Onboarding to Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat: a one-week plan that actually works

Most operators underestimate platform onboarding.

Each platform claims a 7-day go-live. In practice, getting all three running cleanly takes 10 to 14 days, and getting them running well takes about 30.

This is the working sequence. It assumes you have the kitchen, the food business registration, and the menu costed.

Day 1: documentation and accounts

All three platforms require the same paperwork. Get it ready before you start any application.

You will need: company registration number (or UTR if you are a sole trader), your local authority food business registration confirmation, your food hygiene rating (or evidence the EHO has been notified you are starting up), public liability insurance certificate, a UK bank account in the trading name, and the operator's photo ID.

Submit the application on Deliveroo first. They are typically the slowest to respond. Uber Eats next. Just Eat last.

Day 2: menu build

Build your menu in a spreadsheet before you touch any platform interface.

Each item needs: dish name, short description (40 to 60 words, written for hungry people, not search engines), price, allergen list, photograph file name, modifier groups (sides, sizes, drinks), and category placement.

A complete delivery menu is usually 18 to 28 items split into 4 to 6 categories. Anything wider takes longer to build and reads cluttered on the app.

Days 3 and 4: photography

Book a half-day with a food photographer who has shot delivery before. Pay 400 to 800 pounds. Shoot all dishes against a single neutral background, with consistent lighting, in their actual delivery packaging.

Photographs do more for conversion than any other single line in your launch budget. Deliveroo merchant data shows good photography raises conversion by 20 to 30 percent on the platform (Deliveroo merchant academy, 2023). The same lift applies on Uber Eats and Just Eat.

Day 5: build the menus on each platform

Now load the same menu into all three platforms. Each interface is slightly different. Allow about three hours per platform for a 25-item menu.

A common mistake: pricing the same dish identically across all three. The platforms charge different commissions (typically 25 to 32 percent) and Deliveroo applies its commission to a different base than Uber Eats. Build a small spreadsheet that calculates platform-specific menu prices to give you the same net per dish across all three.

Most operators set Deliveroo at the highest customer-facing price (it has the highest commission) and Just Eat slightly lower. Uber Eats varies. The customer-facing gap is usually 50p to 1.50 per dish.

Day 6: hardware and rider flow

Each platform sends an order tablet (or asks you to install their app on an Android tablet you provide). The tablets sit on the pass and beep when an order arrives.

Three tablets on one pass is workable but tight. Most operators consolidate to one Order Aggregator (Otter, Deliverect, NextBite are common UK options) within the first month, which collapses all three platforms into one screen and one printer. Day 6 is too early for this. Run the native tablets first so you understand each platform's rhythm before you abstract it away.

Set the rider waiting area inside or just outside your unit. Riders will not enter the kitchen. They need a clear pickup point, a numbered shelf or named bag drop, and a sign at the door.

Day 7: soft launch on Deliveroo

Open on Deliveroo for the first three hours of dinner service only (typically 5:30 to 8:30 pm). Cap your prep capacity in the platform settings to half what you think you can handle. The first three real orders will identify problems with the menu, the packaging, the pass workflow, and the rider hand-off, all of which you want to find at five orders per hour, not 20.

Reopen the next day for full evening hours, still on Deliveroo only. Add Uber Eats on day 9. Add Just Eat on day 11.

By day 14 you will have a working three-platform setup, your first 100 orders, and a ratings baseline you can build on.

What to do in week two

Read every customer review out loud at the start of each shift. Look for repeating words. "Cold" means a packaging or pickup-time problem. "Missing item" means a checklist needs adding to the pass. "Small" means you need to revisit portion size or dish photography.

Adjust three things per week, no more. Operators who change ten things in week two cannot tell what worked.