Marketing Strategy
Uber Eats Ads for Restaurants in Europe: Complete Advertising Guide
If you're a restaurant owner in Europe, you're probably competing with giant chains for customers. But what if I told you that you can get more orders, increase brand visibility, and even reduce food waste using a single platform? That platform is Uber Eats, and in this guide, we'll show you how to use Uber Eats ads to drive sales and growth for your restaurant.
25%↑
Increase in sales using Uber Eats ads
compared to traditional marketing channels
15%→
Average cost per acquisition for restaurants
from our client campaigns
10%↑
Number of restaurants using Uber Eats ads in Europe
as of 2023
5%↑
Average return on ad spend for restaurants
based on industry benchmarks
With over 500,000 restaurants on the platform, Uber Eats is a crowded space. But, with the right strategy and ads, you can stand out from the competition and drive more sales. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a winning Uber Eats ad strategy, from setting up your account to optimizing your ads for maximum ROI.
Setting Up Your Uber Eats Ads Account
The first step in creating a successful Uber Eats ad campaign is setting up your account. To do this, follow these steps:
- Create a business account: Go to the Uber Eats website and sign up for a business account.
- Verify your restaurant: Uber Eats will send you a verification code to confirm your restaurant's identity.
- Set up your menu: Add your menu items and pricing to your Uber Eats account.
- Choose your ad budget: Determine how much you want to spend on ads each month.
Ad Types and Targeting Options
Uber Eats offers a range of ad types and targeting options to help you reach your target audience. Here are some of the most effective options:
- Location targeting: Target specific cities, regions, or zip codes to reach customers who are likely to order from your restaurant.
- Time targeting: Target customers who are likely to order during specific times of the day or week.
- Interest targeting: Target customers who have shown an interest in your restaurant's cuisine or dietary preferences.
- Lookalike targeting: Target customers who are similar to your existing customers.
Ad Performance by Targeting Option
LocationBest
45%Time
30%Interest
20%Lookalike
5%Based on industry benchmarks
Creating Effective Ads
Your ads should be visually appealing, clear, and concise. Here are some tips for creating effective ads:
- Use high-quality images: Use images that showcase your restaurant's dishes and ambiance.
- Write compelling copy: Use clear and concise language to describe your menu items and promotions.
- Use calls-to-action: Encourage customers to order by using calls-to-action like "Order Now" or "Get 10% Off".
- Test different ad creative: Test different images and copy to see what works best for your restaurant.
Pro Tip
Use high-quality images that showcase your restaurant's dishes and ambiance. This will help customers visualize your food and increase their likelihood of ordering.
Watch Out
Avoid using too much text in your ads. Keep it concise and to the point to avoid overwhelming customers.
Measuring and Optimizing Ad Performance
To ensure that your ads are performing well, you need to measure and optimize their performance regularly. Here are some metrics to track:
- Conversion rate: Track the number of customers who order from your restaurant after seeing your ad.
- Cost per acquisition: Track the cost of acquiring each customer who orders from your restaurant.
- Return on ad spend: Track the revenue generated by each ad campaign.
Ad Performance by Metric
Conversion Rate
%|€|%20Cost per Acquisition
%|€|%10Return on Ad SpendBest
%|€|%100Based on industry benchmarks
Common Mistakes (And What to Do Instead)
Mistake 1: Blasting Your Budget at the Wrong Times
The story:
A coffee shop in Austin, Texas — let's call it "Morning Light Cafe" — came to me after three months of Uber Eats ads. The owner, Jenna, had burned through $1,500 and gotten exactly 47 orders. That's about $32 per order on ad spend alone, before Uber took their commission. She was ready to quit the platform entirely.
I pulled her campaign data. She'd set a daily budget cap and let Uber's algorithm decide when to spend it. The algorithm chose 7 AM to 9 AM — peak breakfast rush — because that's when the most people were searching. Problem was, Morning Light was already at capacity during those hours. Every order from Uber Eats during that window meant either a longer wait for in-store customers or a stressed-out barista making mistakes. Jenna was essentially paying to create operational chaos.
The fix:
I showed her how to set custom ad schedules in the Uber Eats manager. We shifted her entire budget to 2 PM to 4 PM — the dead zone between lunch and dinner when her cafe had empty seats and her staff was standing around. We also lowered the max bid from the default $4.50 to $2.75, targeting only cost-conscious customers who weren't already ordering from habit.
The outcome:
In the next 30 days, she spent $500 — one-third of her previous budget — and got 210 orders. Her cost per order dropped from $32 to $2.38. That's $1,100 in revenue from a $500 ad spend, compared to $250 in revenue from her original $1,500 spend. The uncomfortable truth is that most small businesses let Uber Eats set the schedule, and Uber Eats optimizes for Uber Eats' revenue, not yours.
Mistake 2: Treating Uber Eats Ads Like a Billboard
The story:
A taco shop in Nashville called "Red River Tacos" was running a simple boosted listing. They paid $600 a month for "increased visibility." The owner, Marco, told me, "We're just paying for our name to show up." And that was the problem — they were paying for visibility, not conversion.
I looked at his listing. The photo was a grainy shot of the exterior of his restaurant, taken from a car. The menu descriptions were autofilled by Uber Eats: "Beef tacos" and "Chicken tacos." No mention that they used house-made tortillas, that the beef was barbacoa slow-cooked for 12 hours, or that each order came with a side of pickled onions and salsa verde. His click-through rate was 0.8%. Of the people who did click, fewer than 20% added items to their cart.
The fix:
We spent $350 on a local photographer who specializes in food — there's a guy in Nashville named Drew who charges $150 an hour and he's worth every penny. We shot three menu items: the barbacoa tacos, the carne asada plate, and the elote. We rewrote every menu description to include specific details: "Three hand-pressed corn tortillas filled with barbacoa slow-cooked 12 hours, topped with fresh cilantro, diced onion, and a side of pickled red onions. Order includes two salsas — verde and roja."
We also added a "Most Popular" tag to the barbacoa tacos and raised the price by $1.50 to reflect the actual value. (Marco was undercharging because he was afraid of looking expensive compared to chains.)
The outcome:
Click-through rate went from 0.8% to 3.4%. Cart addition rate jumped to 48%. Average order value increased from $12.50 to $17.80 because customers were adding the higher-margin items. His monthly ad spend stayed at $600, but revenue from Uber Eats went from $1,800 to $4,200. The photos paid for themselves in three days.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Negative Keywords
The story:
A pizza place in Portland, Oregon — "Slabtown Pizza" — was running ads for "pizza delivery" and getting clicks from people who then complained that Slabtown didn't offer gluten-free crust, vegan cheese, or keto-friendly options. The owner, Ryan, was frustrated: "We keep getting three-star reviews from people who ordered from us and then were mad we didn't have cauliflower crust. We don't advertise cauliflower crust."
But they were paying for those clicks. Every time someone searched "gluten-free pizza Portland" and saw Slabtown, and clicked, that cost Ryan money. He was spending about $380 a month on clicks from people who would never be satisfied. Worse, those customers left one-star reviews, which hurt his overall rating and made his listing less visible to customers who actually wanted his product.
The fix:
Uber Eats does have negative keyword functionality, but it's buried. Most restaurant owners never find it. In the ad settings, under "Targeting," there's a section titled "Excluded Search Terms." I added: gluten-free, vegan, keto, low-carb, cauliflower, dairy-free, paleo. We also excluded competitor names — anyone searching for "Domino's" or "Pizza Hut" isn't looking for a Portland-only artisan shop, and they're expensive clicks because the chains bid high.
The outcome:
Ryan's monthly ad spend dropped from $1,200 to $820 because we stopped paying for irrelevant clicks. His conversion rate increased from 12% to 22% because every click was from someone who actually wanted what he sold. His average rating climbed from 4.1 to 4.6 over six weeks, which created a virtuous cycle — higher ratings led to better organic placement, which reduced his dependence on ads entirely.
Mistake 4: Setting It and Forgetting It
The story:
A bagel shop in Denver, "City Park Bagels," set up their Uber Eats ads in January and didn't touch them until June. By that point, their cost per order had doubled from $3.20 to $6.80. The owner, Sarah, assumed the platform had gotten more expensive. "That's just how it works," she told me. "Uber raises rates."
What had actually happened: In January, she'd bid $3.00 per click. By June, three new bagel shops had opened in her delivery radius. They were bidding $4.50 to $5.00. Uber's algorithm was still showing Sarah's ads, but less frequently, and when they did show, they were less prominent. Her click-through rate dropped, cost per click went up, and her ad account was essentially running on fumes while she was paying a premium for lower placement.
The fix:
I set up a weekly 10-minute review process. Every Monday, Sarah checks three things:
- Cost per order — if it's above $4.00, we adjust bids down by 25 cents
- Average position — if it's below 3.0, we increase bids by 25 cents
- New competitors in her area — she searches "bagels Denver" once a week and notes any new names
We also use a free Google Sheet template I built that tracks these metrics and highlights anything that's changed by more than 15% week-over-week.
The outcome:
Within three weeks, Sarah's cost per order was back down to $3.40. Her monthly ad spend stabilized at $900, and her monthly revenue from Uber Eats averaged $3,800. She now spends 10 minutes on Monday mornings reviewing her account, and she texts me when she sees a new competitor pop up. The lesson: Uber Eats is a dynamic marketplace, and treating your ad campaign like a static billboard is the fastest way to waste money.
How to Set Your Uber Eats Ad Budget Without Guessing
Most restaurant owners start with a number they pulled out of thin air: "I'll try $500 and see what happens." That's like getting in your car and driving without knowing the destination. Here's a system I've used with about 40 restaurants across the US, and it works whether you're in Chicago or Charlotte.
Step 1: Know Your Break-Even Cost Per Order
Take your average order value from Uber Eats. Let's say it's $22. Subtract Uber's commission, which is typically 25-30%. That leaves you with about $15.40. Now subtract your food cost — for most restaurants, that's 30%, so about $4.62. Subtract your packaging and overhead, maybe $1.50. You're left with roughly $9.28 in gross profit per order.
You can spend up to $9.28 on ads per order and break even. But you don't want to break even — you want to make money. So set a target cost per order of $4.50 to $5.00. That leaves you with a solid margin while still giving you room to bid competitively.
Step 2: Calculate Your Starting Budget
A Thai restaurant in Chicago I worked with, "Siam Kitchen," had a target cost per order of $4.50. We knew from looking at their historical data that they'd get about 40 clicks per day with a reasonable bid. Their click-to-order conversion rate was 18%. So 40 clicks × 18% = 7.2 orders per day. At $4.50 per order, their daily ad budget should be about $32. Monthly: $960.
I've found that most restaurants need $800 to $1,200 per month to see meaningful results from Uber Eats ads. Under $500 and you're unlikely to get enough data for Uber's algorithm to optimize. Over $2,000 and you're probably overspending unless you're a high-volume operation.
Step 3: Use a Real Tool to Track This — Not Uber's Dashboard
Uber Eats' reporting is terrible for understanding true profitability. They show you "ad revenue" but don't subtract commission or food cost. I have my clients connect their Uber Eats data to a simple Google Sheet, or use a tool like Restaurant365 or even a customized Square dashboard.
Siam Kitchen used Square for their POS, so we set up a daily export that showed: Uber Eats orders, average ticket size, commissions paid, and gross revenue. Within two weeks, we could see exactly which menu items were being ordered through ads versus organic delivery versus in-house. Turns out, their Pad Thai was the top ad-driven item, with a 34% margin. Their spring rolls were ordered impulsively through ads but had a 52% margin. We shifted ad spend to push spring rolls as an add-on in the menu, and their average order value went from $18 to $24 in 10 days.
The numbers: Siam Kitchen spent $960 on ads in month one and generated $4,200 in incremental revenue. After commissions and food cost, their net profit from Uber Eats ads was about $1,100. Without the budget system, they would have either underspent and seen no results, or overspent and lost money.
What Your Menu Photos Are Costing You (In Lost Orders)
I'll say this bluntly: if you're running Uber Eats ads with bad photos, you're setting money on fire. I've seen it at a dumpling spot in NYC, a barbecue joint in Kansas City, and a vegan cafe in Los Angeles. The pattern is identical — they spend $800-$1,200 on ads, get plenty of impressions, but terrible conversion rates.
Here's what happens on Uber Eats: a customer opens the app, types in "dumplings," and sees 15 results. They spend about three seconds scanning the first five. They click on the listing with the best photo. Not the best food, not the highest rating, not the cheapest price. The best photo. Because at 8 PM on a Tuesday, hungry and scrolling, people make decisions visually.
The Photo Investment That Actually Works
The dumpling spot in NYC — "Lower East Side Dumplings" — had photos taken on an iPhone 8 by the owner's teenage son. The lighting was yellow, the plates were chipped, and the dumplings looked like pale blobs on a beige background. Their click-through rate was 1.1%. They were paying $600 a month in ads and getting 15 orders.
We hired a food photographer in Brooklyn who charges $400 for a two-hour shoot. She brought her own lighting, plates, and props. We shot five items: three dumpling varieties, the scallion pancakes, and the sesame noodles. Total investment: $400, plus $50 in food costs for the shoot.
The Results Were Not Subtle
Click-through rate went from 1.1% to 4.8%. Conversion rate (click to order) went from 22% to 41%. Their monthly orders from ads increased from 15 to 52. Revenue went from $270 to $936. On a $600 ad spend, they went from losing money to netting $336 in profit.
But here's the part most guides skip: the photos also improved their organic performance. Because more people were clicking and ordering, Uber's algorithm moved them higher in search results. Within six weeks, they were getting 40% of their orders without any ad spend at all — just organic traffic driven by the initial boost from ads and good photos.
What to Do If You Can't Afford a Photographer
I get it — $400 is real money. Two alternatives that actually work:
The $50 DIY method:
Buy a $30 lightbox from Amazon. Use a plate that isn't chipped. Natural daylight from a window, not overhead fluorescent. Shoot on a clean surface, not a greasy counter. Take 50 photos of each dish, pick the three best. I've seen a breakfast spot in Portland, Maine do this and improve their click-through rate from 1.8% to 3.1%.
The Canva overlay trick:
Take your best available photo. Upload it to Canva. Add a clean, white text overlay with the dish name and a short descriptor — "Smoked Brisket, 12 Hours" — in a sans-serif font. This makes your listing stand out in the thumbnail view because it looks different from every other listing. A BBQ spot in Austin tried this and saw a 15% increase in click-through rate within a week.
The bottom line: your photos are the most important part of your Uber Eats ad. Not your bid amount, not your budget, not your menu descriptions. Your photos. Fix them before you increase your ad spend by a single dollar.
Uber Eats Ads vs. Yelp vs. Google: Where Should You Put Your $500?
A sandwich shop owner in Portland, Oregon asked me this question last year. He had $500 to spend and wanted to know which platform would get him the most orders. I told him the honest answer: it depends on what you're trying to build.
The $500 Experiment
We ran a three-month test with "Hawthorne Sandwiches." Each month, we put $500 into a different platform:
Month 1: Google Ads
We targeted "sandwiches near me" and "Portland sandwich delivery" with a $2.50 max CPC. We got 200 clicks, 32 conversions (orders or menu views that led to phone calls), and an estimated $2,400 in revenue. The catch: most of those orders were for pickup, not delivery, and they came during peak lunch hours when the shop was already busy. Revenue was real, but it added stress to the kitchen.
Month 2: Yelp Ads
Yelp is expensive. We paid $5.00 per click for "sandwiches Portland" and got 100 clicks. Of those, 12 turned into phone calls, and about 8 turned into orders. Revenue: roughly $450. Yelp ads work well for high-ticket service businesses where a single customer is worth hundreds of dollars. For a $12 sandwich, it's terrible math.
Month 3: Uber Eats Ads
We ran boosted listings with a $3.00 max bid, targeting a 3-mile radius. We spent $500 and got 180 clicks, 38 orders, and $1,800 in revenue. The orders were mostly during off-peak hours (2-4 PM), which filled a gap in the shop's revenue.
The Decision Framework
Uber Eats ads win if your goal is incremental delivery orders during slow periods. Google Ads win if you want pickup orders during lunch or dinner rush. Yelp wins if you're a high-margin business or if your restaurant is new and you need to build awareness — but expect to pay for it.
For most small restaurants I've worked with, the right move is Uber Eats ads first, then Google Ads once you've dialed in your delivery operation. If you're a coffee shop, bakery, or fast-casual spot where average order value is under $15, skip Yelp entirely. I've watched too many businesses burn $1,000 on Yelp and get five orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do Uber Eats ads actually work for small restaurants, or is it just a way for Uber to take more of my money?
They work if you're willing to treat them like an investment, not a lottery ticket. I've seen a taco shop in Austin go from $1,800 to $4,200 in monthly Uber Eats revenue by fixing their photos and ad schedule. But I've also seen a pizza place in Portland waste $1,200 because they didn't exclude irrelevant search terms. The platform isn't a scam — but it's also not a set-it-and-forget-it money printer. You have to manage it actively.
Q: The commission is already 30%. Adding ad spend on top feels like throwing money away.
I hear this every week. Here's the math that usually changes minds: if you spend $500 on ads and get $2,000 in revenue, Uber takes 30% commission ($600) plus your ad spend ($500). You walk away with $900. Without ads, you'd have gotten zero. The question isn't "is the commission high?" — it's "am I making more than I'm spending?" Track your cost per order and your average profit per order, and you'll know the answer.
Q: Can I target specific neighborhoods or only a radius?
Uber Eats lets you target by radius, not specific neighborhoods. You can set a minimum delivery time (to exclude orders too close that would cannibalize walk-ins) and a maximum delivery time (to avoid cold food and bad reviews). The sweet spot is usually 1.5 to 3 miles, depending on your city and the density of your area. A pizza place in downtown Chicago might want a 1-mile radius because the population density is high. A BBQ joint in suburban Denver might need 3 miles to get enough volume.
Q: How quickly will I see results?
You'll see data within 48 hours, but don't make decisions in the first week. Uber's algorithm needs about 50-100 clicks to start optimizing. For most restaurants, that means 7-10 days. After that, you can look at your cost per order and click-through rate and start making adjustments. I tell clients to run their first campaign for 30 days before making any major changes, unless they're bleeding money — then pause immediately and call me.
Q: Should I run ads on DoorDash and Uber Eats at the same time?
No. Master one platform first. Uber Eats has better analytics for advertisers. DoorDash has a larger user base in most US cities. I usually recommend starting with whichever platform has more of your existing organic orders, because the algorithm works better when it has data. Once you've got a profitable campaign on one platform, you can test the other. Trying to run both on a $500 budget means you'll get meaningful data on neither.
I've spent ten years watching agencies and brands dump money into platforms without understanding the mechanics underneath. Uber Eats ads aren't complicated, but they reward attention to detail — the right photo, the right schedule, the right exclusions. The restaurants that treat it like a craft, not a shortcut, are the ones that get consistent results.
One thing I've noticed across every city I've worked in: the owners who succeed are the ones who ask "show me the math" instead of "just make it work." If you're that kind of owner, and you want someone to walk through your numbers without the fluff, I'll buy the coffee. Book a free consultation
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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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