The Restaurant Photo Handbook
How restaurant photos get shot, sized and published. Every figure read off the source, dated, and corrected where the source contradicts itself.
Have a photo already? Check it before you read.
Two free tools, no signup. The checker tests size, shape, format and file size against each platform's published specs. The resizer turns one photo into the size and ratio each app asks for.
31 of 31 guides shown
Start here
The one question underneath all the others.
1Delivery platforms
What each one publishes, and where it contradicts itself.
15- 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.
- 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.
- DoorDash
Verified
What are DoorDash's menu photo requirements?
DoorDash publishes four photo specs, not one: item, header, carousel and logo, each with its own size, ratio and file cap. Verified and dated.
- 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.
- Uber Eats
Verified
What are Uber Eats' menu photo requirements?
Uber Eats accepts item photos 550 to 10,000 pixels wide at 5:4 to 6:4 as JPG, PNG or GIF under 10 MB. Cover images are a separate spec. Read and dated.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Choosing and deciding
Where the rules stop and a judgment call starts.
14- All platforms
Verified
Will AI-generated photos get your menu rejected?
DoorDash's review rejected 16 of 20 Gemini photos in one restaurant account, each with a hidden AI label. Where the line is, plus a free label check.
- 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 2026-10-02.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Home kitchens
Verified
Can I sell food from my home kitchen on DoorDash or Uber Eats?
DoorDash and Uber Eats do not list home kitchens, even with a Cottage Food permit. Where home food businesses sell instead and the photo sizes there.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
131 guides · 170 primary sources linked · none verified before 2026-09-17