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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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Hilary Mol
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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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#2

I Ordered Bruschetta From My Local Pizza Shop

I Ordered Bruschetta From My Local Pizza Shop

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

I think somebody meant to write "briquette" and not "bruschetta".

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

Bruscheeta is easy to make at home. 1 French Bread cut as think as you want, dice up 4 Roma tomatoes, dice up 1/2 clove of garlic, dice some basil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the garlic in a bit of butter just enough that it turns brown. Mix it all together in a bowl and put on top of your toasted bread. Bread too big to fit in toaster??? After you cook the garlic, butter your bread lightly and put it in the uncleaned pan. The bread will soak up the garlic flavor. While one side is Browning, butter the other side and when ready turn it.

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

Want to change it up a bit, make hamburgers and put the Brucshetta mix on top of the burger and use the French Bread as a bun.

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glowworm2
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do you even mess up something so simple and delicious?

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

That first pic looked like someone trying a before and after challenge on Pinterest 😂

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

The Quasimodo of bruschettas. Please be kind to it.

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

Scraped off the bottom of an old abandoned oven in the ruins of an 18th century house overgrown with brambles

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

I swear these places just search up images online and copy and paste, since when I searched up Bruschetta, that was one of the first images.

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

Just gotta ask, who is dumb enough to think that the picture will look like the actual food. Id be more impressed to see an example of where it does match.

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Diana Pahule
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since using one of those food delivery apps I found that I haven't been missing much at our local eateries. My honey is very unadventurous in his cuisine unless I'm cooking it. Now we know how right he was.

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Katherine Heasley
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah, yes, bruschetta - Italian for "burned, greasy bread with tomatoes on top."

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Liz-ard
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you visited my local pizza shop why didn’t you stop at my place??? I could have added a bitter coffee to go with that!

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

Looks like some one burn toast and put as little tomato as possible. nasty.

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

You must have accidentally ordered “Burned sh*tta”.

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

Burnt! Yuk. If paid by cc, cancel transaction and never order from there again.

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

Stop. Omg, i would have driven down there. That is ridiculous.

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

They obviously do not know what Bruschetta is.. the top one looks like mine!!

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

What the hell is that? Combine with photo #1 and it’s a complete dining s**t show..

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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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