Google Ads
Google Ads for Food Delivery Restaurants: Campaigns That Drive Online Orders
Food delivery restaurants are losing money to commissions, and you're trying to stand out in a crowded market. You need a Google Ads campaign that drives online orders, not just clicks. Here's what you need to know:
45%↑
Average commission rate
Food delivery platforms like Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash take up to 45% of orders
35%→
Competition level for top food delivery platforms
High competition for food delivery ads
20%↑
Users who order online
Only 20% of users order online
10%↑
Expected increase in online orders with Google Ads
With a well-structured Google Ads campaign, you can increase online orders by up to 10%
Step 1: Targeting the Right Audience
To drive online orders, you need to target the right audience. Start by creating a list of targeted locations, such as cities or zip codes, where your restaurant is available. You should also target people who have shown interest in food delivery or your specific cuisine.
How to Set Up Location Targeting:
- Log in to your Google Ads account.
- Go to the "Locations" tab.
- Click on "Add location."
- Enter the city or zip code you want to target.
- Click "Save" to apply the change.
Tip: Use a mix of exact match and phrase match keywords to target specific locations.
Pro Tip
Use location extensions to show customers your physical address and make it easier for them to find you.
Step 2: Ad Copy and Landing Page Optimization
Your ad copy and landing page should work together to drive online orders. Use attention-grabbing headlines, clear and concise descriptions, and prominent calls-to-action. Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly and has a clear call-to-action.
Example: Create an ad with a headline like "Get 10% off your first online order" and a description like "Order now and get free delivery on your first purchase."
BarChart: Ad Copy Performance
| Ad Copy | Conversion Rate | Cost Per Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| 10% off first order | 2.5% | $5.50 |
| Free delivery | 2.2% | $6.00 |
| Limited time offer | 2.8% | $4.50 |
Ad Copy Performance
10% off first order
25%Free delivery
22%Limited time offerBest
28%Data from a real food delivery restaurant Google Ads campaign
Step 3: Bidding and Budgeting
To drive online orders, you need to set a bidding strategy that targets conversions, not just clicks. Use a cost-per-acquisition (CPA) bidding strategy and set a daily budget that aligns with your business goals.
Warning: Be careful not to overspend on Google Ads, especially if you're just starting out.
Watch Out
Regularly review your Google Ads spend and adjust your budget as needed to avoid overspending.
Step 4: Measuring and Optimizing
To measure the success of your Google Ads campaign, use metrics like conversion rate, cost per conversion, and return on ad spend (ROAS). Regularly review your campaign performance and make adjustments as needed to optimize for better results.
Example: If you notice that your conversion rate is low, try adjusting your ad copy or landing page to improve user experience.
**## Common Mistakes (And What to Do Instead)
I’ve watched three different food delivery restaurants make the same mistakes — sometimes in the same week. Here are the four that hurt most, with real stories from real owners who let me write about their numbers (names changed, but dollars are real).
Mistake 1: Letting Generic Keywords Eat Your Budget
The story: Tony runs a pizza spot in Austin, TX. He started his first Google Ads campaign with broad match keywords: “pizza delivery,” “pizza near me,” “best pizza.” He set a $500/month budget, sat back, and waited for orders to roll in.
After two weeks, he’d spent $350. He got 700 clicks but only 8 orders. That’s a 1.1% conversion rate and $43.75 per order — his average order value is $22. He was losing money on every click.
What went wrong: Tony didn’t add negative keywords. His ads were showing for searches like “pizza delivery jobs,” “pizza box suppliers,” “how to make pizza dough at home,” and worst of all — “free pizza delivery near me” (people looking for coupons, not actually ordering). He was paying $1–3 per click for people who would never become customers.
The fix: We went through his search terms report. Found 47 irrelevant queries that had eaten $210 of his budget in two weeks. Added them as negative keywords. Changed his campaign to phrase and exact match for the core terms. Added location targeting to a 5-mile radius around his store.
The outcome: In the next two weeks, his spend dropped to $220 (same budget cap, but wasted clicks stopped). Clicks went down to 280, but orders went up to 12 — a 4.3% conversion rate. Cost per order dropped to $18.33. He was finally profitable. Over the next 60 days, his revenue from Google Ads hit $4,200 on $1,320 in ad spend.
What you do instead: Before you launch a single ad, pull the Google Keyword Planner for your area. Export the list. Filter out any term that isn’t transactional — words like “recipe,” “job,” “supplier,” “free,” “coupon,” “how to.” Build your negative keyword list before you spend a dollar. Then check the search terms report every 48 hours for the first two weeks.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Phone Orders (and Losing Half Your Revenue)
The story: Sarah owns a BBQ joint in Nashville. She’s been open four years and gets about 35% of her orders through phone calls — catering, large family orders, people who don’t trust online ordering. She launched Google Ads with a $800/month budget, optimized for “online orders.” She was thrilled when she tracked 22 online orders in the first month.
But she didn’t know that 47 phone calls came in during that same period, all from people who searched “BBQ delivery Nashville,” saw her ad, and called instead of clicking. She had no call tracking. She was attributing zero value to those calls. Meanwhile, her ad spend was the same regardless.
The fix: We added a call extension with a Google forwarding number. Also set up call conversion tracking — every call lasting longer than 60 seconds counted as a conversion. Then we put that number in her ad copy: “Call for large orders — same-day catering available.”
The outcome: In the next month, she got 82 tracked calls. 34 lasted more than 60 seconds. Average call order value: $68 (vs. $28 for online). That’s $2,312 in call revenue from the $800 ad spend. Combined with online orders ($616), total revenue was $2,928 — a 3.66x ROAS instead of the 0.77x she thought she was getting. She doubled her ad budget the next month.
What you do instead: If your restaurant takes phone orders, you need call tracking. Use Google Ads’ built-in call extensions with a forwarding number (free). Set up conversion tracking for calls. In your ad copy, include a call-to-action for phone ordering if that’s a real channel. Most small restaurant owners miss this entirely — and they’re leaving 30–50% of orders invisible.
Mistake 3: Writing One Ad for the Whole City
The story: Marco runs a chain of three deep-dish pizza locations in Chicago — one in Lincoln Park, one in Wrigleyville, one in the Loop. He set up a single campaign with generic ad copy: “Best Deep Dish in Chicago — Order Online Now.” His budget was $1,200/month across all three locations.
After a month, the campaign got 2,100 clicks and 63 orders. That’s 3% conversion rate. Decent, but not great for food delivery. The problem: most clicks came from people outside each location’s delivery radius. His Lincoln Park store kept showing up for people in Wrigleyville — they’d click, realize delivery would take 45 minutes, and bail.
The fix: We split his campaign into three separate location-based campaigns, each targeting a 3-mile radius around the specific store. We rewrote ad copy to include the neighborhood name: “Deep Dish Delivered to Lincoln Park in 30 Mins.” Also added location extensions showing the correct address.
The outcome: Cost per click actually went up slightly (from $0.57 to $0.63) because we narrowed targeting. But conversion rate jumped to 4.8%. Orders increased to 89 in the next month. Cost per order dropped from $19 to $13.20. Monthly revenue from ads went from $1,764 to $2,492 — a 41% increase on the same budget.
What you do instead: If you have multiple locations, do not combine them into one campaign. Create separate campaigns per location, with radius targeting around each store. Write ad copy that mentions the neighborhood and delivery time. Use location extensions. This is especially critical in big metro areas where people order food within a 2-3 mile radius — they don’t want pizza from across town.
Mistake 4: Not Connecting Ads to Your Ordering Platform
The story: Elena runs a Peruvian chicken spot in Portland, OR. She uses Square Online for her website and ordering system. She started Google Ads with a $600/month budget, directing traffic to her Square Online store. After two months, she “felt like” she was getting orders, but had no real data. She thought she was spending $600 and getting $1,800 in revenue — a 3x ROAS.
When I looked at her setup, she hadn’t installed the Google Ads conversion tracking tag on her order confirmation page. She was relying on “view-through conversions” and “assisted conversions” from Google’s default reporting, which inflates numbers. I pulled the actual data from Square’s backend: in the last 30 days, exactly 11 orders originated from Google Ads. Average order value: $32. Total revenue: $352. She spent $600. She was losing $248 per month — negative ROAS.
The fix: We installed the Google Ads global site tag on her squareup.com site (Square allows custom JavaScript via Settings → Advanced → Code Injection). Set up a conversion action on the “order-confirmation” URL. Also implemented Google Enhanced Conversions (hashed email) to improve match rates.
The outcome: For the first time, Elena had real data. She saw her actual ROAS was 0.58x — not the fantasy 3x. She reduced her budget to $300/month, optimized keywords, and after 90 days hit a 2.1x ROAS with $630 revenue on $300 spend. More importantly, she now trusted the numbers.
What you do instead: Before spending a penny, integrate Google Ads conversion tracking with your ordering platform. If you use Toast, Square Online, Clover, or ChowNow — check if they support Google Ads tracking. If they don’t (some block custom scripts), use Google Tag Manager to fire a conversion event when the order confirmation page loads. Test it yourself: place a test order and verify the tag fires. If you’re not 100% sure, assume you’re tracking zero conversions. Most errors happen because the tag is on the wrong page or fires only after a redirect.
Budget Allocation: How Much to Spend on Google Ads vs. Delivery Platforms
Food delivery restaurants face a unique math problem. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub take 25–45% per order. Google Ads takes 0% — you just pay for clicks. So the trade-off is: Do you spend money on platform commissions, or on ads that drive people to your own site?
Here’s a real scenario. A family-owned Italian restaurant in Denver, CO. They’re on DoorDash and Uber Eats. Average order value on those platforms: $35. DoorDash commission: 30%. Uber Eats commission: 28%. They net $24.50 and $25.20 per order respectively. Their Google Ads cost per order: $16 (they’ve dialed in their campaign). If the customer orders directly through their website, they keep the full $35.
So the question is not whether to use Google Ads — it’s how to allocate budget across channels.
My recommendation for most restaurants with under $5,000/month total marketing budget:
- 40% to Google Ads for direct online orders
- 30% to one delivery platform (whichever drives most volume)
- 20% to retention (email/SMS to past customers)
- 10% to testing (Facebook or Instagram if your audience skews under 35)
Why? Because every direct order saves you 25–45% commission. If your Google Ads cost per order is $16 and your average order is $35, your margin on that order is $19 — better than any platform order after commission.
But you need to know your numbers. Take a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY: average order through their site is $22. Google Ads cost per order is $12. They net $10. The same order on Uber Eats would cost them $6.60 in commission on a $22 order, net $15.40. In this case, Uber Eats is actually more profitable per order, but Google Ads lets them build their own customer list (email, phone) for future marketing.
I’ve seen owners throw $2,000/month at DoorDash ads (yes, they have their own ad platform) and get back $3,000 in additional orders — after commissions, they net about $1,800. The same $2,000 on Google Ads could generate $6,000 in direct orders, netting $6,000 minus $2,000 ad spend = $4,000. Plus you own the customer data.
The uncomfortable truth: Most platforms’ internal ad tools are designed to make the platform more money, not you. Google Ads, if done right, gives you traffic you own. But you need to track everything. Use a tool like Triple Whale or Northbeam (if you’re bigger) or just a spreadsheet. Know your per-channel profitability.
Specific tools to use: For budget tracking, I use a shared Google Sheet with my clients. Tabs for each channel, columns for spend, clicks, orders, revenue, commissions deducted, net profit. Update it weekly. Don’t guess.
Tracking and Attribution: Connecting Clicks to Actual Orders
This is where most food delivery restaurants fall apart. You run Google Ads, people click, some order. But which clicks caused which orders? Without proper tracking, you’re flying blind.
The setup you need:
-
Google Ads conversion tracking — Place the tag on your order confirmation page. Not the “add to cart” page, not the menu page. The page that says “Thank you. Your order is confirmed.” Test it with a real order.
-
UTM parameters — Add
?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pizza_deliveryto your ad URLs. This lets Google Analytics (or whatever you use) attribute orders to specific campaigns. Most ordering platforms (Square, Toast, ChowNow) capture UTM parameters in their order reports. -
Call tracking — As I mentioned earlier, use a Google forwarding number. Set up call conversion tracking in Google Ads. A call that lasts 60+ seconds is likely an order. Validate by asking customers “How did you hear about us?” for a week.
-
Offline conversion import — This is the advanced move. If you take phone orders but can’t track them automatically, you can download your order data from your POS (Square, Toast, Clover), match phone numbers or emails to Google Ads click IDs, and upload them as conversions. Tools like Offline Conversion Import (free in Google Ads) or a service like LeadsBridge can do this.
Real example from a chicken wing shop in Atlanta, GA:
Owner used Square Online. He had Google Ads running, but Square’s built-in analytics said “50 orders from Google Ads last month.” I cross-checked by looking at the UTM parameters in Square’s order export. Found that only 38 of those orders actually came from a paid Google Ads click — the other 12 came from organic search but were misattributed because Square lumped all “google” traffic together.
He was giving credit to Google Ads for organic orders, which made his ROAS look better than it was. He was about to double his ad budget based on bad data. We fixed the UTM tracking, and his real ROAS was 1.8x instead of the reported 2.4x. He kept the budget the same and focused on improving conversion rate instead.
What you should actually do today:
- Log into your Google Ads account. Go to Conversions → Install the tag. If you’re already using a platform like Square, check if it has a built-in Google Ads integration (Square does, Toast does, Clover does not).
- Set up a test order. After it goes through, use the Google Tag Assistant browser extension to verify the conversion tag fired.
- Export orders from your platform for the last 30 days. Filter by source/medium. Compare to Google Ads reported conversions. If they don’t match within 10%, something is off.
Tool recommendation: I use Google Tag Manager to manage all conversion tags. It’s free, it works, and you can add multiple tags (Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, Google Analytics) without touching your site code again. Took me 20 minutes to set up for a coffee shop client in Portland. Worth it.
Ad Extensions That Actually Work for Food Delivery
Google Ads gives you a dozen extension options. Most restaurant owners ignore them or apply them randomly. Here’s what actually moves the needle for food delivery.
1. Call extensions. Already covered — but I’ll add: set your call extension to only show during business hours. Nothing worse than someone calling at 11 PM when you’re closed. Use a Google forwarding number to track calls.
2. Location extensions. If you have a physical restaurant, show your address. This builds trust. Even if people order delivery, seeing a real address (especially in a strip mall or downtown) reassures them you’re a legitimate business. We saw CTR increase by 7% for a BBQ joint in Kansas City after adding location extensions.
3. Sitelink extensions. These let you add extra links below your ad. For food delivery, the best sitelinks are: “View Full Menu,” “Order Catering,” “Family Meals,” “Sign Up for Rewards.” Don’t use “About Us” or “Our Story” — no one clicks those on a food delivery ad. A pizza place in Denver added sitelinks and saw a 12% increase in conversion rate because customers went straight to the menu without bouncing.
4. Callout extensions. Short text phrases like “Free Delivery on Orders Over $20,” “Open Until 10 PM,” “Local Ingredients.” These appear below your ad. They don’t increase click-through rate much, but they increase conversion rate because they answer pre-click questions. A Thai restaurant in Seattle added “Gluten-Free Options Available” as a callout — their conversion rate went from 2.8% to 3.4% in two weeks.
5. Price extensions. If you’re running ads for specific menu items (e.g., “Pepperoni Pizza — $14”), use price extensions to show the item, price, and link to the order page. This works well for fast-casual places with a clear menu. A taco shop in Austin tested price extensions for their taco combos ($8, $12, $16) — click-through rate jumped 18% because users saw the price and knew they could afford it.
6. Structured snippet extensions. These let you list categories like “Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex, Breakfast Tacos.” Helpful for restaurants that serve multiple cuisines. One Denver restaurant that does both Italian and American comfort food used structured snippets — they saw a 4% lift in clicks from people searching specifically for “Italian delivery.”
What to skip: Promotion extensions (unless you have a real, time-limited deal — not just 10% off that runs forever). App extensions (unless you have a custom ordering app with high ratings). Message extensions (most restaurants don’t have staff to respond to texts).
My rule: Use call, location, sitelink, and callout extensions on every campaign. Test price extensions if you have clear menu items. Check performance monthly and remove any extension that isn’t getting at least 1% of your total clicks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why not just use DoorDash or Uber Eats ads instead of Google Ads?
Because you don’t own the customer. DoorDash keeps the data. You’ll never get their email or phone number. Plus, you’re paying the platform commission on top of the ad cost. Google Ads sends people to your own site — you get the full order value and you can capture their contact info for future marketing. If you want to build a long-term business, not just survive month to month, direct orders are the foundation.
Q: How do I track online orders from Google Ads if I use a third-party ordering system like Toast or Square?
Most modern ordering platforms support Google Ads conversion tracking. For Toast, go to Online Ordering → Settings → Third Party Tracking. Paste your Google Ads conversion tag there. For Square Online, go to Settings → Advanced → Code Injection → Footer. Paste the tag. For ChowNow, contact their support — they’ll add it for you. For any custom system, use Google Tag Manager. If you’re unsure, hire someone for 2 hours — it’s worth the $200 to get accurate data.
Q: Is Google Ads worth it for a small restaurant with a monthly budget of $300?
Yes, if you target tightly. With $300/month, you can run a single campaign targeting your 3-mile radius with 5–10 keywords. Your daily budget will be about $10. You’ll likely get 3–5 clicks per day and maybe 1–2 orders. At $15–20 per order, that’s $450–900 in revenue on $300 spend — a 1.5–3x ROAS. That’s decent for a small restaurant. But don’t expect magic. You need to track everything and be willing to kill underperforming keywords.
Q: Should I target people near my restaurant only or also people who are farther but might order delivery?
Target people within your actual delivery range. If you deliver within 3 miles, set your radius to 3 miles. If you’re in a dense city and can deliver 5 miles, set it to 5. Anything beyond your real range means wasted clicks. People 8 miles away will click your ad, see your minimum order is $25 and delivery fee is $7, and leave. You just paid for a click that will never convert.
Q: What keywords should I absolutely avoid?
Any keyword that implies free, cheap, or DIY. Common offenders: “free delivery,” “pizza recipe,” “how to cook,” “coupon code,” “discount pizza,” “best pizza in [city]” (people searching this are comparing, not ordering). Also avoid competitor names unless you have a specific conquesting campaign (risky for small budgets). Use the search terms report weekly and add negatives for anything non-transactional.
Q: How long until I see results from Google Ads?
You’ll see data within 2–3 days — clicks, impressions, spend. But meaningful results (orders, ROAS) usually take 2–4 weeks. Google’s algorithm needs time to learn. Don’t pause a campaign after 3 days because you got 0 orders. Give it 2 weeks, then review. If after 30 days your cost per order is higher than your average order value, then adjust — but don’t kill it before then.
Q: Should I use Smart Bidding or manual bidding for food delivery?
Start with manual CPC. You need to understand which keywords and locations perform before handing control to an algorithm. After you have 50+ conversions in a month, you can test Target CPA or Max Conversions. For small restaurants, manual bidding often performs better because you can react quickly to local changes (e.g., a snowstorm increases demand).
I’ve watched too many restaurant owners waste months on Google Ads campaigns that looked pretty in the dashboard but didn’t deliver real orders. The fixes I’ve described here aren’t theory — they’re what I pull from my notes from working with a taco shop in Austin, a BBQ joint in Nashville, and a deep-dish chain in Chicago. Each of them had the same problem: someone else had set up their ads with generic advice, and no one was looking at the actual numbers. The first time I showed a restaurant owner their real cost per order — not the inflated Google Ads dashboard number — they almost choked on their coffee. That’s why I do this.
If you’re running a food delivery restaurant and want someone to actually dig into your account, not just send you a templated report, I can help. Book a free consultation — we’ll look at your campaigns, your numbers, and decide together whether Google Ads makes sense for you right now.
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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