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When you don’t have any expectations, you can’t get disappointed. But when there’s an advertisement for a delicious meal shoved right up in your face but you get served a big pile of cheap-looking cooking, you can’t help but get angry.

Nobody expects picture-perfect food at restaurants. However, some of these meals are so incomparable to their ads, Bored Panda just had to show you side-by-side examples. Check them out below, upvote the most egregious cuisine lies, and let us know about the times when a restaurant has made you swear like a souped-up version of Gordon Ramsay.

We’re not talking just about fast food here. Restaurants in seemingly good standing are also known to violate the most basic tenet of human relations ever: don’t mess with someone’s food. (Though, come to think of it, can you really expect anything good from places that have pictures of food on their menus? Kidding! Haha! Just kidding! Please don’t hurt me, Picture Menu Restaurant Mafia.)

#1

My "Cookies And Cream Stuffed French Toast" From Ihop

My "Cookies And Cream Stuffed French Toast" From Ihop

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writerhilary74 avatar
Hilary Mol
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Mom, check it out - they have Poo Grilled Cheese on the menu!"

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Jovita A
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had this at Ihop, it does look close to the one in the first picture, so I don't believe in the second...

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Blue
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The server knew what they were doing when they made this look like dog s**t. I would have sent it back and complained.

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William Quach
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a toast on your s**t! Take it back to the kitchen! No one should mess with your s**t!

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Louchebert
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, they've either got a cat or a small dog on the loose... :-s

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salmon chipmunk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

PLEASE tell the workers to use the bathroom, no matter how good the toast looks

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chicken
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mmm. we all love some delicious fresh new poop straight out of the butt hole

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serge
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone at IHOP has a scatological sense of humor....or is sending a message to a Karen, who knows...

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Celtic Pirate Queen
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I seriously would have sent that back & ordered something else. No way I could get the image of Minnie's "Eat My S**t pie" from the movie "The Help" out of my mind.

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JD Lee
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is what you get when your frazzled fake-smiled server wants to passive aggressively convey “Eat s*it sweetie”.

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CARMEN FLORES
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How could they serve that knowing what it looked like??? I would have had a fit!

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Bill Wallner
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As you look at all of these: remember these are franchises and not all franchisees are the same.

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Daniele Ribolla
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

with only a little "zig-zag", cream don't seem a s**t, and the time to make it is the same. for me, it was done on purpose for some reason

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Logically Reasonable
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is this a dogs plate of food? I don't know any other animal on this planet that eats sh*t.

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Magda Kočičková
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not only is it misleading-it's downright repulsive..like hatred embodied in the poor serving..

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Stefaan De Clerck
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is something good about social media when things like this get exposed. They should really be ashamed to serve food like this.

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Asi Bassey
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know what this is, it’s a special called Turd on Toast.

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CatWoman312
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair did you really expect the top picture at an ihop?

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#2

I Ordered Bruschetta From My Local Pizza Shop

I Ordered Bruschetta From My Local Pizza Shop

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As I see it, there are two main problems when it comes to sloppy reality being far from the picture-perfect gourmet meals you expect to receive. And they have a lot to do with our expectations. The problems are all about the actual cooking standards and the way food adverts can raise our expectations too high.

The first issue is very human: sometimes, the people making your food don’t 'five a guck' about what you’ll get served or they mess up and decide to put the meals out anyway. They might be overworked and burned out. Or they might be lazy and inattentive.

The solution here is simple (and incredibly hard at the same time)—the kitchen staff need to find the inner motivation to take pride in their work. Meanwhile, management needs to maintain acceptable standards. If you wouldn’t eat something you make, why would you expect your customer to? It’s better for the food to be late but presentable instead of rushed and disappointing.

#4

This Steak Salad That Looks Nothing Like It's Advertised

This Steak Salad That Looks Nothing Like It's Advertised

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Samantha Lomb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The second looks like when you throw all the leftovers in the fridge together at 2 am because you have the munchies

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#5

This Is So Outrageous

This Is So Outrageous

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Erin Presley-Froemke
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jameson and Ginger had been online dating for a while, when the day came where they would finally meet.....

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The second problem, however, is directly related to how things are advertised. What you see on the menus are the ‘perfect’ versions of meals that restaurants want you to see. While some restaurants go for amateur snaps, others go all out and hire professional food stylists to turn grub into glamor shots.

Food styling is an art. Pros can end up using a whole array of tools, from tweezers and tape to blowtorches and paint. So when you take so much time and effort to create a work of art, can somebody in the kitchen who is under pressure really deliver something that’s comparable? Sometimes? Yes! Always? Dear Lord, no.

#7

Menu vs. What They Served Me. No, Millennials Didn’t Kill Appleby’s, They Committed Suicide

Menu vs. What They Served Me. No, Millennials Didn’t Kill Appleby’s, They Committed Suicide

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#9

Burger King Grill Dog Cheddar And Bacon

Burger King Grill Dog Cheddar And Bacon

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#10

Part Of A $3.50 School Lunch. Picture On The Menu And What Was Served

Part Of A $3.50 School Lunch. Picture On The Menu And What Was Served

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#11

A Texas Sized Disappointment

A Texas Sized Disappointment

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#12

The 3 Pieces Of Lettuce Was A Nice Touch I Guess

The 3 Pieces Of Lettuce Was A Nice Touch I Guess

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#16

Taco Bell, I Try To Love You, So Why Do You Treat Me This Way??

Taco Bell, I Try To Love You, So Why Do You Treat Me This Way??

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#17

Restaurant’s Charcuterie Board As Advertised vs. What I Got

Restaurant’s Charcuterie Board As Advertised vs. What I Got

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#18

Damn, I Am So Looking Forward To Eating This Delicious Burger With Copious Amounts Of Guacamole, Just As Advertised, And Then- Oh Wait..

Damn, I Am So Looking Forward To Eating This Delicious Burger With Copious Amounts Of Guacamole, Just As Advertised, And Then- Oh Wait..

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#19

Tim Hortons New Fruit Loop Donuts

Tim Hortons New Fruit Loop Donuts

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#21

Thanks KFC, Totally What I Expected

Thanks KFC, Totally What I Expected

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#23

Arby's Bacon Beef 'N Cheddar

Arby's Bacon Beef 'N Cheddar

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Phoebe Bean
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So... they don´t "have the meats" after all... (as opposed to the Arby´s tv commercials declaring "We have the meats")

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#24

The Tempura Green Beans Looked Delicious On The Menu. I Think They Fell A Smidge Short

The Tempura Green Beans Looked Delicious On The Menu. I Think They Fell A Smidge Short

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#25

The Burger I Ordered Tonight

The Burger I Ordered Tonight

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#26

I Know It's Airline Food, But Sweet Baby Jesus United Airlines, Why Would You Let Someone Pay $10 For This?...

I Know It's Airline Food, But Sweet Baby Jesus United Airlines, Why Would You Let Someone Pay $10 For This?...

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#27

This Is Why You Check Your Food Before You Leave The Restaurant...

This Is Why You Check Your Food Before You Leave The Restaurant...

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#28

So I Bought This New Burger From Burger K!ng...

So I Bought This New Burger From Burger K!ng...

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#29

When Reality Doesn’t Meet Expectations

When Reality Doesn’t Meet Expectations

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RaroaRaroa
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Eww. These must all be franchisee run businesses skimping for the biggest profit. I can only assume they live in highly populated areas where they can still survive, even if no one ever goes twice.

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#30

The Pico De Gallo Burger At Whataburger

The Pico De Gallo Burger At Whataburger

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Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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