CHICAGO — A deli here has replaced its menu photographs with computer-generated images of food that does not exist, and customers, after years of being shown sandwiches that looked exactly like the sandwich they were about to receive, report they are experiencing something they had forgotten: appetite based on faith.

The trend, documented by Business Insider, has delis nationwide printing AI-made pictures of their menu items: Reubens that look like they are melting from the inside, shrimp arranged in suspicious circles, cheesesteaks so perfect they seem to be watching you. The Los Angeles Times reports owners like the images because they are fast and cheap. CBC notes diners have responded by photographing the menus and asking, loudly, what is happening.

The deli’s owner, who asked that his name be used exactly as printed on his apron, defended the change with the confidence of a man who just saved $400 on a photographer. “The old photos showed you a sandwich,” he said. “The new photos show you a possibility. A Reuben that might be a Reuben. That’s more honest, because when I make your Reuben, it might not be either.”

He is right, and the food critics who are upset are simply upset about being told the truth. A real photograph promises the sandwich will look like the photograph. The AI photograph promises nothing. It is the only menu format that has never lied to a customer.

"I ordered the shrimp scampi because the picture showed what appeared to be a friendly sea creature in a circle. What arrived was actual shrimp. I felt cheated in a direction I didn't have a word for. I have been coming back every Tuesday to feel it again." — Kyle Renner, Definitely Real regular, who described the deli's menu as 'the most exciting thing to happen to lunch since lunch'

ORDERING BY AI MENU: ODDS & OUTCOMES

  • The Reuben: pictured as a glowing amber landslide. Tastes like a normal Reuben. The gap between the two is called adventure.
  • The shrimp scampi: pictured as circular creatures of unknown origin. Arrives as dinner. Most customers accept this trade.
  • The cheesesteak: pictured as "suspiciously perfect," per Mashable's roundup. Eaters report the real version is worse, which they describe as refreshing.
  • The price: unchanged. The mystery: free.

Nutritionists, writing for CNN, note the images are spiritually unsettling. That is a feature of the dining experience, not a bug. Americans have not been unsettled by lunch since the salad bar, and the salad bar, by every available measure, made us stronger.

At press time, the deli announced a second menu featuring AI photos of the customers eating, which show them as tall, glowing, and mildly confused, and regulars say it is the most accurate thing the place has ever printed.