Food tech firm Lunchbox and OpenAI launch AI food generator screenshot
Generative AI has been used to write articles and Tinder messages, and create all kinds of recipes and art. Now, it’s being used by some restaurant owners to spit out photos of food for their digital menus.
Nabeel Alamgir, CEO of restaurant tech startup Lunchbox, recently introduced a free AI-powered food photo generator with the help of OpenAI, the firm behind the viral bot ChatGPT. Lunchbox, a restaurant management software company that works with nearly 200 brands, created the tool using OpenAI’s text-to-image tool DALL-E.
Alamgir said Lunchbox pays OpenAI a “small fee” per question. He said that since its launch on January 19, it has generated 175 million AI photos. Lunchbox is not able to track which restaurants or brands are using the tool.
Like ChatGPT, users describe what they’re looking for to generate content — in this case, a food photo. The insider asked it to create an image of a “burger with blue cheese and bacon” on a “brown” background. Style and background suggestions are optional.
The request proved difficult for the bot.
It cranked out four images including one of a burger with light blue buns, giving them a dusky look. Another photo shows an artisanal looking burger with a thick slice of blue cheese.
Alamgir said the food photo generator aims to help restaurants increase sales. Citing Grubhub data, he said that restaurants that add pictures to their menu items receive 70% more orders and 65% more sales than restaurants that don’t.
“We launched this free generator to give small and new restaurants access to the same equipment that larger platforms offer for a fee,” Alamgir said.
DoorDash also puts a strong emphasis on good photography, according to food tech writer Kristen Hawley, who first reported about The Lunchbox’s photo generator tool last month.
“Since the menu is the main online touchpoint, an unattractive or poorly organized menu can have a huge negative impact on a merchant’s online conversion rate, regardless of the quality of the food,” the delivery operator said in a 2020 blog post.
Results for an image request of Blueberry Pancakes with Chocolate Syrup on a yellow background. screenshot
In today’s social-media-obsessed world, a picture is not only worth a thousand words – it can be worth 100,000 views or likes. But how will diners react when the dish they ordered looks nothing like the picture?
While tools like the food photo generator are new, historically, customers have come to expect their dishes to look as advertised. The chain was also sued when menu items did not live up to their advertisements.
“We understand that maintaining menu integrity is important,” he said. “The reason we launched Food Image Generator is because it can be pretty close to the real view of your more simple dishes, but it carries a marketing component that many new and small restaurants can’t afford.”
Alamgir said the tool is meant to fill a gap for restaurants that don’t have access to professional food photography.
“Mouth-watering” food photos can definitely inspire a guest to order, said Julie Zucker, a partner and chief marketing officer at Branded Hospitality Ventures.
The food tech VC firm, which also runs several restaurants in New York, invests in startups that solve problems for restaurants. Branded Hospitality Ventures is not an investor in The Lunchbox.
“There’s no doubt that photos sell, and there’s tremendous data to support that,” Zucker said. “However, operators don’t open restaurants to become food photographers, so if there is an AI tool for accurately representing real cuisine in a way that doesn’t confuse guests, that tool is going to be a surefire winner.”
Still, photos of fake food may not work for DoorDash. On their website, the company states that they reject photos on their app if they “do not properly represent the item”.
“Customers should see a realistic representation of what they’ll receive when ordering online,” DoorDash told Insider. “Displaying high-quality, accurate menu images is critical to maintaining customer trust and generating sales through DoorDash.”
If the restaurant doesn’t have photos of the food, DoorDash said it offers complimentary photo shoots.
Read the original article on Business Insider
