I agree with the replies from
@fisicx
A lot of people underestimate how tough the first few weeks on Just Eat (or similar platforms) can be.
The reality is that offers and discounts won’t move the needle if customers have no reason to trust you yet. These platforms are saturated, too much choice, to many offers. So people scroll, compare and start by
choosing the place with the most reviews, not the lowest price.
A few thoughts that might help:
You’re competing against trust, not price
New listings with 0 reviews almost always struggle, no matter how good the photos or offers look. Most customers simply won’t take a risk when they can choose somewhere known or approved by others.
That’s why even a £0.99 delivery fee won’t shift behaviour.
You need social proof fast
You need to find ways to get your first 20–30
good reviews, not just because it attracts new customers, but also because that’s when Just Eat starts pushing you up the rankings organically, not just through paid boosts (which they will want). Think about their business model - if someone goes on the app they will most likely get an order, so their incremental sales are to get you to pay more for advertising.
Some ideas to boost your presence:
Promote your
Just Eat link on your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp groups. Photos are good but also tell people what makes you different, why they should check out your food.
Offer a “friends & family launch week” - keep it honest (because you will quickly loose credibility) but target your offers at friends and family on the condition they leave an honest review.
Can you target a specific community or local group with a special promotion or offer - again ask that they leave you a review.
Targeted leaflets can work, keep it focused and in the local area with a launch offer encouraging people to order on Just Eat and if they liked it to leave a review.
This way you build the reviews on the platform you need and your promotional spend is targeted on getting those reviews you need.
Make sure your menu builds trust
Without seeing your menu, we can't comment, but check these and ask friends & family for their input:
- Do the names/descriptions show quality or do they read generic? Is it enticing and differentiated or just looks the same as everyone else?
- Are there too many items (a common dark-kitchen mistake)?
- Is the branding attractive and coherent, or does it look like a template? Branding matters more for dark kitchens because people can’t see the premises.
Check your service radius
Sometimes the delivery radius is too small or too large.
Too small = not enough households.
Too large = long prep + delivery times → put people off and can lead to low ranking as food can spoil over time.
Ask Just Eat to check your radius against population density.
Final thoughts : a dark kitchen can work, but only once people trust you. Customers don’t care if it’s a dark kitchen, hotel kitchen or high street shop as long as the reviews are good, service is good and food is good. Once you hit 4.5+ stars with 30–50 reviews, the orders usually start coming through steadily.
This early phase is the hardest part — after that you’re competing on
food quality and consistency rather than being invisible.
Good luck, and don't forget to come back and share with us what worked and what didn't!
