Have you seen the dinosaur-shaped croissants that have been going viral on sites like Reddit and X in recent days? It’s very cute. But we regret to inform you that this “torosaurus” was made using generative artificial intelligence. In fact, if you track down where this pastry was originally posted, you’ll find a fake restaurant that doesn’t even exist.
“Baby, what’s wrong? You haven’t had your croissant dragon yet…” one viral tweet joke As of this writing, the tweet has been viewed more than 3.3 million times.
But a reverse image search for this cool looking pastry will take you to this Instagram page A restaurant called Ethos Cafe in Austin, Texas. If you notice something odd about the restaurant, you’re not alone.
“Unleash your inner paleontologist and try our new Dinosaur Croissant. Choose your favorite dinosaur and pair it with a delicious cappuccino. Prehistoric treat, modern treat!” Instagram post read.
Oddly enough, Ethos doesn’t actually exist and appears to be some kind of hoax or art project by an anonymous creator. austin monthly Report fake restaurant last year and a subreddit austin food When the new restaurant first appeared online about a year ago, we dissected its many oddities.
First, all of the restaurant’s employees appear to be artificially generated. Besides the fact that this bartender is named Tommy Kollins, do you find anything strange about him? Yes, he seemed to be holding the drink with a six-fingered hand.
AI image generators such as DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion often struggle to accurately generate hands. Although many improvements have been made since its initial introduction, operation is still tricky.
The website also has strange instructions to get a reservation, which seems to be a comment on the lengths some people go to in order to dine at elite restaurants.
“Reservations open the first Monday of every month at 4:30 a.m. By using multiple devices simultaneously, you can access our system more easily, reduce competition from other users, respond faster, and be on top of any issues as they arise. Have backup options in case of technical issues or internet connection issues. This approach maximizes your chances of getting the booking you need in a timely and efficient manner,” the website reads.
Gizmodo attempted to contact Ethos Cafe via a form on its website. We will update this article if we receive a response. But at the same time, know that the Croissant Dragon is cute but completely fake.