MenuPicture

The Restaurant Photo Handbook

A handbook for restaurant owners: delivery app photo requirements and rejection fixes, how to shoot and size photos, and what to post on Google and social when you open. Every figure is read off the platform's own documentation, dated, and corrected where the source contradicts itself.

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33 of 33 guides shown

Start here

The one question underneath all the others.

1
  1. All platforms

    Verified

    Which spec do you follow when a platform publishes two?

    DoorDash wants 16:9, Uber Eats 5:4 to 6:4, and Grubhub publishes two specs that disagree. Every figure side by side, and how to frame one photo for all.

Delivery platforms

What each one publishes, and where it contradicts itself.

16
  1. Rejections

    Verified

    Your menu photo was rejected. How do you find out why?

    Why was your menu photo rejected? What DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub each tell you, what all three reject, and a free check of your photo's size and shape.

  2. Photo coverage

    Verified

    Does every menu item need a photo on DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub?

    No app requires a photo on every item for an ordinary restaurant. DoorDash may fill blanks from Instagram or Yelp; Uber Eats may show customer photos.

  3. DoorDash

    Verified

    What are DoorDash's menu photo requirements?

    DoorDash item photos: 16:9, at least 1400 x 800, under 16 MB. Headers 1400 x 800, logos 230 x 230. All four specs and the rejection reasons, read off DoorDash's pages and dated.

  4. DoorDash

    Verified

    Why was your DoorDash photo rejected?

    DoorDash publishes eleven photo rejection reasons. Each one in DoorDash's own words and how to fix it, plus a free check of your photo's size and shape.

  5. Uber Eats

    Verified

    What are Uber Eats' menu photo requirements?

    Uber Eats item photos: 550 to 10,000 px wide, 5:4 to 6:4, JPG, PNG or GIF under 10 MB. Cover image 2880 x 2304. What gets rejected and how to replace it. Read and dated.

  6. Grubhub

    Verified

    What are Grubhub's menu photo requirements?

    Grubhub publishes two photo specs that disagree: 200 x 200 square PNG, and 1600 x 1200 at 4:3. Which one applies to you, plus a free check of your photo.

  7. Grubhub

    Verified

    Why was your Grubhub photo rejected?

    Every photo rule Grubhub publishes, in its own words, across two Grubhub pages that disagree, and what it leaves out. Check your photo against Grubhub, free.

  8. Ghost kitchens

    Verified

    What is a virtual brand on DoorDash, and what photos does it need?

    A virtual brand is a delivery-only storefront run from an existing kitchen. DoorDash's rules: menus 50% different, real photos, 10 brands per address.

  9. Food trucks

    Verified

    What menu photos does a food truck need on DoorDash and Uber Eats?

    Food trucks follow the same photo rules as any restaurant on DoorDash and Uber Eats, and a photo of the truck is not a menu photo. Read and dated.

  10. Wing and Philly shops

    Verified

    How many menu photos does a wing shop need on DoorDash and Uber Eats?

    DoorDash wants a separate photo for items that differ by flavor, so menu structure decides 3 photos or 30. What DoorDash and Uber Eats say, read and dated.

  11. Catering

    Verified

    What photos do catering platforms like ezCater require?

    Only ezCater publishes catering photo rules: horizontal, 1200 x 800 or more, no AI or stock. What DoorDash, Grubhub and CaterCow say, read and dated.

  12. Toast

    Verified

    What are Toast's menu photo requirements?

    Toast publishes three menu photo specs on three help pages that disagree on size and file format. What each requires and the one export that satisfies all.

  13. Toast

    Verified

    What size should a Toast logo and banner be?

    Toast wants a logo of 230 x 230 or more and a banner of 1400 x 788 or more. Where each appears, the banner size cap, and one file that clears DoorDash.

  14. Square

    Verified

    What are Square's menu photo requirements?

    Square recommends item photos of 2000 x 2000 pixels at 1:1, up to 15 MB. Why the 1000 pixel rule you may have read does not apply to menu items.

  15. Google

    Verified

    What food photos does Google allow on your restaurant's Business Profile?

    Google Business Profile takes JPG or PNG from 10 KB to 5 MB, 250 x 250 minimum. What gets food photos removed and why a customer photo can replace yours.

  16. Google

    Verified

    Why isn't my new restaurant location showing up on Google Search?

    A verified Google Business Profile can show on Maps and still be missing from Search. What Google says decides it, and a checklist in the order we used.

Choosing and deciding

Where the rules stop and a judgment call starts.

14
  1. All platforms

    Verified

    Will AI-generated photos get your menu rejected?

    Yes, when the food is AI-generated. DoorDash rejected 16 of 20 Gemini dish photos in one account, each with a hidden AI label. Where the line is, plus a free label check.

  2. Comparison

    Verified

    Which photo tool actually handles delivery menu photos?

    Photoroom, Canva and Claid do not name DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub on their pricing pages. MenuReady and MenuPhotoLab do. Prices read 2026-10-30.

  3. Comparison

    Verified

    What are the alternatives to MenuPhotoAI?

    Food-specific AI photo tools like MenuPhotoAI: MenuReady, MenuCapture, FoodPhoto.ai, FoodShot and MenuPhotoLab. What each does to your photo and costs.

  4. DoorDash

    Verified

    What do you get from DoorDash's free photoshoot?

    DoorDash pays a photographer to shoot up to 20 menu items. What it covers, who qualifies, and the usage rule on reusing the photos. Quoted and dated.

  5. DoorDash

    Verified

    Can you use DoorDash's AI-enhanced photos on Uber Eats and Grubhub?

    DoorDash says AI Retouch, Replate and Match Style photos can be downloaded for other channels, unlike its free photoshoot. What Uber Eats and Grubhub ask.

  6. Home kitchens

    Verified

    Can I sell food from my home kitchen on DoorDash or Uber Eats?

    What DoorDash and Uber Eats publish about home kitchens, where Cottage Food sellers can sell instead, and the photo sizes that work there.

  7. No restaurant

    Verified

    Can I sell food on DoorDash or Uber Eats without a restaurant?

    No dining room needed, but a licensed kitchen is. What DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub ask at sign-up, Uber's address rule, and the photos a listing needs.

  8. Meal prep

    Verified

    Can I sell meal prep on DoorDash or Uber Eats?

    Yes, from a licensed kitchen, but the apps sell one order at a time. What DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub publish and how to photograph the container.

  9. Social selling

    Verified

    Can I sell homemade food on Facebook Marketplace?

    Meta's Commerce Policies name no homemade food rule but ban raw meat, alcohol and health claims. TikTok Shop bans homemade food outright. Quoted and dated.

  10. New owner

    Verified

    Bought a restaurant already on DoorDash or Uber Eats? What happens to the reviews and photos

    Buying a restaurant already on the apps? How DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub transfer a store, what keeps the reviews, and who owns the old photos.

  11. Bakeries

    Verified

    Can a bakery sell on DoorDash and Uber Eats?

    Yes, for what is ready on the day. What DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub publish on preorders and custom cakes, and how to photograph a cake or a dozen.

  12. Alcohol

    Verified

    Can my restaurant sell alcohol on DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub?

    What DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub require before you add beer, wine or cocktails, why their state lists disagree, and Uber's one rule on alcohol photos.

  13. Hiring

    Verified

    Menu photos for an Atlanta restaurant: shoot them or enhance them?

    What menu photography costs in Atlanta, when to hire a photographer, and when enhancing the photos you already have is the better call.

  14. Cost

    Verified

    How much does it cost to photograph a whole delivery menu?

    A 50-dish menu costs $0 to about $1,500 to photograph depending on who takes the photos. Published prices for 15, 30 and 50 dishes, read and dated.

Photography

Light, angle, styling: making the photo rather than sizing it.

1
  1. Lighting

    Verified

    Why do my restaurant food photos look dark and yellow?

    Dark and yellow food photos are two problems: warm indoor light and phone exposure. What causes each, what DoorDash rejects, and how to fix both.

Social

Posting the food, and what each network wants.

1
  1. Openings

    Verified

    What should a new restaurant post before opening and in its first month?

    Google shows a profile with an opening date 90 days early and blocks reviews until you open. What to post before opening and in month one, in our order.

33 guides · 180 primary sources linked · none verified before 2026-09-17