If you run a takeaway in the UK, you have probably been told that Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats are the only way to take orders online. They are not. A takeaway ordering system on your own website lets customers order collection and delivery from you directly, with no commission on each order, and it is the single most effective way to keep the margin on your regulars’ orders. This guide covers what a takeaway ordering system needs to do, what the aggregators cost, the options available to UK takeaways, and how to set one up on your own site.
What a takeaway ordering system actually needs to do
Takeaway ordering is different from a shop checkout. The system has to answer “when will it be ready?” and “do you deliver to me?” before the customer puts anything in the basket. At minimum you need:
- Collection and delivery as separate flows, with different lead times, and the option to schedule for later tonight or tomorrow.
- Opening hours per service, so delivery can stop at 10pm while collection runs to 11pm, and last-order cut-offs so a 10:58pm order does not land after the fryers are off.
- Delivery areas and fees by postcode, radius or a drawn map, with a minimum order for delivery.
- A menu that handles your options: sizes, extra toppings, meal deals, “no onions”, spice level. Most takeaway menus live or die on modifiers.
- Payment that customers trust: card, Apple Pay and Google Pay through a known processor, plus cash on collection if you want it.
- A way for the kitchen to see orders: a thermal printer, a tablet, or a phone app that buzzes.
- Customer accounts with saved addresses and one-tap reorder, because a regular ordering their usual Friday order should take under a minute.
What the aggregators cost a UK takeaway
The platforms do not publish a single UK rate card; Deliveroo told Which? that its commission is “tailored to each individual arrangement”. Restaurants interviewed by Which? said they pay between 15% and 35% of the order value, with one quoting 30% on orders over £25 and 33% below (Which?, June 2021). Just Eat’s self-delivery rate is generally reported as the lowest of the three, with the aggregator-delivery option costing considerably more; because these figures move and vary by contract, check your own agreement rather than a blog.
On a £25 order at 30%, that is £7.50 before you have paid for the chicken. Most takeaways respond by raising app prices, which is why Which? found the same meal at £26.42 direct and £38.04 on Deliveroo. The customer pays more, you keep less, and the aggregator keeps the customer’s details.
None of this means you should leave the apps. They are where new customers find you. It means your regulars, the people who already know your name, should be ordering from you directly.
Your options for an online ordering system for takeaway
Aggregator “direct” products
Some aggregators offer a white-label ordering page for your own customers at a reduced commission or a flat fee. They are quick to switch on, but the page sits on their infrastructure, the data stays theirs, and the fee structure is theirs to change.
Hosted takeaway ordering platforms
There are many UK-focused hosted systems charging a monthly fee, sometimes with a per-order charge on top. They work, and for a takeaway without a website they are a reasonable start. Before signing up, ask three things: can I export my customers, can I use my own domain, and what is the fee after any introductory offer? The GloriaFood closure in April 2027 (notice on gloriafood.com) is a timely reminder that a free hosted system can vanish, taking your menu link with it.
An ordering system on your own WordPress website
This is what RestroPress does. The free plugin adds collection, delivery and dine-in ordering to a WordPress site, with a menu editor that handles add-ons and dietary labels, scheduled and pre-orders, customer accounts, a live orders board, and PayPal, Stripe and cash-on-delivery payments. There is no commission and no per-order fee. Paid extensions add the operational pieces a UK takeaway needs:
- Delivery Zone and Fees: charge by postcode, radius or a drawn map area, with different fees per zone.
- Store Timings & Delivery Cutoff: separate hours for collection and delivery, last-order cut-offs, breaks and bank holidays.
- Order Time, Intervals & Limits: time slots with a cap on orders per slot, so a busy Saturday does not overwhelm the kitchen.
- The Order Tracking app for Android, which sounds an alert on new orders, lets staff update status and prints to supported thermal printers.
- SMS notifications, a driver app, a kitchen display and a pickup discount, depending on plan.
The pricing page lists what each plan includes. Prices are shown in euros and are a yearly licence, not a share of your takings.
The trade-off is that you need a WordPress site and someone to keep it updated. If you already have one, you are most of the way there. If not, a basic WordPress site on UK hosting is inexpensive, and most web agencies that work with takeaways can set it up.
Setting up a takeaway ordering system on your own site
- Install RestroPress from the WordPress plugin directory and run the setup wizard. Set your currency to GBP and VAT settings as advised by your accountant.
- Build the menu. Create categories (Starters, Mains, Sides, Drinks), then items with options. RestroPress can read a menu from a PDF, a photo or a spreadsheet and let you review it before publishing, which saves a lot of typing for a long takeaway menu. Add photos for your best sellers.
- Set hours and cut-offs. Collection and delivery hours, minimum lead times (for example 20 minutes for collection, 45 for delivery), last-order cut-offs, and any days you are closed.
- Set delivery zones. Draw your areas on the map or list postcodes, and set a fee and minimum order per zone. A free-delivery threshold is a reliable way to lift the average order.
- Connect payments. Stripe covers cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay; add cash on collection if you want it. Money goes straight to your account.
- Get orders into the kitchen. Email works on day one. Add the Order Tracking app on a tablet by the pass, with a Bluetooth or network thermal printer, so orders print as they arrive.
- Test on a phone. Place a collection and a delivery order as a new customer, then as a returning one. Check the timings and the printed ticket.
- Tell people. Put “Order direct at yourtakeaway.co.uk” on every bag, on the shop window, on your Google Business Profile as the main order link, and in a text to your existing customers if you have their numbers. Offer a small direct-only discount for the first month.
The documentation walks through each step with screenshots.
Moving regulars from the apps to your site
The habit you want to build is: new customer finds you on an app, second order comes direct. Three things do most of the work. A card in every aggregator bag with a QR code and a first-order code. A direct price that is visibly lower than the app price, which you can afford because there is no commission. And a loyalty scheme that only earns on direct orders. Track the share of orders coming direct each month; when it is over half, the apps have become a marketing cost rather than a tax.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a takeaway ordering system cost in the UK?
It ranges from free to a few hundred pounds a year for self-hosted systems like RestroPress, where the core plugin is free and paid plans are a flat yearly licence, up to monthly subscriptions and per-order fees for hosted platforms, and 15% to 35% of each order for the aggregators. Add card processing in every case. For a takeaway doing more than a handful of online orders a day, a flat fee is almost always cheaper than a percentage.
Can I take cash on collection with an online ordering system?
Yes. RestroPress includes cash on delivery/collection as a payment option in the free plugin. Many takeaways enable it for collection only and require card payment for delivery to reduce no-shows.
Do I need my own drivers for delivery on my own website?
You need some way to deliver, yes. Takeaways that already self-deliver on Just Eat simply use the same drivers. The RestroPress Driver app (Professional plan and above) assigns orders and shows live tracking. If you rely on aggregator couriers, keep the aggregator for delivery and push collection orders to your own site, where the margin difference is largest.
