Food delivery photos: Glovo, Uber Eats and Just Eat

Why photos weigh so much in delivery

On a delivery app, the customer cannot smell, see the dining room, or talk to the waiter. They decide with a small thumbnail on their mobile screen, surrounded by other options. The photo is, literally, your kitchen window.

Dishes without photos or with dark, out-of-focus photos tend to go unnoticed. You don't need a professional production for every dish, but you do need a minimum standard and, above all, consistency across all photos on the menu.

Check the requirements of each platform

Glovo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat publish their own image guides and update them frequently: supported formats, recommended aspect ratio, minimum size, and content rules (for example, if they allow text, logos, or borders). Always check the current version in your restaurant panel before preparing photos.

As a general guideline, which usually matches across platforms:

• Horizontal or square photo, with the dish centered and margins around it, as the app may crop.
• No text, prices, or watermarks on the image.
• Only one main dish per photo; accessories are better in the background.
• High resolution, so it does not look pixelated on large screens.

Plating designed for the camera

The dish that works in the dining room doesn't always work in a photo. Some practical ideas:

Before shooting

• Use plain, neutral-colored tableware so the dish stands out.
• Clean the edges of the plate with paper towels.
• Add volume: flat dishes look poor from above.
• Add color with a side dish, fresh herbs, or sauce.
• Photograph as soon as it leaves the kitchen: the shine and steam don't last long.

Represent what arrives home

Show the real portion and real ingredients. A dish that arrives very differently from the photo generates complaints, refunds, and bad reviews. If the dish is served in a delivery container, you can photograph it plated, but without exaggerating amounts or adding ingredients that aren't included.

Light, angle, and background

Light

Natural side light, near a window and without direct sun, is the simplest and most flattering option. Avoid the mobile flash and overhead kitchen light, which flatten and yellow the food. If the shadow is very hard, reflect some light with white cardboard on the opposite side.

Angle

• Top-down (from above): ideal for pizzas, bowls, salads, and flat dishes.
• 45 degrees: works for most dishes and conveys closeness.
• Frontal: for burgers, sandwiches, cakes, and anything with layers.

Choose one main angle for the whole menu and keep it, except for clear exceptions.

Background

A wooden table, a stone countertop, or a plain tablecloth are sufficient. The important thing is that the background is the same (or similar) in all photos so the menu looks professional and orderly.

Consistency of the menu

Many restaurants have photos from different eras, with different backgrounds, lights, and framings. In the app, the result looks messy even if each photo, separately, is correct.

To unify:

• Define a style: background, angle, light type, and tableware.
• Photograph dishes in one or two sessions, not one by one over months.
• Prioritize the most ordered dishes and those with the highest margin.
• Use the same photos in delivery, Google Business, and social networks to reinforce recognition.

How AI helps (and where the limits are)

AI tools can improve lighting, clean the background, unify the style of the entire menu, or generate a "hero" version of a dish from a photo taken with a mobile. They save time, especially when you don't have time to set up a shoot.

The limit is the same as in any food advertising: what reaches the customer must look like what they see. Improve the presentation, not the product. Avoid increasing portions, adding ingredients, or changing the dish's appearance until it is unrecognizable, and always review the result before publishing.

Frequent errors that cost orders

• Photos taken at night with kitchen light: yellow, with hard shadows, and unappetizing.
• Dishes photographed minutes after leaving the pass, when the sauce has dried or the cheese has hardened.
• Backgrounds with rags, jars, or utensils that distract from the food.
• Framing too close that the app crops, leaving the dish cut off.
• Using stock images that do not correspond to your real dish.
• Mixing professional photos with quick mobile captures on the same menu.

If you can only change one thing this week, start with the five most ordered dishes: a better photo for them has more impact than retouching the entire menu at once.

Quick checklist

• I have reviewed the current requirements of each platform.
• Each photo shows a single dish, centered and with margins.
• The light is natural or soft, no flash.
• All photos share background, angle, and style.
• There are no texts, prices, or marks on the image.
• The portion and ingredients are real.

When you have the photos, take advantage of them for your visual menu and your stories: on our restaurant page, you will find tools for each of those formats.