A limited trial. A stronger case for delivery growth.

For a restaurant brand with more than 60 locations, handing over delivery management is a meaningful decision. Guacado was initially apprehensive about bringing in outside support, so the relationship began with a defined trial: eight locations over three months.

The assignment was focused on Uber Eats, reflecting the client’s platform exclusivity agreement. We needed to understand how those stores were performing, identify practical opportunities, and demonstrate progress within the trial footprint.

We worked with Guacado’s Uber Eats account manager to understand advertising spend across locations. The goal was to see where spend and performance were out of balance, particularly at weaker stores.

That collaboration informed store-level adjustments aimed at improving return on ad spend. Instead of treating a large brand’s locations as interchangeable, the work focused on where each store’s advertising needed attention.

The account manager brought platform context; Blender brought ongoing scrutiny of the locations and their spending decisions. Together, that created a more informed basis for adjustments.

One straightforward opportunity was being overlooked: replying to reviews with offers. Previously, that was not part of the stores’ routine.

We introduced responses that acknowledged the customer and included an offer for a future order.

During the trial, the frequent and occasional customer segments grew, and the reported review rate increased from 6% to 10%. Review responses became a more active part of how the stores stayed connected to their customers.

The strategy connected acquisition and retention. Advertising adjustments addressed paid visibility, while review responses created another opportunity to engage people who had already ordered.

More customer engagement, more repeat-order opportunities and a higher review rate can reinforce one another. That was the intended cycle: use each interaction to support the next, rather than leave reviews disconnected from the broader delivery strategy.

These changes happened together. The trial results reflect the combined program; they do not isolate the effect of review replies or advertising changes on their own.

Overall Uber Eats sales across the eight trial locations increased 25% over the three-month period. The reported review rate improved by 4 percentage points, from 6% to 10%, alongside growth in frequent and occasional customers.

The trial showed how focused operating changes could support growth within an established brand: collaborate with the platform account manager, scrutinize store-level ad spend, and give customer feedback a more active role.

These are results for the eight trial stores, not a claim of 25% growth across Guacado’s entire location network.