Websites for takeaways
Takeaway website, orders without the commission
The delivery apps take a huge cut of every order and own your customers. Your own ordering site keeps the margin and the relationship. Same orders, far less commission, customers who are actually yours.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Takeaway websites
Keep the margin the apps are taking
The single biggest issue facing takeaways today is the delivery apps, and a takeaway’s website exists largely to address it. The apps are convenient, but they take a large commission on every order and, just as damagingly, they own the customer relationship, so a customer who found your food through an app belongs to the app, not to you, and every order hands over a big slice of your margin. A takeaway’s own website changes that equation. Its central value is letting customers order directly, keeping the full value of each order and building a relationship with customers who are actually yours. So the site should be built around direct ordering: a clear menu, an easy, fast ordering process, and every encouragement for customers to order from you rather than through an app that takes a cut. Direct ordering that skips the commission is the heart of what a takeaway’s website does, and it is a genuine, ongoing saving.
That focus on owning your orders and your customers is what makes the site worth having. The apps are not going away, and they have their place for reach, but a takeaway that relies on them entirely is renting its own customers and giving away a large part of its margin forever. Building your own direct ordering channel, even for just a portion of orders, keeps more of your money and gradually builds a customer base you control. So the site should be aimed squarely at that: making direct ordering easy and appealing, so that over time more of your trade comes through a channel that is yours and free of commission.
Give customers a reason to order direct
The apps will not lose customers unless direct ordering is genuinely easy and customers know it exists, so the site has to make ordering from you at least as simple as ordering from an app, and give people a reason to. A fast, pleasant, easy-to-use ordering site, promoted to your customers and made the obvious choice, will win over many of them, especially the loyal regulars who order often and would happily save you the commission if it is no hassle to them. You can encourage direct ordering by promoting your own site, making it the easiest and most rewarding way to order, and reminding customers it exists. The goal is not necessarily to abandon the apps overnight, but to build a direct channel that steadily takes a bigger share of your orders, reducing your dependence on the apps and keeping more of your own money. A takeaway that actively builds this is far better off than one that hands everything to the platforms.
Make ordering effortless
A takeaway order is a quick, hungry decision, and friction ruins it, so the site has to make ordering effortless. A customer wants to see your menu clearly, choose without fuss, and order fast, especially on a phone, so the menu must be well presented and the ordering process simple and quick. Any awkwardness, a slow-loading site, a confusing menu, a clunky checkout, sends the customer straight back to the app they know works. So the direct-ordering experience has to be at least as smooth as the app’s, because customers will only choose it, and let you keep the margin, if it is genuinely easy. This is where many attempts fail: a direct-ordering site that is harder to use than the app defeats its own purpose. Getting the menu and ordering process fast, clear and effortless is therefore essential, because ease is what makes a hungry customer choose to order direct.
Own your customers
People search for a takeaway when they are hungry, or they go back to reorder from a favourite, and if your own site makes ordering easy, those orders can come direct rather than through an app. A site with a clear menu, effortless direct ordering, and a reason to skip the app reaches those customers and keeps the full margin, while building a base of customers who are yours. For a takeaway that wants to reduce its dependence on the apps and stop giving away its margin and its customers, a strong direct-ordering site is central. It is how you turn app-dependent trade into a business you own, keeping more of every order and building direct relationships with the customers who love your food, which is exactly what a takeaway’s website is for.
A straight price, and getting found
I build takeaway websites from £297, on spec and live within seven days on your own domain, so you see the finished site before you pay. Getting found comes down to a clear menu, effortless direct ordering that rivals the apps, a reason for customers to order direct, and being findable when hungry customers search. Do that and you keep the margin the apps are taking, which is exactly what a takeaway’s website is for.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a takeaway site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
What makes a good takeaway website?
One that lets customers order directly, so you keep the margin and the customer. The delivery apps take a large commission on every order and own the customer relationship, so your own site's biggest value is taking orders directly: showing your menu clearly, making ordering easy, and keeping the full value of each order. It should be fast, simple to order from, and encourage customers to order direct next time. Direct ordering that skips the app commission is the heart of a takeaway's website.
Why does ordering directly matter so much?
Because the delivery apps' commission is a huge, ongoing cost, and they own your customers. Every order through an app hands over a big slice of your margin and, crucially, the customer relationship, so the app profits from customers who found you and keeps them for itself. Taking orders through your own site keeps the full value of each order and builds a direct relationship with customers who are actually yours. Over time, shifting even some orders to direct ordering saves serious money and builds a customer base you own rather than rent.
How do I get customers to order direct instead of through an app?
By making direct ordering easy and giving them a reason to. If your own site is fast, simple and pleasant to order from, and customers know it exists, many will use it, especially loyal regulars who order often. You can encourage it by promoting your direct site, making it the easiest option, and rewarding direct orders. The apps are convenient, but they are not the only way, and a takeaway that actively builds its own ordering channel gradually reduces its dependence on them and keeps more of its own money.
How important is the menu and ease of ordering?
Central, because a takeaway order is a quick, hungry decision that friction ruins. A customer wants to see your menu clearly, choose easily, and order fast, so the site must present the menu well and make ordering simple and quick, especially on a phone. Any awkwardness, a slow site, a confusing menu, a clunky order process, sends them back to the app. So the site should make ordering from you directly at least as easy as the app, because only then will customers choose it and let you keep the margin.
Do takeaways get orders from a website?
Yes, and increasingly, as customers and takeaways alike tire of the apps' commissions. A hungry customer searches for a takeaway or wants to reorder from a favourite, and if your own site makes ordering easy, they can order direct. A site with a clear menu, easy direct ordering, and a reason to skip the app reaches those customers and keeps the margin. For a takeaway wanting to reduce its dependence on the apps and own its customers, a strong direct-ordering site is central.
How quickly can my takeaway website be live?
I build it on spec and have it live within seven days, on your own domain, so you see the finished site before you pay anything. From £297.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a takeaway site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.