— For the restaurant marketer, CFO, or owner
What is the minimum evidence needed to decide whether a DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub promotion helped?
How to measure third-party delivery promotion ROI
Begin with campaign setup, dates, stores, eligible items, funding split, marketing fees, credits, and restaurant-funded discounts. Reconcile those costs to the statement. Choose a comparison that accounts for normal daypart, weekday, seasonality, menu availability, and store changes.
Estimate incremental contribution, not just sales. Subtract platform costs, restaurant-funded incentives, food and packaging cost, and incremental labor. Track whether promoted guests returned without another discount only when customer-level data is available and permitted. If the baseline or attribution is weak, publish a range or an unresolved result.
— What working formula does this answer use?
Promotion ROI = estimated incremental contribution ÷ restaurant-funded campaign cost
— Field checks
- 01Reconcile restaurant-funded campaign cost.
- 02Define a comparable baseline.
- 03Report contribution and uncertainty, not sales alone.
— Evidence to keep
- • Campaign terms and funding split
- • Statement charges and credits
- • Comparable sales and cost data
Sources checked August 21, 2026. Independent operational guidance—not marketplace-endorsed legal, tax, or accounting advice. Read the evidence and corrections standard.