How to Rank Higher on GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats: A Comparative Guide for Chain Restaurants.

Navigating the algorithms of GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats can make or break your restaurant’s online presence. Discover key tactics and learn how to improve your visibility, boost orders, and stay ahead in the food delivery apps.

Being present in a third-party food delivery app is no longer an option; it’s a reality of today’s digital world and a must-have for chain restaurants that want to prioritize their online visibility and elevate their profits. 

As more and more diners use these apps for convenience or as part of their lifestyle, understanding how to optimize your restaurant on GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats can make a big difference in persuading them and being top of mind when they're ready to order their next meal.

The food delivery app industry is expected to reach a , making it crucial for chain restaurants to master these platforms to secure their share of this expanding market and stay ahead of the competition.

Major Delivery Apps

GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats are some of the giants dominating the global food delivery space. 

• Grubhub, whose mission statement is “we champion restaurants from coast to coast,” describes itself as a brand “helping restaurants grow their businesses and experiment with new concepts.”  

• DoorDash describes itself as “a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local businesses in more than 30 countries worldwide.”

• Uber Eats, launched in 2014 by Uber, describes its app as a “food delivery platform that makes getting great food from your favorite local restaurants as easy as requesting a ride.”

Even if all three share the goal of connecting hungry customers with restaurants, their approach to ranking restaurants may differ. Understanding these differences is critical to optimizing your restaurant across all three. This article will provide a side-by-side comparison of the strategies to improve rankings on each platform.

Understanding Delivery Apps' Algorithms

A key piece of knowledge regarding the ranking algorithms of major delivery apps is that when customers open their favorite app, the restaurants shown aren’t there by chance. Quite the opposite; what they’re seeing is determined by an algorithm.

An algorithm is a system of rules that selects options the customer likes based on their preferences and past orders. In other words, when it comes to food delivery apps, the algorithm matches customers with the best options for their food delivery needs, making it easier to complete an order quickly.

Then, what is the set of rules that Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats have designed for their algorithms? Every app uses a different algorithm that considers several factors to decide which restaurants to display to customers. These include, but are not limited to, reviews and ratings, delivery time, order accuracy, and more.

• Reviews and ratings give potential customers a glimpse into a restaurant's food's quality, reliability, and taste.

• Delivery time is how much it takes for a company to receive an order from a customer and ship it out.

• Order accuracy refers to the degree to which an order's contents match the customer's request.

Now that you have a better understanding of how the algorithms of food delivery apps work let’s delve into the particularities of each one. As mentioned before, the primary purpose of this article is to provide you with strategies to improve your ranking on each platform. 

How GrubHub Ranks Restaurants?

GrubHub’s algorithm loves user engagement. Click-through rates (CTR) and repeat customers are significant factors in your visibility on the platform. For returning users, Grubhub will show recommendations that factor in their past order history, such as similar merchants to their most recent orders. 

Therefore, to optimize your GrubHub profile, focus on a good menu with clear descriptions and great pictures, and ensure your restaurant information is up to date.

Keys to success on GrubHub:

• Get customers to review you, incentivize them by offering a reward in a future order or visit, and monitor and respond to all their comments. 

• Update your menu and promotions. This can increase your restaurant's order volume and attract new diners, making it a key strategy for improving your ranking.  

• Showcase irresistible photos that spark cravings. Remember that we eat with all our senses, but our eyes are the first to savor the appeal of delicious food.

Your business can also use to boost your restaurant's visibility and elevate it to the top of customer search pages. Grubhub will include your restaurant in emails to its customer base and promote your restaurant on all digital channels. 

Optimizing your profile to boost user engagement and using sponsored listings can increase your visibility and help you get more orders, placing your restaurant on the path to success.

How DoorDash Ranks Restaurants

DoorDash prioritizes speed and accuracy in its ranking. DoorDash’s algorithm helps drivers achieve timely deliveries by calculating the most efficient route, considering traffic, road conditions, and distance. In case of a surge in orders or driver cancellations, the algorithm reassigns the order to another available driver to minimize delays and ensure faster delivery.

The customer feedback loop is another big part of the ranking. Quick and professional responses to reviews (positive and negative) can help your restaurant.

To succeed on DoorDash:

• Deliver fast and accurately, especially by managing expectations about delivery time and catching and fixing mistakes in the restaurant and not at the customer’s front door.

• Manage and respond to reviews. According to DoorDash, you to new messages, although they recommend responding within 24 hours.

• Join ; it’s handy during slow times. DashPass, which offers free delivery for subscribers, can bring in a lot of orders for participating restaurants.

To excel on DoorDash, prioritize fast and accurate deliveries while staying engaged with customer feedback. Consistently meeting delivery expectations and responding to reviews will improve your ranking.

Additionally, participating in DashPass can drive more orders by offering free delivery to subscribers.

How Uber Eats Ranks Restaurants

Uber Eats stands out for personalization. Essentially, everything a user sees in their app is personalized, including lists and collections of restaurants. So, your restaurant’s visibility can change depending on the user looking at the app. In other words, the algorithm ranks restaurants based on individual user behavior, preferences, and order history. 

Key takeaways for Uber Eats success:

• Invest in high-quality food photography and menu descriptions that match your desired customers' tastes and values to increase the chances of users completing an order.

• Suggest complementary items that create a more personalized dining experience.

• Enhance the overall user experience, ensuring your menu is optimized for easy browsing and ordering on mobile devices. 

Uber Eats also offers various promotional tools to help you unlock higher rankings. For example, sponsored listings are a type of advertising in which restaurants can pay for increased visibility and placement on the Uber Eats app or website.
Uber Eats will promote your restaurant to people interested in ordering, ensuring your offers reach the right people at the right time. 

Cross-App Strategies to Rank Higher

While each app is different, our previous analysis reveals that some strategies will work across all three:

• Consistency in delivery time and accuracy: timely and accurate orders are key, no matter the app. Implement systems to ensure orders are made quickly and double-checked before leaving your restaurant.

• Customer feedback management: No one likes to be ghosted, so monitor and respond to customer reviews on all apps. Handle negative feedback professionally and use it as a chance to improve. Ask happy customers to leave reviews!

• Promotion management: While you should use the promotional tools on each app, be strategic. Do you need to run the same promotions on all apps at the same time? Maybe there’s space for personalization. Take advantage of what every algorithm favors and run promotions that leverage it.

• Menu optimization: A simple menu that translates to the digital format uses clear language and organizes items logically. Consider creating app-specific menus showcasing your top-selling or most profitable items, or even trim the menu to ensure every dish travels well.

Comparative Summary: GrubHub vs. DoorDash vs. UberEats

In short, knowing the differences between Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats makes the most of each. 

• Grubhub focuses on user engagement and repeat customers, menu optimization with high-quality photos, and sponsored listings for visibility.

• On DoorDash speed and accuracy of deliveries, manage customer feedback, and consider DashPass for exposure. 

• Uber Eats capitalizes on personalized rankings based on user behavior, enhances your restaurant's visual appeal, and uses Uber Eats Boosts and sponsored listings to stand out.

Closing thoughts

With the essential knowledge at your fingertips, your business is better prepared to master the art of ranking higher on these three apps. By implementing the strategies we've described in this guide, you’ll be able to improve the visibility of your chain restaurant and persuade more customers to increase profits through these apps.

However, keep in mind that the digital landscape is constantly evolving. These platforms frequently update their algorithms and features, so your restaurant must be prepared to adapt its strategies. Staying informed about changes will give you a competitive edge over your competitors. Also, remember to regularly analyze your performance data across every platform to discover your areas of improvement and capitalize on your strengths.

Ultimately, remember that success on food delivery apps comes down to providing an exceptional experience for your diners, starting when they find you on a third-party delivery app. Focus on quality, maintain consistency, and fine-tune your approach to help your restaurant thrive in the competitive food delivery landscape.