One Tuesday night, a small business owner in Buffalo, New York, suddenly finds herself reading through a barrage of irate messages she never anticipated. This is a specific type of online moment. When Megi Endeladze, co-owner of Penny’s Coffee Shop, chose to use an AI-generated image for the café’s fall seasonal menu poster, that is essentially what happened. What transpired was a viral backlash that, in some ways, speaks more about people’s attitudes toward authenticity in a time when everything is beginning to appear a little too flawless, a little too smooth, and a little too manufactured than it does about a single coffee shop.
Endeladze does not work as a tech executive. In her spare time, she works as a chiropractor and assists her husband in running a three-year-old café in downtown Buffalo by taking pictures of drinks, styling foam, and adjusting the lighting just before the bubbles burst. It was something she truly enjoyed doing. She told Business Insider, “You have to time it so the foam doesn’t deflate,” and that detail is subtly illuminating. This is the kind of person who would race against physics for a coffee photo.
Penny’s had a system for years. Endeladze would dedicate an entire day to taking pictures of new drinks when the seasonal menu changed. A skilled barista would then create a chalkboard sign; over the years, there had been several, each with a unique hand for lettering. It was completely human, completely in-house, and completely unglamorous in the best sense of the word. It became theirs because of that.
The AI poster followed. DMs flooded in, followers vanished, and at least one threat circulated online as the backlash happened quickly. Endeladze apologized publicly on Instagram and declared that Penny’s Coffee Shop would no longer use AI for promotional designs or menu artwork. She might have been caught off guard. It’s likely that most small business owners experimenting with these tools are.
The error itself isn’t particularly fascinating in this case. It’s the intensity of the response. People felt something akin to betrayal, not just disagreement. And it’s worth pausing to consider that. We often assume that the coffee, the cost, and the line speed are what matter most to customers. However, Penny’s circumstances point to a deeper emotional investment in a small, independent business’s aesthetics than most owners are aware of. The chalkboard is important. The photo of the slightly flawed foam is important. On the other side of the Instagram account, these things indicate presence, effort, and a genuine human being.
It seems like Penny isn’t the only one who has to learn this lesson the hard way. Cafés, bodegas, and restaurants are using AI-generated imagery in their menus and social media feeds all over the nation, and this is no longer a niche trend. They are frequently pursuing cost savings rather than innovative shortcuts. Menus with shrimp that resembled tiny life preservers and breakfast burritos with fillings that actually made people uneasy were documented by NBC News. In New York, a customer tried to place an order for a nonexistent menu item that had been created by an AI image generator and written on an outdoor chalkboard. Confused and hungry, she left.
This phenomenon has been referred to by critics as “food slop,” and the term seems accurate in an honest but uncharitable way. The pictures are philosophically dishonest in addition to being aesthetically flawed. They deliver an assembled product after making a genuine promise. The Guardian reported that diners believe the phony pictures show a “lack of pride” in the food itself. It’s obviously how it lands emotionally, regardless of whether that’s fair to every company utilizing the technology.
The restaurant industry as a whole is still figuring out where to draw the line. Roughly one in four operators now use AI tools in some capacity, according to the National Restaurant Association. Three years ago, this percentage would have been unimaginable. The majority of that use is most likely operational, including customer data, scheduling, and inventory. However, the friction is found in the applications that are visible to consumers, such as menus, social media posts, and promotional graphics.
It’s difficult not to feel some sympathy for Endeladze as you watch this play out. She wasn’t skimping on the coffee. In the same way that every small business owner juggles a full-time job, a marriage, a café, and a social media presence that never truly clocks out, she was attempting to save a few hours, possibly a few dollars. The instrument was present. It didn’t seem dangerous. It wasn’t.
Customers aren’t just purchasing lattes, as Penny’s Coffee Shop painfully and publicly discovered. They are embracing a narrative about who created it and why it is important. AI is now capable of doing many tasks fairly well. However, it is still unable to mimic the impression that someone stayed late to time the foam.
FAQs
1. What did Penny’s Coffee Shop do that caused the backlash?
The owner used an AI-generated image for the café’s fall seasonal menu poster.
2. How did customers react to the AI-generated menu?
They sent angry DMs, unfollowed the account, and at least one threat was made.
3. What decision did Megi Endeladze make after the controversy?
She publicly announced Penny’s Coffee Shop would no longer use AI for promotional designs.
4. How common is AI tool usage among restaurant operators today?
The National Restaurant Association reports 26% of restaurant operators currently use AI tools.
5. Why do customers object to AI-generated food images on menus?
Diners say fake photos signal a lack of pride in food quality.
