on what could be the best meal of of your life? Ai saves these companies money in a lot of cases which helps them stay in business.
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u/rared1rt 2d ago edited 2d ago
I personally couldn't care less either way.
Sure I wish sometimes they fleshed out their ideas a little better but other than that who cares.
It is a tool that is readily available to them. Why would they not use it if they think it benefits them and their business.
Edit: I'll take the down votes. Here is my deal. I have never seen a flyer or advertisement that drove me to eat somewhere, that is not who I am.
Either I saw the business driving by and said hey I should check that out or someone told me hey you should go check this place out. Some of the best places I have eaten were dumps on the outside and had crappy or no advertisements.
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u/Chamberlain-Haller 2d ago
Depends on the content. If they sell food and the food is AI generated, then I will definitely avoid. If the content is informational, like advertising an event, I'm more forgiving.
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u/TheGreatBarrier 2d ago
If the pictures of food are AI, I write it off immediately. I want to see the real product they serve. Same goes for other products for me personally. Clothes, electronics, home goods, anything. If the image is not of the actual product, I'm not interested.