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The restaurants using unsettling AI-generated images

Plus the cult of Loonen water and why the Cheesecake Factory keeps winning.


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Plus the cult of Loonen water and why the Cheesecake Factory keeps winning.

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Happy Monday, and Happy Open Tab day! I’ve got a very full newsletter for you.


There’s been more drama for David Protein, which is embroiled in a California class action suit arguing that the protein bars do in fact contain sugar, despite the company’s claims otherwise. The lawsuit comes after a key ingredient in David’s products, allulose, has been deemed a sugar, and it builds on a similar suit filed against Chobani.


And finally, the Cheesecake Factory’s stock appears to have outperformed Nvidia’s so far this year. Make of that what you will. To me, it is a sure sign that while the AI bubble may burst, cheesecake is forever.


Get all the details in the full version of this week’s Open Tab—here’s a gift link to send your friends.

SAM STONE

SENIOR EDITOR

AI Has Come for Food Photos

 

By Sam Stone

 

You know what makes me not want to eat a burrito? A deeply unsettling, disgusting AI-generated photo of a burrito. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the type of image some restaurants are using to advertise. This AI foodslop photo features a dish made with something vaguely akin to shrimp, but perfectly round like a doughnut with neither head nor tail. Here, what looks like 3D-printed quiche. Some AI-generated signs advertise items that the shop doesn’t even sell.


What’s behind these unhinged photos? I get to the bottom of it in this week’s Open Tab.

READ MORE

By Sam Stone

 

Why Is Loonen Water So Hyped?

 

I’ve been writing about water since I started working at Bon Appétit four (!) years ago. I’ve done taste tests to determine the best sparkling waters. I spent weeks talking to water sommeliers, which, yes, exist. And I’ve reported on the rise of the Gen Z-ified Liquid Death as it replaced La Croix as the water of the moment.


Now, we have a new water du jour: Loonen. Though it’s been on the market for less than a year, the glass-bottled, ultra-pure water has secured national distribution, and is the it-girl bottle to have. I explore the wellness water movement and what exactly fueled the Loonen takeover.

READ MORE

More to Love

DRINKS

The Best Rye Whiskeys, According to Our Editors

RECIPES

Garlic Confit

On the Side

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