‹ BackHN Continuity

Thread

A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then came the angry DMs

82 points · 316 comments · TMWNN

  1. izzydata · · focus · HN ↗
    Threatening people is unwarranted, but of course people are allowed to choose where they buy coffee for whatever reasons they see fit. If the market decides that stores with AI posters aren't the place to be then the business has to adapt.
    1. garyfirestorm · · focus · HN ↗
      i generally go to the store where the coffee tastes better
      1. seattle_spring · · focus · HN ↗
        Using AI to make a sign is likely a pretty good indicator as to the effort the owner puts into other aspects of their business.
        1. fragmede · · focus · HN ↗
          Yes. It's a sign they spend a lot of effort making good coffee and don't have a lot of effort left over to work on a sign.
          1. krapp · · focus · HN ↗
            They own the business, they don't make the coffee, nor did they make the sign they had earlier.
            1. nrmitchi · · focus · HN ↗
              > They own the business, they don't make the coffee

              You might not have spent a lot of time in the world of "small business", but this is hysterically out of touch.

              1. krapp · · focus · HN ↗
                The article literally mentions that they have baristas, one of whom was making the old menu because they were "aesthetically inclined." This can also be confirmed by looking at the employment section of their website.

                The owner was not personally either making or serving the coffee.

                1. phil21 · · focus · HN ↗
                  I don't follow. Even a little bit.

                  Every single small coffee shop owner I know has employees. They work alongside them and do every job in the shop along with them. They operate in shifts, sometimes the owner is there for both open and close.

                  What does hiring a barista have to do with not making coffee yourself?

                  Gonna go with the "hilariously out of touch" comment. These places rarely print money to the point an owner can be an absentee manager type.

                  1. krapp · · focus · HN ↗
                    You're pretending not to comprehend the simple concept of a barista.

                    I can see you're not interested in a good faith conversation here. I'm not going to waste any more of my time. Feel free to keep on berating me if it makes you feel better.

                    1. phil21 · · focus · HN ↗
                      The most fitting description of an owner of a small coffee shop is "barista". Most barista's I know also handle far more than just making coffee and serving customers. They do everything short of being personally financially responsible for the business itself.

                      It's quite clear that if anyone was operating in bad faith here, it's not the commenters challenging your position. Small business ownership is almost always simply a riskier version of having the job you're also hiring for with a very small chance of upside. Usually at lower pay.

                      In this particular case the owner was simply doing a task other barista's like herself were doing as part of the regular job of a barista.

                      > The owner was not personally either making or serving the coffee.

                      This is the part I do not follow. Of course she is? What small coffee shop owner do you know does not personally make or serve the coffee on a regular basis? The only way not to take your original post in bad faith is to not understand your meaning.

          2. squidsoup · · focus · HN ↗
            The environment the coffee is served in is a significant part of the business.
          3. asdff · · focus · HN ↗
            Somehow I don't think that's the tradeoff being made
Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.