Menu Setup

How to Add DoorDash Photos

Learn how to add your logo, DoorDash photos, and other ways to show photos of food and increase sales.

10 min read
9/4/2023
Menu Photography Best Practice

A study by the DoorDash developer team found DoorDash photos have the biggest impact on the success of a menu. In fact, based on an April – June 2022 DoorDash study of over 15,000 small restaurants, menus with photos get up to 44% more monthly sales.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to add photos to your menu, meet photo DoorDash requirements, and even get a free photoshoot sponsored by DoorDash. In addition, if you need to add photos to your DoorDash menu on the go, here’s a step-by-step guide to using the Business Manager App.

Menus with header images and logos get up to 50% (header) and 23% (logo) more monthly sales than menus without these branding elements according to our April–June 2022 DoorDash study. If you want to learn how to add your restaurant’s header image and logo, check out Store Essentials, which will walk you through how to add them in the Store Settings section of the Merchant Portal.

Please note, only users with Business Admin permissions or higher will be able to update headers and logos. Learn more on how to manage permissions.

How do I add DoorDash photos to my menu via the Merchant Portal?

Once your photos are ready, you can upload them to your menu through the Menu Manager in your Merchant Portal.

How to upload new photos.

1. Navigate to the Menu section and click on the item you want to add photos to.

Merchant Portal - Menu - Add Image

2. Once an item’s page is open, there are two ways to add a photo:

  • Click Add a photo in the blue box.

  • If you want to update an existing photo, click on the current image you’d like to change.

    Mx - LC-Edit-Chicken-Tikka-EN@2x

3. If your photo has already been approved, look for it under the Approved section.

LC - Merchant Portal - Upload New Photo

4. Click Select File or drag and drop the image you want to upload over the Photo Uploader then click Save.

Merchant Portal - Upload New Photo Submit

5. Next, you can edit the photo, such as zooming in. You can also click in View Photo Guidelines to see if your photo meets our quality control standards. From here, you can choose whether to Submit for Review or Change Photo.

Mx - LC-Edit-Photo-EN@2x

6. Once uploaded, DoorDash will review your photo. This process usually takes 2-3 business days.

7. Back on the menu item page and on its individual item page, you will see a clock over your image, indicating it is still under review.

Mx - LC-Edit-Chicken-Tikka-Item-Pending-EN@2x

Some things to keep in mind:

  • New photos can take up to 72 hours to be reviewed. Images will only be reviewed if they are linked to a menu item. If a pending photo is being used on multiple menus, the image will be assessed and approved for all locations.

  • Menu photos are displayed as thumbnails (1:1) and detail page headers (16:9). DoorDash will try to optimize the viewing window of your image for these aspect ratios. To help with this, please ensure the most important part of the photo is centered in your image.

  • If the image was previously uploaded and was rejected, uploading it a second time will not change the approval status.

How do I submit a request to the photos team?

The photo team can also help you with a number of other photo issues. To reach out to them for support, start by:

  1. In the Menu Manager section of the Merchant Portal, click Get Menu Help at the bottom right corner of your screen.

  2. Select the Request Menu Update button.

    Merchant Portal - Request Menu Help
  3. In the pop-up, fill out the form.

    Merchant Portal - Choose Stores to Update

Option 1: Adding brand images and troubleshooting load errors

You do not need to submit a ticket for every photo, especially if uploading the same photo(s) for multiple locations, one ticket for all will suffice. If you want to upload these visuals or have any issues regarding photo submissions, uploading, or approval, here are next steps:

  • Within "Please add any additional menu updates in the box below", state that you are “Requesting upload support”.

  • Within "Provide your menus and item photos, either as attachments or URLs", upload your attachments.

  • If uploading more than 1, check the box for “I would like to attach additional files” to have more uploading fields. 

  • If adding more than 4, please share a link to a file sharing site like Google Drive (and be sure sharing settings are set to Anyone with the Link).

  • Check the box for "I confirm that a menu source has been included or is not needed for this menu update. Menu sources are needed for ALL changes that impact an entire menu (>5 items) and bulk pricing changes".

Option 2: Requesting a free DoorDash photo shoot

If you don't have high-quality photos, DoorDash is happy to pay for a professional photographer to come to your restaurant and photograph up to 20 item photos and a header shot to showcase your store at no charge to you. We suggest you prioritize your most popular dishes. To do so:

  1. Within "Please add any additional menu updates in the box below", state that you are “Requesting a Photoshoot”.  

  2. Once the form is complete, click Submit Form.

  3. We will coordinate with the photography company who will reach out via email with a scheduling link for you to choose your desired photoshoot day and time. Expect to hear from us within 48 business hours.

What are DoorDash Photo Requirements?

If you’re just getting started, you’ll want to select your most popular/signature items first to highlight your specialties on your menu.

Definitions

Here are some definitions of photos we can help you with:
Item photo: A picture of one of your products that shows a meal’s size, shape, color, and ingredients.

  • Item photo: A picture of one of your products that shows a meal’s size, shape, color, and ingredients.

  • Carousel photo: A single header photo or a collection of photos in the app that potential customers can easily flip through to get a sense of your menu and what you’re offering.

  • Header photo: The photo at the top of your restaurant’s store page in the app.

  • Logo: A visual image of your restaurant’s brand logo.

Merchant Portal - DoorDash Photo Best Practice
Merchant Portal - DoorDash Photo Descriptions

Technical Specs

  • File Size: Under 8 MB 

  • Aspect Ratio: No requirement but the system crops the center square from the photo, so square (1:1) photos are your best option

  • Resolution Size: 230x230px 

  • File Type: JPG, JPEG, or PNG

Item Photo Guidelines

  • Showcase the food/products you sell

  • Not have text/graphics overlays or borders 

  • Focuses on just the individual dish/product for the item linked

Have food/products be centered as much as possible to best fit the header frame

Logo Guidelines

  • Is clearly recognizable, is readable if text, graphics are clear

  • Avoid just text in a single line, is difficult to read

  • Should not be a photo of an item you sell, but graphics are allowed

  • The white border will be added afterward and not part of the uploaded image

Header Photo / Carousel Guidelines

On top of the photo basics mentioned above, header and carousel photos should:

  • Showcase the food/products you sell

  • Not have text/graphics overlays or borders

  • Include multiple items/products in the photo

  • Have food/products be centered as much as possible to best fit the header frame

What are some common rejection reasons?

Sometimes a photo you submit may be rejected for not following our guidelines. After review, an email should be sent to you with a report for all photos that have been approved/rejected, including reasons for any rejected photos. Here are a few common reasons why your photo may be rejected:

  • Photo size: The resolution needs to be at least 1400 x 800px. Photos cannot be edited to increase size without the quality of the image dropping

  • Zoomed in or out: The item should be displayed in the frame to give a proper idea of portion size for customers. As a general rule of thumb, you should be able to see at least 50% of the item

  • Framing: For Item Photos, the aspect ratio needs to match the landscape crop ratio 16:9 on the item page, and 1:1 for the thumbnail. Header photos will appear as 16:9 on the app and 4:1 on desktop browsers for the top of menus.

  • Lighting:  Items need to be properly lit and should show off their entirety without any part being overly exposed or casted in dark shadow.

  • Background/Setting: Backgrounds must not be flashy or distract from the item itself

  • Overlays:  All images must have the same formatting without any extra graphics, text, or borders

  • People In Shot: The food is the star, if the person is taking up more of the frame than the food/product, the photo will be rejected

  • Photo Not Representative of Item: The photo does not properly represent the item including:

    • For item photos, there are multiple, different items in the same photo

    • The photo displays an unrealistic format/presentation

    • Image doesn’t show proper portion sizing

  • Out of Focus: Parts or the entire photo is blurry

  • Copyright: The photo that was submitted doesn't belong to the store or is a stock photo

Duplicate: Photo has already been submitted

Examples

Here are some examples of approved versus rejected photos:

Merchant Portal - Photo Best Practice 1
Merchant Portal - Photo Best Practice 2
Merchant Portal - Photos Best Practice 3
Merchant Portal - Photo Best Practice 4
Merchant Portal - Photo Best Practice 5

Will DoorDash add photos to my menu?

We know that customers prefer picking menu items that show photos of food. In fact, based on a DoorDash study of over 15,000 local small business merchants in Q2 2022, high quality photos will drive sales, particularly for new customers. Menus with item photos get up to 44% more monthly sales than those without. For this reason, if we can, we will sometimes add photos to your menu.

The DoorDash pictures that are chosen for your menu could be sourced from: 

  • Your website

  • DoorDash customers who submit a photo of your items

  • Photos from your Yelp page

  • Stock photos of generic items like a can of coke or a side of rice

If you want to opt out of having DoorDash add photos to your menu, you can contact our support team.

You are also able to opt out of DoorDash adding Yelp photos to your menu by following the steps below:

  1. Log into the Merchant Portal and click on Menu Manager in the left navigation panel. 

  2. You can request to opt out in two different areas of the Merchant Portal, depending on what part of the Menu Manager you are in:

    1. On the main manager page: At the bottom right of your screen,click Request Menu Update and fill out the form indicating that you want to be unsubscribed from having Yelp photos added to your menu..

    2. On the items page: Follow the instructions below, click on the item with a photo sourced from Yelp.

      1. In the box that appears on the right, click on the item photo to enlarge the image. 

      2. Under the enlarged image, hover over the info icon next to Photo from Yelp.

      3. Click on Request menu help and you will be taken to the Request Menu Update form indicating you want to be unsubscribed from having Yelp photos added to your menu.

  3. Fill in your name, email, contact number and the below details that you will find in your Menu Manager:

    1. Category: type in the category the item is in.

    2. Item name

    3. Price

    4. Appl. menu: located under the Menu Manager heading

  4. Where it says Please add any additional menu updates in the box below, type in Please opt my store out of receiving Yelp photos

  5. Under Are these changes for now or later? select either Make changes ASAP or Schedule changes for later.

  6.  Click Submit.

Your DoorDash photos are what will give your customers their first impression of your restaurant, so it is important to put your best foot forward. When you have your menu with photos and branding visuals in place, you have a greater chance of success. 

Want to add modifiers to your menu? Head over to How to Add Modifiers to Your Menu in the Merchant Portal.

Author

Merchant Learning

Merchant Learning