What Delivery Platforms Say About Food Photos and Orders
Each large delivery platform publishes a figure for menu photos. Grubhub reports up to 70% more orders and 65% higher sales for restaurants that follow its menu best practices. These practices include photos and descriptions. Deliveroo says sites with menu photos can increase their orders by 25%. DoorDash reports up to 44% more monthly sales for menus with item photos. That figure is from a DoorDash study of over 15,000 merchants in Q2 2022. DoorDash estimates that 38% of customers use menu photos to choose a restaurant. Just Eat says items with images go into baskets four times more often. Just Eat says an item gets 16% more orders on average after it gets a photo. Uber reports $330 more weekly sales on average for some US and Canada merchants. These merchants put photos and descriptions on at least 70% of items in their first 7 days. The platforms publish these figures about their own data. They do not publish the method. The figures measure different things. Most are for any photo, not for professional photos. MenuPhotoAI makes an AI food photo tool and has an interest in this subject. Each figure on this page links to its source. Last reviewed October 2026.
What Delivery Platforms Say About Food Photos and Orders
This page lists what Uber Eats, DoorDash, Deliveroo, Just Eat and Grubhub publish about menu photos and orders. We make MenuPhotoAI, an AI food photography tool, so we have an interest in this subject, and that is why each figure links to its source.
Summary
Each large delivery platform publishes a figure for menu photos. Just Eat reports 16% more orders on average for an item with a photo. Grubhub reports up to 70% more orders for restaurants that follow its menu best practices.
The platforms publish these figures about their own data. They do not publish the method. The figures measure different things, so they do not rank the platforms.
Try MenuPhotoAI Free: 5 Photo CreditsThe Published Figures at a Glance
Uber Eats publishes a figure in dollars: $330 more weekly sales on average for some US and Canada merchants. The Uber Eats section below gives the conditions.
The Takeaway
All five platforms report more orders or sales for menus that have photos. Our AI food image generator works from photos of your own dishes. Check each platform's photo rules before you upload.
GWhat Grubhub Says
Published Figures
Up to 70% more orders and 65% higher sales
Grubhub reports this for restaurants that follow its menu best practices. These practices include photos and descriptions. Source: Grubhub help centre
Up to 30% more sales of menu items
Grubhub says photos can increase sales of menu items by up to 30%. Source: Grubhub blog
About 25% higher conversion
Grubhub reports this average for restaurants that changed from text menus to photo menus. Source: Grubhub blog
AI and edited photos: Grubhub told 404 Media in February 2024 that it does not allow AI-generated images. See our Grubhub photo guide.
DWhat Deliveroo Says
Published Figures
25% more orders
Deliveroo says sites with menu photos can increase their orders by 25%. Source: Deliveroo help centre, 24 September 2025
A visibility factor
Deliveroo lists menu photography as one of five things that raise visibility in its app. Source: Deliveroo help centre, 24 September 2025
AI and edited photos: Deliveroo does not permit AI-generated images, and it allows minor technical edits of a genuine photograph. See our Deliveroo photo guide.
DWhat DoorDash Says
Published Figures
Up to 44% more monthly sales
DoorDash reports this for menus with item photos. The data is from its study of over 15,000 merchants in Q2 2022. Source: DoorDash blog
An estimated 38% of customers
DoorDash estimates that 38% of customers use menu photos to choose a restaurant. Source: DoorDash newsroom, 9 April 2025
Up to 50% (header image) and up to 23% (logo)
DoorDash reports more monthly sales for menus with a header image or a logo. Its study ran from April to June 2022. Source: DoorDash learning center
49% of Americans decide in 5 to 10 minutes
49% of Americans decide what to order within 5 to 10 minutes of opening the app (DoorDash, 2025). DoorDash does not link this figure to photos. Source: DoorDash blog
AI and edited photos: DoorDash asks for photos that reflect the actual item served, not an idealized version. See our DoorDash photo guide.
JWhat Just Eat Says
Published Figures
4x more basket adds
Just Eat says items with images go into baskets four times more often. Source: Just Eat partner centre
16% more orders per item
Just Eat says an item gets 16% more orders on average after it gets a photo. Source: Just Eat partner centre
42% try a new restaurant
Just Eat says 42% of customers try a new restaurant because of the photography. Source: Just Eat partner centre
38% tried a new item
Just Eat says 38% of customers tried a new item if it had a photo. Source: Just Eat partner centre
AI and edited photos: We found no AI rule from Just Eat. It asks you to show the product exactly as served. See our Just Eat photo guide.
UWhat Uber Eats Says
Published Figures
$330 more weekly sales on average
Uber reports this for US and Canada merchants with photos and descriptions on at least 70% of items. The merchants reached 70% in their first 7 days. Uber compares them with merchants below 70%. Source: Uber Eats merchant article, April 2026
No percentage for one item
We found no Uber percentage for an item with a photo.
AI and edited photos: The Uber Eats photo guidelines do not mention AI. They ask that a photo accurately represents the menu item. See our Uber Eats photo guide.
The Figures Side by Side
How to read these figures
The platforms publish these figures about their own data. The figures measure different things: orders, sales, basket adds and customer choices. The platforms do not publish the method. Most figures are for any photo, not for professional photos.
| Platform | Orders | Sales | Customers | What the figure covers | Date or data period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grubhub | Up to 70% more orders | Up to 65% higher sales | About 25% higher conversion for menus that changed from text to photos | Restaurants that follow menu best practices, which include photos and descriptions. Grubhub compares them with restaurants that do not. | No date on the page. Data period not published. | Grubhub help centre, Grubhub blog |
| Deliveroo | 25% more orders | not published | not published | Sites with menu or product photos. Deliveroo says they can get this increase. | Page dated 24 September 2025. Data period not published. | Deliveroo help centre |
| DoorDash | not published | Up to 44% more monthly sales | An estimated 38% use menu photos to choose a restaurant | Menus with item photos, in a DoorDash study of over 15,000 local small business merchants. | Sales: Q2 2022. Estimate: published 9 April 2025. | DoorDash blog, DoorDash newsroom |
| Just Eat | 16% more orders per item, on average | not published | 4x more basket adds. 42% try a new restaurant because of the photography. | An item after it gets a photo, and items with images. Just Eat UK. | Page updated 1 September 2026. Data period not published. | Just Eat partner centre |
| Uber Eats | not published | $330 more weekly sales on average | not published | US and Canada merchants with photos and descriptions on at least 70% of items in their first 7 days. Uber compares them with merchants below 70%. | Article dated April 2026. Data period not published. | Uber Eats merchant article |
Key Takeaways for Restaurant Owners
Every Platform Reports a Gain
All five platforms report more orders or sales for menus that have photos. Each platform measures a different thing.
A Wide Range
The published percentages run from 16% (Just Eat) to up to 70% (Grubhub). They measure different things.
New Customers
Just Eat says 42% of customers try a new restaurant because of the photography.
Visibility
Deliveroo lists menu photography as one of five things that raise visibility in its app. We found no published ranking rule for photos from the other platforms.
Action Items for Restaurants
1Immediate (This Week)
- Audit current menu photos across all platforms
- List the items that have no photo
- Prioritize hero image if missing
2Short-term (This Month)
- Professional photography for top 10 menu items
- Ensure photos meet platform specifications
- A/B test photo vs. no-photo performance
3Long-term (Ongoing)
- Regular photo updates for seasonal items
- Consistent photo style across all platforms
- Monitor performance metrics post-photo implementation
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do food photos increase orders on delivery platforms?
Each platform publishes its own figure. Just Eat reports 16% more orders on average for an item with a photo. Deliveroo says sites with menu photos can increase their orders by 25%. DoorDash reports up to 44% more monthly sales for menus with item photos. Grubhub reports up to 70% more orders for restaurants that follow its menu best practices. The figures measure different things.
Which delivery platform publishes the largest figure for food photos?
Grubhub publishes the largest percentage: up to 70% more orders and 65% higher sales. That figure is for restaurants that follow its menu best practices, which include photos and descriptions. It is not for photos alone. The platforms measure different things, so the figures do not rank the platforms.
Source: Grubhub
Do all delivery platforms prioritize restaurants with photos?
Deliveroo lists menu photography as a visibility factor in its app. We found no published ranking rule for photos from the other platforms. They do report more orders or sales for menus with photos.
Source: Deliveroo
What is the ROI of professional food photography for delivery platforms?
We found no platform figure for the return on professional photography. Most of the published figures are for any photo, not for professional photos. Uber reports $330 more weekly sales on average for some US and Canada merchants. These merchants put photos and descriptions on at least 70% of items in their first 7 days. Use your own order data to estimate the return.
Source: Uber Eats
Related Guides
Sources & References
Grubhub, Deliveroo and Just Eat
- Grubhub help centre:
Grubhub menu overview - Grubhub blog:
Improve your online ordering experience - Deliveroo help centre (24 September 2025):
How to increase your visibility in the Deliveroo app - Just Eat UK partner centre (updated 1 September 2026):
Photos on menu
DoorDash and Uber Eats
- DoorDash blog (study from Q2 2022):
Menu photography - DoorDash newsroom (9 April 2025):
AI tools for online menus - DoorDash learning center (study from April to June 2022):
Maximize your menu - DoorDash blog (2025 Delivery Trends Report):
Food delivery statistics for 2025 - Uber Eats merchant article (April 2026):
New ways to get discovered
Each figure links to the platform page where we read it. We last read these pages on 2 October 2026.
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