Deliveroo Restaurant Photos: Technical Requirements & Complete Guide 2026

Deliveroo doesn't ask whether your food tastes good before deciding whether to show it to a hungry customer scrolling past your listing — it shows them a photo, and the photo does the deciding for you. Deliveroo's own data is blunt about what that photo is worth: restaurants with photos on their menu can boost overall orders by 24%, and Deliveroo separately lists menu photography as one of the concrete factors that can lift orders by up to 25%. If your menu still has unphotographed items, or photos that were composed without accounting for how Deliveroo actually displays them, you're handing that 24-25% to whichever competitor on the list already got it right.

This guide covers Deliveroo's official, currently-published photo requirements for both menu item images and hero images — including a detail that trips up a lot of restaurants and isn't obvious from the upload screen: Deliveroo asks you to upload a landscape photo, then automatically crops it to a 1:1 square for display. We'll cover what that means for composition, the most common reasons Deliveroo rejects photos, how to upload and replace images in Menu Manager, lighting and composition techniques, and how Deliveroo's own AI tools compare to FoodyFocus.

Why Deliveroo photos matter more than almost anything else on your menu

Deliveroo has published its own numbers on this more than once. According to Deliveroo's Help Centre article on showcasing your food with photography, restaurants that have photography on their menu can boost overall orders by 24%. A separate Help Centre article on appearing higher in the Deliveroo app lists menu photography as one of five concrete factors that affect ranking, stating that sites with menu and product photos can boost their orders by up to 25% — right alongside customer ratings, Marketer Adverts, and estimated order duration as things you can actively influence.

Hero images carry their own separate weight: Deliveroo states plainly that restaurants with hero images feature higher on the restaurant list than those without, and attract more visitors to their menu — before a customer ever opens your menu to see the item photos at all.

What this means in practice

• An item without a photo is a measurable gap, not a neutral choice. Deliveroo's own figures treat missing photography as something actively suppressing your order volume, not a default state customers don't notice.
• The hero image affects whether customers click through at all. It's the first image shown in the restaurant list and in search — before menu item photos even come into play.
• Photography sits alongside ratings and ad spend as a ranking lever. Deliveroo names it explicitly as one of the factors restaurants can use to climb the restaurant list, not just a cosmetic nice-to-have.

Deliveroo's official photo requirements (and the crop that catches people out)

Deliveroo's Menu Manager help page is specific about something a lot of restaurants miss: you upload a landscape photo, but the platform automatically crops every menu item image to a 1:1 square for display. Deliveroo's own guidance is direct about the consequence — always make sure the entire dish is in shot with sufficient space, because the platform will crop the image to a 1:1 ratio, and Deliveroo is unable to accept images where the full dish is no longer recognisable afterward. Deliveroo even publishes an example of a rejected photo where a dish shot too close to the edge of the landscape frame gets clipped out of recognition once the centre-square crop is applied. The upload format and the display format are not the same shape, and treating them as if they are is one of the most avoidable ways to lose a perfectly good photo.

Menu item photo specifications

• Orientation: Landscape only.
• Minimum resolution: at least 1,200 px wide or 675 px high.
• File type: JPEG. Deliveroo's specification table lists JPEG only for menu item images — don't upload PNG, TIFF or PSD files for this asset type.
• Maximum file size: 8 MB.
• The crop to plan around: the platform centre-crops every item photo to 1:1 for display. Leave generous margin on every side of the dish in your landscape original — don't compose it edge-to-edge, or the square crop will cut into the food.
• Focus and grain: the shot needs to be in focus, with no visible grain.

Hero image specifications (a different asset, reviewed differently)

• Minimum resolution: at least 1,920 × 1,080 px.
• Aspect ratio: Deliveroo is mid-transition here — hero images currently display at 16:9, and Deliveroo explicitly says new hero images should also work across the newer 3:2 "Store Page" layout as that rolls out, so composing with extra margin on the sides protects you either way.
• Content: at least 5 different dishes, taking up the majority of the frame, with only a small margin top, bottom and sides.
• Review process: hero images are uploaded separately from item photos and are always reviewed manually by Deliveroo's team — they don't go through the faster automated check that item photos get.

Content rules that apply to both image types

• No people. Faces and hands aren't accepted in the frame.
• No text, watermarks or overlaid graphics.
• No raw ingredients scattered around the dish unless they're minor and clearly not part of what's being served.
• No collages or heavily photoshopped composites.
• A simple, clean, uncluttered background that lets the dish stand out rather than competing with it.
• Natural-looking light — Deliveroo's own tips specifically warn against reflections and dark shadows.

If you only take one rule from this section, make it this: shoot landscape, keep the dish centred with real margin on all sides, minimum 1,200×675px, JPEG, under 8MB. The margin requirement matters more on Deliveroo than on most other delivery platforms, precisely because of the automatic square crop.

The most common reasons Deliveroo rejects menu photos

Deliveroo publishes its own list of common rejection reasons directly in its Help Centre, plus a separate, specific warning about cropping. Here's the full picture:

1. The dish gets clipped by the automatic 1:1 crop

This is the one that's specific to Deliveroo, and the one a perfectly well-lit, well-composed photo can still fail. If the dish sits close to the left or right edge of your landscape original, Deliveroo's centre-square crop for display will cut part of it off. Always shoot with the dish centred and extra space on every side — not just top and bottom.

2. Cluttered background

Busy table settings, competing props, or anything that pulls the eye away from the food. Deliveroo wants a clean, uncluttered scene that highlights the dish.

3. Blurry image

Out of focus or visibly soft. Deliveroo's specifications explicitly require the shot to be in focus with no visible grain.

4. Poor colour saturation

Flat, washed-out or unnaturally oversaturated colour grading both fail — Deliveroo is checking for food that looks accurately appetising, not stylised.

5. Ingredients shown instead of the dish itself

A flat-lay of raw ingredients next to the dish, or a shot where the components read as separate rather than as the finished plate, gets flagged. Show the prepared dish, not the mise en place.

6. A person visible in the image

Faces, hands holding the plate, or anyone in the background of the shot. Keep the frame to the food alone.

7. Obvious signs of image editing

Heavy filters, unnatural colour shifts, or visible retouching read as inauthentic and get rejected — Deliveroo wants the photo to represent what actually arrives at the customer's door.

8. Poor lighting

Dark, shadowy shots and harsh reflections both fail. Deliveroo calls out reflections and dark shadows specifically in its own photography tips.

9. Text or imagery overlaid

Anything added on top of the photo after the fact — price stamps, logos, captions, borders — even if added with good intentions, gets treated the same as a watermark.

10. Poor framing

The item isn't fully visible, doesn't fill enough of the frame, or isn't centred enough. This overlaps with the cropping issue above but also covers shots that are simply too zoomed-out or off-centre even before any crop is applied.

How to add or replace photos in Deliveroo's Menu Manager

Deliveroo handles item photos and hero images through two different flows inside Partner Hub.

Uploading a menu item photo

1. Log in to Partner Hub and open Menu Manager.
2. Select the menu item you want to add or replace a photo for, and open its detail view.
3. Upload your image. It's free to add your own photos, and you can replace an existing one at any time.
4. Let the faster quality check run. Item photos uploaded through Menu Manager go through an automated review rather than waiting in a manual queue.
5. Review the outcome. Your photo will come back as Approved (it continues through the publishing flow), Rejected (with a stated reason and guidance on what to fix), or flagged for human review.
6. Check for an Image Enhancement suggestion. For some fixable issues — cluttered background, blur, poor colour, poor lighting, overlays, or framing — Deliveroo may offer an automatically enhanced version. You can accept it or keep your original and re-upload a replacement.
7. Save and publish your menu for the change to go live on Deliveroo — uploading the photo alone isn't enough without this step.

Adding or updating your hero image

Hero images are uploaded separately from item photos inside Partner Hub and go through manual review by Deliveroo's team rather than the faster automated check, so expect it to take longer to go live. Make sure it shows at least five different dishes, fills most of the frame with only a small margin around the edges, and keeps the food centred and clear of text or large logos near the edges so it holds up across both the current 16:9 placement and the newer 3:2 layout.

Composition and lighting: getting it right the first time

Passing Deliveroo's technical checklist gets your photo approved. Composition and lighting are what make a customer actually tap your menu. They solve different problems, and Deliveroo's auto-crop makes composition the one most worth getting deliberate about.

Compose for the crop, not just the upload

Since Deliveroo crops every item photo to a centred 1:1 square, the safest approach is to mentally draw a square in the middle of your landscape frame before you shoot, and make sure the entire dish — including garnish and sauce that spreads toward the plate's edge — sits comfortably inside that imagined square. Leave roughly 15-20% empty space around the dish on every side of the full landscape frame, not just the sides; vertical margin matters just as much here as it does on a square-native platform, because the crop removes width, not height.

Camera angle by dish type

• 45-degree angle: the most reliable default, and Deliveroo's own tips specifically recommend it for stackable items like burgers, sandwiches, cakes and drinks — it shows depth without pushing any part of the dish toward the edge of the eventual square crop.
• Top-down, centred: works well for bowls, flatbreads and round plates precisely because a centred overhead shot survives a centre-square crop better than an off-axis angle would.
• Front-on: useful for tall items, but keep extra headroom above the dish since the square crop will also trim vertically if the item runs the full height of the landscape frame.

Lighting that survives Deliveroo's quality checks

Deliveroo's own tips call out two lighting failures specifically: reflections and dark shadows. Natural side light from a window, taken at a slight angle rather than straight-on, avoids both — it models the texture of the food without bouncing a hard reflection off sauce or glassware. If you're shooting under a restaurant's standard warm lighting, correcting white balance toward "Cloudy" or "Daylight" on your phone keeps colours reading as natural rather than orange-tinted, which matters directly against Deliveroo's "poor colour saturation" rejection reason.

Background that reads as clean, not staged

Deliveroo's guidance is explicit: choose a simple, uncluttered background that complements the dish rather than competing with it. A plain countertop, a neutral board or a simple plate setting all work. Save busy flat-lays and heavily styled scenes for Instagram — on Deliveroo, a clean background is also doing double duty as crop insurance, since it gives the centre-square crop room to breathe without losing context.

Phone photography techniques that meet the bar without a studio

None of Deliveroo's requirements need professional equipment — they need a few specific habits applied consistently.

• Shoot landscape, every time. Turn the phone sideways before the first shot of the session, since this is the orientation Deliveroo's specification requires outright.
• Centre the dish with visible margin on all four sides, not just top and bottom — picture the eventual square crop while you're still composing the shot.
• Lock focus on the dish by tapping it on screen, and brace your elbows on the table or use a small tripod — Deliveroo explicitly checks for visible grain and out-of-focus shots.
• Turn off flash. Direct flash creates the reflections and harsh shadows that Deliveroo's own guidance names as common failures.
• Set white balance manually rather than relying on auto white balance, particularly under warm restaurant lighting, to keep colour saturation reading as natural.

A $15-25 tabletop tripod removes hand-shake blur entirely, which matters more on Deliveroo than it sounds — "blurry image" and "poor framing" are two separate items on Deliveroo's own rejection list, and a tripod fixes both at once by letting you take the extra few seconds to centre the shot properly.

Style notes by dish type

Burgers, sandwiches, cakes and drinks

Deliveroo's own tip for stackable items is a side-on, 45-degree angle — it shows the layers without pushing the top or bottom of a tall item toward the edge of the frame that will eventually become the square crop.

Bowls, pasta and rice dishes

A centred top-down or 45-degree shot works well, since round dishes naturally sit inside a centre-square crop better than rectangular plates do. Keep the bowl's edge well inside the frame margin, not touching it.

Desserts and drinks in tall glasses or cups

Front-on with generous headroom above the item is the safest choice — the square crop trims height as readily as width, and a tall glass shot too close to the top of the frame is one of the easiest ways to lose the garnish or the top of the drink.

AI and your Deliveroo photos: what Deliveroo already gives you, and what FoodyFocus adds

Deliveroo has its own tools here too, and it's worth knowing what they actually cover. Item photos uploaded through Menu Manager get a faster automated quality check with optional Image Enhancement for certain fixable issues — cluttered background, blur, poor colour, poor lighting, overlays, or framing — and eligible restaurants can also book one of Deliveroo's own professional photography packages (a Silver package with 1 hero photo and 15 item photos, or a Gold package with 1 hero photo and 25 item photos, arranged through Restaurant Hub). None of that is a reason to skip the basics above — it's a reason to know which tool actually solves which problem.

Where Deliveroo's native tools are genuinely useful

• Booking a professional photoshoot if you're eligible and want a complete, done-for-you set of hero and item photos in one package.
• Letting Image Enhancement fix a borderline photo automatically rather than reshooting it from scratch.
• Faster turnaround on item photos specifically, versus the manual review hero images go through.

Where FoodyFocus fits a different need

• Speed and volume: a full menu's worth of photos generated in minutes, without waiting on a photoshoot booking slot.
• One photo, every platform: the same dish photographed once comes back composed correctly for Deliveroo's centre-crop-to-1:1 item format, DoorDash's 16:9 format, Uber Eats' 1:1 format and Glovo — Deliveroo's own enhancement tool only ever outputs for Deliveroo.
• Control and consistency: you decide the framing and margin for every dish up front, rather than discovering after the fact that a photo got clipped by the square crop.

The realistic workflow for most kitchens: shoot the dish on a phone with deliberate margin on all sides, run it through FoodyFocus for a consistent, on-spec result everywhere you sell, and treat Deliveroo's Image Enhancement as a quick rescue for a borderline photo rather than your main process.

Beyond the photo: the rest of your Deliveroo listing

Menu Completeness

Partner Hub's Homepage shows a Menu Completeness score based on how many of your items have both photos and descriptions, alongside a Menu Conversion metric. Treat a low completeness score as a direct to-do list, not background information.

Hero image and ranking

Your hero image affects whether you show up higher in the restaurant list at all, before a customer ever opens your menu — Deliveroo names it as a distinct factor from item photography, so it's worth prioritising even on a menu where every item already has a photo.

Ratings, ads and order duration

Deliveroo lists menu photography alongside customer ratings, Marketer Adverts, linking your website and socials to your Deliveroo brand page, and estimated order duration as the concrete factors that affect your visibility in the app. Photos are the one with no ongoing budget required — get them right first.

What to expect after you optimise your Deliveroo photos

• Up to 24-25% higher orders from having photography on your menu at all — both figures published directly by Deliveroo, not third-party estimates.
• Higher restaurant-list placement and more menu visits from a hero image that meets spec, independent of your item photos.
• Fewer rejections once your default workflow accounts for the automatic 1:1 crop — centred dish, real margin on all sides, minimum 1,200×675px, JPEG, under 8MB.
• Faster approvals on item photos specifically, since a clean upload can clear Menu Manager's automated check without waiting for manual review.

None of this requires guessing whether photography is worth the effort on Deliveroo — Deliveroo names it explicitly as one of the few factors a restaurant can directly influence, and publishes the percentage to prove it.

Pre-upload checklist for Deliveroo item photos

• ☐ Shot in landscape orientation, at least 1,200 × 675 px
• ☐ File is JPEG, under 8 MB
• ☐ Dish is centred with generous margin on all four sides — not just top and bottom
• ☐ In focus, with no visible grain
• ☐ Lighting is natural-looking — no reflections, no dark shadows
• ☐ Background is simple and uncluttered
• ☐ No people, hands, text, watermarks or overlaid graphics
• ☐ No raw ingredients scattered around the plate
• ☐ Not a collage or heavily photoshopped composite
• ☐ Colour looks natural — not washed out, not oversaturated
• ☐ The photo is your own original image, not stock
• ☐ Mentally checked against a centred square crop before uploading

Frequently asked questions about Deliveroo photos

Why does Deliveroo ask for a landscape photo if it displays as a square?

Deliveroo's upload format and its display format are genuinely different things. You upload landscape (minimum 1,200×675px), and Deliveroo automatically crops the centre of that image to a 1:1 square for the menu item display. The fix is to compose your landscape shot with the dish centred and real margin on every side, so the square crop never reaches the edges of the food.

What file format does Deliveroo accept for menu item photos?

JPEG. Deliveroo's specification table lists JPEG only for item images uploaded through Menu Manager — PNG, TIFF and PSD files aren't accepted for this asset type.

Does my hero image need to follow the same rules as my item photos?

No — hero images are a separate asset with their own spec: at least 1,920×1,080px, at least 5 different dishes, reviewed manually by Deliveroo's team rather than through the faster automated item-photo check. Deliveroo also recommends composing new hero images to work across both the current 16:9 layout and the newer 3:2 Store Page layout it's rolling out.

What happens if Deliveroo rejects my photo?

You'll get a stated reason and guidance on what to fix. For some issues — cluttered background, blur, poor colour, poor lighting, overlays or framing — Deliveroo may also offer an automatically enhanced version you can accept instead of reshooting from scratch.

Is Deliveroo's professional photography service worth using instead of doing it myself?

If you're eligible, it's a legitimate option — Deliveroo's Silver package includes 1 hero photo and 15 item photos, and Gold includes 1 hero photo and 25 item photos. The trade-off is that, like DoorDash's free photoshoot, the resulting images are formatted specifically for Deliveroo — if you also sell on Uber Eats or Glovo, you'll still need a separate process to keep photos consistent across every platform you're on.

Can I upload my own photos for free?

Yes. Uploading your own images through Menu Manager is free, and you can replace any existing photo — including one Deliveroo or a previous photoshoot added — at any time.

Why was my photo rejected even though it's sharp, well-lit and the right size?

Size, focus and lighting are only some of the checks. Re-check it against framing and the 1:1 crop specifically — a technically correct photo with the dish positioned too close to one edge will still get clipped by Deliveroo's automatic square crop and rejected for not showing the full dish.