# If a restaurant puts the wrong style fries in the menu image, is that false advertising? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555 "2023-09-22T19:27:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/81 "2023-09-25T18:40:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I mean middle-of-the-road restaurants, as well. I was trying to think of a word that excluded Michelin-starred restaurants and wannabes. IIRC, “casual dining” is the term the restaurant industry uses for places like Applebee’s and Olive Garden and similar ilk, which I think is the sort of place you were trying to describe. In other words, places that offer table service, but otherwise aren’t particularly fancy. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/82 "2023-09-25T18:41:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps I’m too old but I remember when fast food restaurants didn’t specialize in drive-thru and delivery orders. At one point we would actually sit down and eat in a fast food restaurant. It seems a whie ago fast food places started emphasizing take-out (or drive-thru) since it was simpler than having a dining area that needed cleaning up. McD’s (and others) got their start as drive-up places for America on the road, as the interstates were built and people were looking for a casual place to stop and have a bite, but didn’t want the full restaurant experience (or price). They added “play places” as people realized that it was impossible to control toddlers at a regular sit-down restaurant for the whole meal (or were too lazy to try) so it became a place to take the kids for a meal. Lately, these fast food places see less emphasis on play places, their clientele have gotten older with less young children. More people are doing drive thru; food delivry services have proliferated (people seem less concerned about cost vs. convenience). Nowadays we even have “ghost kitchens”, restaurants that only operate for the delivery services, so they can forego the fancy decor and extra staff associated with a walk-up/drive-thru restaurant. But they still serve fries. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/83 "2023-09-25T18:46:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps I’m too old but I remember when fast food restaurants didn’t specialize in drive-thru and delivery orders. At one point we would actually sit down and eat in a fast food restaurant. For what it’s worth, early In-N-Out Burger locations in the Los Angeles area were drive-thru only; they didn’t have any dining area apart from maybe a couple of picnic tables outside. They only started building restaurants with actual dining areas later on. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/84 "2023-09-25T18:48:11Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > More people are doing drive thru; food delivry services have proliferated (people seem less concerned about cost vs. convenience). A certain fairly recent pandemic may have had a little sumpin’ to do with all that … ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/85 "2023-09-25T18:50:05Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > More people are doing drive thru; IMO the advent of kiddie car seats and the explosion of child safety concern had a bunch to do with it. When my Mom was driving a 1960s station wagon with 4 toddlers running amok unbelted, she could pull into the McDs parking lot, shut down and open one back door for our horde to pour forth and head into the indoor sit-down area of the McDs. If a kid darted across the parking lot in front of a car, tires squealing and Mom’s ineffectual yell was all that happened. Once inside the kids could run amok in safety while Mom was in line ordering burgers & fries. Nowadays the little hellions are each installed in a car seat. For Modern Mom to get each kid out of their car seat through a separate car door, and get them strapped into a stroller or similar for safety, and move all the way around the car getting all 4 kids takes 5+ minutes. Then Modern Mom wheels the mass into the McDs, and keeps them all within arm’s reach every second lest stranger danger attack one of her precious brood. After the meal it’s another 5-10 minutes for Modern Mom to redistribute the brood back into their personal safe-space kid seats, stow all the other kid life support gear, and get the car going again. Modern Mom can save massive hassle _and_ 20 minutes by driving through. Even if the drive through line is a bit slower than the line inside, she’s still got a 20 minute head start on getting to her next stop. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/86 "2023-09-25T18:54:54Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > French fries are frenched - sliced very long and narrow. > > Chips are much larger: “chips” off the potato. Like these? [![](https://murphyspub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/murphys-ax-burger.jpg) ](https://murphyspub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/murphys-ax-burger.jpg) Here’s the restaurant’s website, BTW: > **[HOME | Murphy's Grand Irish Pub / Alexandria, VA](https://murphyspub.com/)** > > MURPHY'S GRAND IRISH PUB ABOUT US Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub is located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria. This authentic Irish Pub was opened by frien ... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/87 "2023-09-25T19:04:25Z")
Yeah, places like that plus local restaurants that would serve your typical breakfasts (eggs, pancakes, skillets, etc),!unch and dinner fare like meatloaf, stews, chicken fried steak, pasta dishes, lemon chicken, etc., often with a Greek influence around here (Chicago, as a lot of Greeks owned these, what I term, “diners.”) A family restaurant. Diners to me aren’t really captured by the image of “fast food with plates” at all. They are not fast, in my experience, and the food offered is far more expansive than at a fast food restaurant. Most of it requires utensils, which fast food generally does not. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/88 "2023-09-25T19:09:13Z")
Nicely done. 👏 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/89 "2023-09-25T19:10:09Z")
Sounds like the thin end of the wedge. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/90 "2023-09-25T19:10:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Modern Mom can save massive hassle _and_ 20 minutes by driving through. Even if the drive through line is a bit slower than the line inside, she’s still got a 20 minute head start on getting to her next stop. _Modern Mom_ probably has one child today, not 4. But your point is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/91 "2023-09-27T05:15:02Z")
**Skywatcher** , no, those are cottage fries. The menu says as much. I recognized them because I used to be hooked on Ore-Ida cottage fries, till they stopped making them. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/92 "2023-09-27T14:06:04Z")
The Committee found out. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/93 "2023-09-28T01:42:39Z")
isn’t Burger King being sued for that? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/94 "2023-09-28T12:17:15Z")
They are being sued for telling a Whopper (lie) about the Whopper. > **[Burger King faces legal claim over size of Whopper](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66654440)** > > The fast food giant is accused of making the burger appear larger on menus than it actually is. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/95 "2023-09-28T14:11:44Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > The Committee found out. ??? Is that a reply to my post? If so, what Committee? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/96 "2023-09-28T16:02:02Z")
The Committee is a pretend org that finds out what people like and stop making it. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/97 "2023-09-28T21:15:18Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > The idea of a picture should be to show the consumer an accurate portrayal of what the food item looks like Restaurants in Japan have displayed models of their food in a street-facing window since at least the 1920s. Once upon a time they were made of wax to get the the proper translucency but in these modern times, plastic is used instead. > **[The Story Behind Plastic Foods in Japan - ANA Experience Class](https://www.anaexperienceclass.com/the-story-behind-plastic-foods-in-japan/)** > > When it comes to food, Japanese culture takes preparation very seriously. But one of the most eye-catching, intricate and expensive food practices in Japan is so devoted to preparation that the dishes never actually get eaten. No, it’s not a Michelin... ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/98 "2023-09-28T23:03:03Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > The Committee is a pretend org that finds out what people like and stop making it. Well, I’m on their list for sure! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/99 "2023-09-28T23:16:01Z")
Oh wow, next time i have any free time in Tokyo i need to visit Kappabashi Street. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555/100 "2023-09-29T11:11:22Z")
Japan is a place I truly want to visit! Italy will definitely be first, but Japan is second on my bucket list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555.md?page=6)