#1 on Uber Eats: What 6 Top-Ranked Restaurants Have in Common
From cheesesteak in Philadelphia to currywurst in Berlin, six restaurants held #1 on Uber Eats for weeks. Their winning items share one simple habit.
In a busy city, an Uber Eats search can return dozens of restaurants; for most of the searches here we captured 79. Being first on that list is the best spot a restaurant can have: it is the first thing a hungry customer sees. Across the shops we followed, six restaurants in six cities held #1 on Uber Eats for at least one keyword, for weeks at a time.
The #1 list
| Restaurant | Search | Item Uber Eats matched | Checks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cousin's Burger Philadelphia | “cheesesteak” | Ribeye Cheesesteak | 24 of 25 |
| Curry 36 Berlin | “pommes” | Pommes frites | 24 of 24 |
| La Vaca Birria San Francisco | “birria tacos” | Quesabirria (a la carte) | 23 of 24 |
| Curry 36 Berlin | “currywurst” | Krakauer als Currywurst | 22 of 24 |
| La Vaca Birria San Francisco | “burrito” | Grilled cheese Burrito | 20 of 22 |
| DeLuca's Italian Staten Island | “truffle pasta” | Truffle Riceballs | 17 of 17 |
| Il Toro E La Capra Las Vegas | “veal parmigiana” | Veal Parmigiana | 17 of 17 |
| Frank's Pizza House Toronto | “calzone” | Jumbo Calzone / Panzerotti | 13 of 15 |
What they have in common: the search word is in the item name
Read the third column again. In seven of the eight wins, the word the customer typed appears right in the name of the item Uber Eats matched: "Ribeye Cheesesteak", "Pommes frites", "Quesabirria", "Krakauer als Currywurst", "Grilled cheese Burrito", "Veal Parmigiana", "Jumbo Calzone". In the eighth, DeLuca's Truffle Riceballs shares the most distinctive word of the search, "truffle".
None of these names are clever. They say what the food is, in the words people use to ask for it. That makes it easy for the app to match the item to the search.
Uber Eats
“veal parmigiana”
- Latest
- #1
- Best
- #1
- Found
- 17 of 17 checks
- Results
- 17
Rank on that day (higher is better)
Il Toro E La Capra, Las Vegas: #1 on all 17 checks with an item named exactly "Veal Parmigiana".
Uber Eats
“cheesesteak”
- Latest
- #1
- Best
- #1
- Found
- 25 of 25 checks
- Results
- 79
Rank on that day (higher is better)
Cousin's Burger, Philadelphia: #1 from the second check on, with its Ribeye Cheesesteak.
Signature dishes, specific words
The other thing these wins share is focus. Most of them are the dish the restaurant is known for: birria at La Vaca Birria, currywurst and fries at Curry 36, cheesesteak at a Philadelphia shop. A specific search like "birria tacos" or "calzone" rewards a restaurant that clearly specializes in it.
Uber Eats
“pommes”
- Latest
- #1
- Best
- #1
- Found
- 24 of 24 checks
- Results
- 79
Rank on that day (higher is better)
Curry 36, Berlin: #1 for "pommes" on every one of 24 checks.
Uber Eats
“birria tacos”
- Latest
- #1
- Best
- #1
- Found
- 24 of 24 checks
- Results
- 79
Rank on that day (higher is better)
La Vaca Birria, San Francisco: #1 for "birria tacos" on 23 of 24 checks.
How to use this on your own menu
- Write down the words customers type for your best dishes. Not the house name, the plain name.
- Put that word in the item name. "Veal Parmigiana" beats "Chef's Special Veal".
- Lead with your signature dish. A specific search you clearly specialize in is the fastest #1.
- Check your rank daily to see the change land.
For the full set of patterns, read the PEO guide.