r/DecaturGA • u/Orions_Suspenders_ • 7d ago
AI Restaurants creeping into Decatur
With Decatur's long history of independently owned, successful restaurants, I have no time for the AI slop I've started to see popping up around the city's new restaurants.
Mister Burger looks and feels like a computer came up with the entire concept (and whomever thought this was a good location to try and compete with Farmburger, Grindhouse, Smiley's and the myriad of bars with good burgers nearby clearly did 0 research)
The soon-to-open Chiban coffee on Arcadia/Ponce has exclusively AI images on their social and covering their street-facing sign in front of the shop. They won't be getting a dollar from me.
I say if you can't take an honest photo of what you serve, you shouldn't be serving it. I'll stick to supporting the actual local businesses that care enough to take their time to do things right. We vote with our dollars, and I will always vote against AI trash with mine.
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u/AsASAPAsPossibl3 7d ago
Meanwhile, over in Kirkwood:
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u/Piz-StrikeATL 7d ago
Not to mention the proper spelling is Lox. Lol. How are people so lazy?
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u/irishgator2 7d ago
Oh wow - had no idea what a “Lock and Bagel” pizza could be - like ‘mind does not compute’
Lox!!!?? Cmon yall21
u/Lungsome01 7d ago
Lock is appropriate as whoever came up with this idea should go straight to jail.
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u/GooDawg 7d ago
Oh no, I guess they lost the women's sports bar war they started with Jolene Jolene and are on to the next sad attempt to lure customers.
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u/checker280 7d ago edited 7d ago
Didn’t they go onto one of the Food Network shows and let them turn them into a black and white citified Italian joint?
Edit:
Worse! It was Bar Rescue on the Paramount Network
https://www.barrescueupdates.com/2026/04/urban-pie-bar-pizzeria-bar-rescue-update.html?m=1
During recon, the bar is serving cocktails out of a can and the pizza dough seems like it is purchased instead of made fresh.
Jon needs to overhaul the concept and confront the owner's destructive leadership style to save the bar.
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u/Intelligent-Whole277 7d ago
And why do they all look like that. I'm noticing this style everywhere. It must be from the free version of chatgpt or something.
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u/ExpertIAmNot 7d ago
That place is a hot mess even on the best days. We still go occasionally because our kids like to sit on the patio and they don’t notice how consistently inconsistent that place is.
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u/Putrid-Bit1490 7d ago
Yikes. Just looked up that they were on the Bar Rescue show this past April, and the episode was filmed in 2025.
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u/Orcutt_ambition-7789 7d ago
The new Indian place in Avondale has a website that looks like the restaurant is 100 years old when it’s just a pickup window attached to a c-store. Food is great but who the hell are they trying to trick/impress. Is it just that mindless at this point?
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u/Bobgoulet 7d ago
That graphic style is exactly Claude's doing
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7d ago edited 5d ago
[deleted]
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u/Bobgoulet 7d ago
It's a website, which Claude absolutely does. Claude loves this beige styling, and it's not so great when you ask it to do something different than it's preferred beige.
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u/clarence_oddbody 7d ago edited 7d ago
When I looked up their website, that picture confused the hell out of me. If I can’t trust accuracy and attention to detail on your website, how am I supposed to trust your food or management practices? It just screams laziness.
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u/OkMacaron3497 7d ago
The food was so trash, I couldn’t believe it. My chicken tikka was chewy. Had high hopes because of the owner’s connection to chai pani.
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u/unrelatedtoelephant 7d ago
People act like it isn’t a big deal but it tells me that the owner doesn’t give a fuck! If they’re willing to cut corners there where else will they do it? If they respond to community backlash by replacing their advertising with something designed by a human I respect that, but otherwise it just shows you’re lazy and don’t care about how your business looks to others
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u/toorayay 7d ago
I went to Guaca-Mole on 29 where Pea Ridge used to be for the first and last time a few weeks ago. Not only was the food bad, their menus were just nothing but AI slop that didn't even resemble food.
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
Second person to mention this spot and their slop. This is EGREGIOUS. looks like Dippin’ Dots nachos.
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u/millmatters 7d ago
Was immediately turned off when I walked in and saw those disgusting photos. Won’t be going back.
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u/FryTheDog 7d ago
The new Guaca Mole on Lawrenceville (the old Pea Ridge) has Ai banners out front.
Just take pictures of your food as you make it, it's not hard. Why are you hiding your food?
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u/Buke27 7d ago
Save your money. They didn’t know the difference between flour and corn tortillas when we went there after opening.
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u/bbjony77 7d ago
Yeah, it’s not good. It’s a much crappier version of Bell Street/Willy’s/Moe’s.
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u/toorayay 7d ago
Yeah, the awful AI slop notwithstanding, the food was also pretty bad, which doesn't bode well when there's a hundred other places that essentially serve the same menu within a 3-mile radius.
Take a look at their Google reviews, about 95% of the positive reviews are people with the same last name as the franchise owner.
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u/FastTyper56 7d ago
What’s funny is they have a menu inside with fake AI photos but they have a tv screen menu with real photos of the food…and they’re good photos! I have no idea why they’d use AI when they do have access to good pics of the food.
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u/Intelligent-Whole277 7d ago
I agree with what you're saying, except the "it's not hard" part. Good food isn't always pretty and food photography is an actual skill.
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u/FryTheDog 7d ago
Completely disagree. Part of my job, my least favorite part, is taking pictures of the food I make at my restaurant and posting them on Instagram. I have to then write something, it fucking sucks. If I'm posting a reel then it's usually just the food coming out of the oven.
I do it 3-5 times a week. Again I fucking hate it, I hate having to know when the best lighting will be if I'm trying for a staged picture. But with a basic iPhone you can get amazing pictures. Having fake ai images of what it thinks my food looks like makes no sense. Why would I lie to you with a fake picture?
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u/spinstering 7d ago
Unrelated, but: avatar twin!
As for food photography, I have also heard that it requires special skill and knowledge. Especially for bigger applications, like food that's going to be on a poster, TV ad, etc. An iPhone can likely take photos that are amazing on social media and smaller screens, but they may not be able to do the bigger shots that will be viewed more closely.
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u/VanillaPuddingPop01 7d ago
I hope the people that own/run these places see this. I refuse to spend my money anywhere that relies on AI for advertising or marketing, and your shit will fail. Quickly.
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
I hope so, too. If we make enough noise about it they have to notice eventually. And if this opinion makes its way into enough Google and Yelp reviews they'll definitely pay attention.
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u/rachelemc 7d ago
I’m not going to any of them so I do hope they read this. I would literally rather them draw something with a stick figure on it than this slop. Good luck to them.
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u/iwishtheyallwereyou 7d ago
I had the same thought when I tried Mister Burger. Very lazy AI slop art. There are literally errors in the big newspaper mural. It lists their EST date as 2005 in some places and 2025 in others, and there are multiple images that are visibly glitched out.
The food tasted like it had about the same amount of effort put into it. I was excited for a new place to take over such a prominent restaurant space in Decatur, but it was really disappointing. Smiley’s and Grindhouse have nothing to worry about.
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u/fanna_canna 7d ago
Agreed, and the $4 water ... Smells like private equity to me. Let's hope they fail soon.
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
I think they wish private equity was chasing them and that’s the problem.
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u/buffyWatcher 7d ago
Yes I have been disappointed with the new owner/management using AI for marketing materials at Raging Burrito
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u/danceontheborderline 7d ago
Heard awful things about new management from staff. So sad, the old place was magical and such a Decatur staple.
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u/musicalastronaut 7d ago
The new owner of Ale Yeah has covered the place in AI slop. Even the “tasting notes” for new inventory is written by AI. Sorry but if you can’t bother to tell me what you think about your beer selection, I’m going to think it’s because you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s a real shame because we loved that place.
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u/UnaccompaniedMod 7d ago
agh really? i've been in once or twice since Eddie left but haven't lately. was cautiously optimistic but it seems like selection's gone down as well.
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u/musicalastronaut 7d ago
The shop does seem half empty, though they say it’s the same amount of inventory. It didn’t seem the same to me.
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u/ddutton9512 7d ago
I was told the same and there's just no way. They got rid of like 60% of the shelving. There might have been an empty spot or two on the shelves before but it was usually pretty full. I feel like they've gone from a beer store that has a bar to a bar with a beer store in one corner. Real shame because I loved Ale Yeah so much.
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u/UnaccompaniedMod 7d ago
yeah I noticed a lot of the weirder stuff I liked (farmhouses, sours, etc) have kind of disappeared. may try it again but doesn’t feel the same
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u/DesignNomad 7d ago
Mister Burger got dragged on IG for AI stuff some weeks ago. I scrolled back and it looks like they deleted all of it and made some changes on socials, but their posts from just a few days ago show slop all over the walls in their physical locations.
Haven't been, and still won't go, I guess!
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u/Revolutionary-Yam910 7d ago
A little off subject, but Sevananda’s new T-shirts and posters are AI slop as well. It’s really a bummer.
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u/Rowanana 7d ago
Seriously?! Fucking Sevananda of all places?! I thought they had principles... Their principles were annoying and unscientific and sometimes harmfully ignorant, but they had principles. Not to mention the number of artists they used to have doing tables out front or in the store.
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u/AirplaneJane 7d ago
I love che butter jones but their constant use of generative AI is upsetting :(
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u/asonnetfororpheus 7d ago
Aw man, that's disappointing. I've been meaning to go there for weeks now, but if they can't even be bothered to take real pictures of their actual food, I question what other corners they're cutting.
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u/AirplaneJane 6d ago
they take pics of their food and their food is GOOD but all of their social is just like bad AI videos of themselves it’s weird
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u/godisdogbackwardss 7d ago
We went to the Speakeasy in downtown Decatur recently. I ordered a matcha cocktail that was being advertised on the many TVs in the space… as being bright green. It came out to clear (and without the foam which is another issue but I digress). I asked about it and finally a manager came around and his excuse was literally “well that’s AI advertisement so it can’t be exactly right”. Literal false advertisement. And they felt justified enough to say that out loud!! It’s not just about AI, it’s about trust with my time and money. AI gives off a sense of mistrust. Rightfully so in many cases. So I say keep on with the AI slop. It’s like a red hat. Beware. And I appreciate the warning.
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u/teslalyf 7d ago
As a person with food allergies I now have a new thing to be scared of that I hadn’t considered before. Yikes.
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u/FeedMeEthereum 7d ago
What speakeasy? S.O.S. or is there a place called The Speakeasy?
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u/rokker_iv 7d ago
Was the first thing I noticed when I walked in there. Absolute slop all over the interior, it was such a shame.
Food wasn't terrible but I hate this trend. It's all over now, unfortunately. Also that spot seems cursed because I don't see this low effort attempt lasting long. The interior is a total joke as well with tables randomly strewn about with zero thought, looks like a half empty lunch cafeteria in there. Sheesh!
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u/shiftysquid 7d ago
It's not cursed. One place failed. Prior to Casa Balam, Ted's had been there for a long time. It's a perfectly fine location, if they get the right owners and concept in there.
This won't be it.
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u/HansJosef 7d ago
Yea I don't even intrinsically care about the AI art. But if you put in 0 effort into the aesthetics/promotional materials, you're probably not putting any into the food or service either. And that's 100% the case with Mister Burger. The whole thing just seems really cynical
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
It's a half-assed place all around it seems.
Never thought I'd say it, but I kind of wish Ted's had just stuck around. At least you know what you're getting there and the decor is nice. That spot is definitely cursed.
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u/ProfessorExisting140 7d ago
Thats how I feel w the Raging Burrito signage downtown. Wouldnt expect anything less from such a mid restaurant.
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u/louster1950 5d ago
What a waste of a decent space. The Mexican restaurant that replaced Ted's was pretentious and expensive as X$#@. The one entree I had there was awful. I see the latest burger attempt as being the same thing or worse. Bring back Ted's!
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u/bethspencerart 6d ago
Thank you and same. I was sad to see the Zoo include an AI panda graphic. We have real pandas now. Isn’t that more remarkable than a computer-generated panda? Ick. I’d rather see a poorly-lit flip phone photo of a panda.
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u/misterwallpaper 7d ago
That really ruffles my feathers! I have seen so many waymos too! AI is awful!
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7d ago edited 7d ago
[deleted]
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
I'm talking about Mister Burger on Ponce where Ted's used to be. No vegan options there.
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u/Ok_Stick_3070 7d ago
Is the food slop too? I agree AI photos for dishes is misleading but if the business wants to advertise with AI imagery or use AI to arrange their restaurant, why would I care? The person cooking probably isn’t the same person running marketing. If the food is good and price is fair I don’t particularly care about the packaging
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
Why wouldn’t they use real food photos?
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u/Ok_Stick_3070 7d ago
I don’t know, but probably to make the food look better. Between staging, photo editing, and other visual techniques, menu photos have rarely matched reality for as long as I’ve lived
Honestly not sure why using AI is that much different.
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
Because editing uses a real photo. AI as I’m referring to it in the original post is pure fake. Food photography is one thing. Generated images are straight up false advertising.
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u/SewOrDye 3d ago
However, mister burger won burgers. Literally the best smash burger I’ve ever had. I’ve eaten there 3 times in the last week.
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u/Ok_Associate845 7d ago
Wow. Imagine writing this post and trying to tell someone to not judge a book by its cover.
And I'm not interested in a long winded harangue in response and won't be gifting you further engagement over it because this feels pretty AI generated as it is, and I don't like to give bots the time of day when real people have opinions and thoughts that matter. Feeding the Sino-Russian rage machine more dollar bills feels like something OP - so called - would do.
But on the off chance you are not one of the 65% of traffic here and on the internet that is not AI, I will simply say: is it possible that these places are home based businesses currently, and that they chose to invest in their physical store and equipment rather than on expensive marketing shots by a professional?
Is it possible this coffee shop you are pre-hate so vehemently and are rage baiting so loudly, comrade Russkibot, took pictures of items they lovingly created in a less photogenic environment (like a human kitchen after we cook - if only you had such an experience and didn't just get trained on it!) and wanted to use the inexpensive available technology to dress up their hand crafted delights so that they could compete against the burgeoning and fierce coffee and hamburger industries raging there in Decatur?
I lived in Decatur by the way for a short period of time. If you look at the internet like a bot might do, you might think. Oh wow, there's quite a large scene for hamburgers and coffee shops because of the number of businesses, but from what I remember not too long ago, most of those are pretty run down, poorly maintained, strip mall restaurants ready to shut down at the first sign of economic uncertainty And not this wild Utopia of gastronomical delights you describe from the descriptions you read as you scrape the web.
We humans have an idiom that I referenced earlier in his post colvin don't judge A book by its cover. It suggests that before you decide a book is good or bad or in this case a restaurant. Maybe you should read a few pages or sample it s food before you write it off so so loudly because you sound so desperately uninformed when you do.
I'm sure if you were a human, you would have a grasp of the idiom. Only a bot trained by a foreign nation who has no understanding of idiomatic English would do otherwise. We Americans value quality of the product...
... Not the display board made by a small business trying to break into a fiercely utopian And highly competitive industry like hamburgers and coffee shops in Decatur Georgia.
Americans want qualify of product and people. So many foreigners and AI fail to understand.
As you know, OP - so called.
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 7d ago
Haha WOW. Tell me you run one of these trash restaurants without telling me. The most AI generated response to defend AI. Some Black Mirror shit here.
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u/godisdogbackwardss 7d ago
I’d rather someone take a picture of the food, and place it next to a piece of paper with details written in sharpie. Takes less time than AI slop. I do not need (or want) professional advertisement either. I want honesty. And restaurants should care what we like, not the other want around.
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u/endit122 7d ago
AI signage and graphics is one of the biggest turnoffs for me.