A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then came the angry DMs.
A Buffalo coffee shop's fall menu went viral for all the wrong reasons. Its owner apologized for using AI but also urged "kindness and respect."
Penny's Coffee Shop in Buffalo, New York, had an AI-generated seasonal menu poster created by the owner, Megi Endeladze. This caused outrage among customers and generated a torrent of angry messages on Instagram and direct messages. Despite not expecting such backlash, Endeladze was caught off guard by the reaction. She had previously taken photos and edited them herself but had to seek help due to a staff member moving away.
With a newborn baby, she turned to AI to create a new poster, only for the negative comments to start pouring in. The owner, a new mother who also worked as a chiropractor, was horrified when she received threats from a customer who threatened to expose the incident to the local artist community. Endeladze decided to stop using AI for menu artwork and apologized to her customers, urging them to approach the issue with kindness and respect.
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