/Best Online Ordering Platforms for London Takeaways (2026)

London is one of the most competitive takeaway markets in the world. There are more than 15,000 food delivery businesses registered in the capital, and the density of Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats coverage means most Londoners can choose between dozens of options within a one-mile radius. Getting found is not the problem. Keeping enough margin to grow is.

The three major marketplaces charge London takeaways anywhere from 25 to 35 per cent commission per order, plus packaging, delivery, and payment fees. On a £25 delivery order, that can leave an operator with less than £15 before food costs and labour. When rent and rates in London are among the highest in the UK, those numbers leave very little room.

The answer is not to abandon the marketplaces. They still drive meaningful discovery and volume, particularly for newer operations. The answer is to build a parallel direct-ordering channel alongside them — one where you own the customer relationship, pay no commission on repeat orders, and build enough margin to actually run a profitable business.

This guide compares the best online ordering platforms available to London takeaways in 2026. We cover systems for direct ordering, branded apps, and marketplace management, across a range of budgets and business sizes. Every platform listed here works in London, and we have assessed each one on what matters most to a busy takeaway operator: margin impact, ease of use, customer ownership, and total cost.

Flipdish leads this guide because it is the only platform that combines direct ordering across every channel — your own branded app, website, Order with Google, and kiosks — with the POS, delivery management, loyalty, and marketing tools that turn direct ordering from a side project into a serious commercial strategy.

Best online ordering platforms for London takeaways at a glance

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Why direct ordering matters more in London

London takeaways face a specific set of pressures that make direct ordering not just useful but commercially essential for most operators.

Commission costs are higher in real terms. A 30% marketplace commission on a £30 order is £9. In a city where average weekly food costs, rent, and wages are significantly higher than the national average, that £9 is often the difference between a margin and a loss. Direct orders via your own website or app typically carry no commission at all, or a small card processing fee of around 1–2%.

Delivery density creates visibility challenges. In central and inner London postcodes, a customer searching for "chicken burger delivery" can see forty options before they reach yours. Ranking well on a marketplace costs money in promotional boosts. A direct channel, by contrast, shows your restaurant first, every time, to customers who have already ordered from you.

Repeat customers are where London takeaway profit lives. Research consistently shows that the second order from a customer costs a fraction of the first to acquire. If that repeat order goes through Just Eat, you pay commission again as if it were a new customer. If it goes through your own ordering channel, it is effectively free acquisition. In a dense urban market where every operator is fighting for the same customer, retaining the ones you have earned matters enormously.

Customer data is inaccessible on marketplaces. A London takeaway that has processed 5,000 orders on Deliveroo owns none of those customer relationships. A takeaway that has processed 2,000 orders through Flipdish or a branded app owns every one of them, and can re-market to them directly, for free, via push notifications or email.

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The best online ordering platforms for London takeaways

1. Flipdish — best all-in-one direct ordering and operations platform

Flipdish is an all-in-one restaurant management platform used by more than 5,000 brands across the UK and Ireland, built specifically for takeaways, QSR brands, and growing restaurant groups. In London, it is particularly well established among independent and multi-site operators that have decided direct ordering is a strategic priority rather than an afterthought.

What sets Flipdish apart from every other platform in this guide is that your branded ordering channels are not separate tools bolted together. They are one operating system. A customer who orders on your branded app, your website, through Order with Google, or via a kiosk is placing that order into the same POS, the same kitchen display, the same loyalty programme, and the same reporting dashboard. There is no manual reconciliation, no separate system for each channel, and no gaps between the order and the kitchen.

For a London takeaway, the practical value is significant. You can run a targeted push notification to app users on a slow Tuesday afternoon with no media spend. You can automatically reward your tenth-order customers with a voucher and watch retention numbers rise. You can see, in one view, how many of your orders are direct versus marketplace, and measure the commercial impact of moving customers across. You own every piece of that customer data.

Pricing: Essentials from €69/month per site billed annually (€89 monthly). Pro from €99/month (€129 monthly). Advanced from €199/month (€249 monthly). Hardware and Flipdish Pay transaction rates are quote-based.

Best for: Takeaways and QSR operators in London that want to build a serious direct-ordering channel alongside marketplace presence, and want the loyalty, marketing, and operational tools to grow repeat order volume over time.

Limitations: More than a very small operator needs if all they want is a basic ordering widget. The platform delivers its strongest value when used as a connected system rather than a single feature. Pricing is in euros, though Flipdish operates extensively in the UK and Ireland.

Explore Flipdish | Compare Flipdish with other ordering platforms

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2. OrderYOYO — best done-for-you branded app and website for London takeaways

OrderYOYO builds branded ordering websites and apps for local takeaways and has built meaningful traction in the UK and Ireland, with more than 13,000 restaurant partners and an operations team in Manchester. It is explicitly designed for busy takeaway operators who want the benefits of a branded channel without having to manage app development, updates, or marketing themselves.

The done-for-you model is what makes OrderYOYO stand out in this segment. You get a branded iOS and Android app, a branded website, a Cloud POS, and Google search advertising, managed for you. OrderYOYO's commercial argument is straightforward: keeping a meaningful share of revenue inside your own branded channel, at a commission rate well below the major marketplaces, produces more profit per order. The weekly revenue commission structure is tiered so higher volumes attract a lower rate.

For a London takeaway that generates strong order volume through Just Eat or Deliveroo and wants a managed route to building a parallel direct channel, OrderYOYO is a practical option. The full-service model removes the setup burden that stops many operators from ever building a direct channel.

Pricing: Commission on weekly website and app revenue, banded by volume and calculated weekly. Cloud POS, branded app and website, and marketing support are included. No public rate card — a quote is required.

Best for: Established London takeaways that want a done-for-you branded app and website without managing the technology themselves, and are comfortable with a commission-based pricing model.

Limitations: A commission model means you pay a percentage on every order, including from customers who are already loyal to you. For high-volume operators, a flat-fee platform will often be more cost-effective over time. Reviews are mixed, and the all-in cost is difficult to model without a sales conversation. Note that the branded iOS app requires an annual Apple developer account fee (~£79/year), which is not always clearly communicated upfront.

Explore OrderYOYO | OrderYOYO vs Foodhub comparison

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3. Hungrrr — best low-cost branded app with 0% commission

Hungrrr provides branded ordering apps and websites for hospitality businesses across the UK, including clients such as Brewdog, Subway, and Hilton. Its appeal for London takeaways is simple: a fixed monthly subscription with zero commission on orders, which makes the cost highly predictable and increasingly attractive as order volume grows.

The platform covers branded iOS and Android apps, click-and-collect, delivery with your own drivers or delivery partners, table ordering, and QR ordering. A points-based loyalty programme, free push-notification marketing, and next-banking-day settlement come as standard, along with integrations to a wide range of EPOS systems. The 0% commission model means the monthly cost does not scale with your revenue, which is a meaningful advantage for any London takeaway doing strong volume on its direct channel.

There is no lengthy contract, which reduces the risk of trying it. For a takeaway that is already processing a high ticket volume and wants to stop paying commission on every repeat order, the flat-fee model can produce rapid savings.

Pricing: Low-cost monthly subscription, quote-based. 0% commission on orders. Card acquiring and processing fees apply separately. No public rate card.

Best for: London takeaways with reasonable direct order volume that want a branded app at a predictable monthly cost, with no commission eating into repeat-order margin.

Limitations: Some advanced features are available as paid add-ons, so the true monthly cost depends on the feature set you choose. Limited customisation of the mobile ordering page compared with premium platforms. Hungrrr is a focused ordering tool rather than a full operating platform — if you need POS, inventory, or advanced CRM in the same system, you will need to look elsewhere.

Explore Hungrrr

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4. GloriaFood — best free entry point for London takeaways testing direct ordering

GloriaFood, now part of Oracle, is the most widely used entry-level online ordering system globally, and it earns its place here as the lowest-risk way for a London takeaway to start taking direct orders. The free core allows you to set up website ordering, Facebook ordering, a QR ordering widget, takeaway, delivery, pre-orders, and table reservations, with no commission and no monthly fee.

For a London takeaway that has no direct ordering channel at all, GloriaFood is the most accessible starting point available. You can be live within hours, with no upfront commitment. A basic customer database is included in the free tier, giving you visibility of who is ordering directly.

The platform's limits become apparent as an operation matures. Card payment acceptance requires a paid add-on. A branded mobile app — so your restaurant gets an icon on a customer's phone — is also a paid upgrade. GloriaFood is an ordering tool rather than a full platform, which means it lacks the deeper loyalty, push-notification marketing, and customer ownership capabilities that a platform like Flipdish provides. Most ambitious London operators will outgrow it.

Pricing: Free core ordering, unlimited orders, no commission. Card payment acceptance, branded app, and marketing tools are paid add-ons. An optional POS bundle is available.

Best for: London takeaways with no direct ordering channel that want a free, low-commitment way to test direct ordering before investing in a full platform.

Limitations: The strategic ceiling is relatively low. The free core does not include card payment acceptance or a branded app. Operators who take it seriously will find themselves paying for add-ons that make a flat-fee competitor more cost-effective.

Explore GloriaFood | Best alternatives to GloriaFood

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5. Deliverect — best for managing marketplace orders alongside direct ordering

Deliverect is not a direct ordering platform in the way the others on this list are. It is a marketplace integration layer that connects your Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats orders directly into your POS or kitchen display. For London takeaways running significant volume across multiple marketplaces, it solves one of the most operationally painful problems in the kitchen: managing three separate delivery tablets during a busy Friday night service.

Deliverect aggregates orders from all your connected platforms into a single stream, syncs your menu across every channel from one dashboard, and injects orders directly into your POS so kitchen staff see everything in one place. Menu changes propagate across all connected marketplaces simultaneously, which eliminates the manual work of updating each platform separately.

For a London takeaway that wants to maintain a strong marketplace presence while building a parallel direct channel, Deliverect handles the operational complexity of running both. Many Flipdish users also use Deliverect or a similar aggregator to manage their full order mix, though Flipdish has its own marketplace management capability built in that is worth evaluating first.

Pricing: From approximately £79/month per site, depending on order volume and integrations. Quote-based at higher volumes.

Best for: London takeaways processing high volumes across multiple marketplaces that want a single kitchen view and centralised menu management, without switching POS.

Limitations: Deliverect is middleware — it manages the flow of marketplace orders but does not replace your POS, kitchen display, or direct ordering platform. It is most valuable as a complement to an existing stack rather than a standalone solution.

Explore Deliverect | Best delivery integration software UK

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How to choose the right online ordering platform for your London takeaway

The right platform depends on where your operation is now and what you are trying to achieve.

If you are starting from scratch with direct ordering, GloriaFood gives you a free, low-risk way to test whether customers will use a direct channel. Many do. Once you have enough repeat direct order volume to justify the investment, a move to a platform with a branded app and push-notification marketing will pay for itself quickly.

If you want a complete platform that grows with you, Flipdish is the strongest choice for serious operators. The branded app, web ordering, Order with Google, loyalty, POS, and delivery management working together is qualitatively different from patching separate tools alongside each other. If you are serious about building a direct-ordering business rather than just reducing marketplace dependency at the margin, this is the level to aim for.

If you want someone else to manage it, OrderYOYO's done-for-you model removes the operational burden of running your own app. The commission structure means it costs more per order than a flat-fee platform, but the managed service is genuinely valuable for operators who do not have the time or inclination to handle app development and digital marketing themselves.

If cost predictability matters most, Hungrrr's flat-fee, 0% commission model means your costs are fixed regardless of order volume. As your direct channel grows, the economics become increasingly favourable compared with any commission-based alternative.

If you already run multiple marketplace tablets, Deliverect is worth evaluating as a way to consolidate your kitchen operation and menu management, particularly if switching POS is not an option.

Total cost of ownership: what to model

When comparing platforms, include:

• Monthly subscription or commission
• Card processing fees (usually 1.4–1.75% + fixed pence per transaction in the UK)
• Apple Developer account (approximately £79/year) and Google Play fee for any branded app
• Any paid add-ons for features that matter to your operation
• Delivery network fees if you are using the platform's own courier integration

The most expensive-seeming monthly fee can become the cheapest option once commission savings and repeat-order economics are properly modelled.

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FAQs

What is the best online ordering platform for a London takeaway? Flipdish is the strongest choice for London takeaways that want to build a direct-ordering channel with a branded app, loyalty, and POS connected in one system. For operators who want a managed, done-for-you branded app, OrderYOYO is a strong alternative. GloriaFood is the best free entry point for operators testing direct ordering for the first time.

How much commission do London takeaways pay on Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats? Published commission rates for the three major UK delivery marketplaces range from approximately 25% to 35% per order, excluding payment processing and any promotional investment. Exact rates depend on your agreement, tier, and whether you opt into promotional programmes. Direct orders placed through your own website or app typically carry no commission, making the economics of building a direct channel compelling for any London takeaway with repeat customers.

Can I use a direct ordering platform alongside Just Eat and Deliveroo? Yes, and most London operators do. The strategy is to use the marketplaces for discovery and new customer acquisition, then conve

Do I need a branded app or is a website ordering page enough? For most London takeaways, a branded ordering website is the right first step. A branded app adds significant value once you have a customer base large enough to justify it, because push notifications are one of the cheapest and most direct marketing channels available. Platforms like Flipdish and Hungrrr include both the branded website and the branded app in their offering.

How long does it take to set up a direct ordering channel? Most platforms can have a basic ordering website live within a few days. A branded app typically takes two to four weeks to go through the Apple and Google App Store review process. Done-for-you services like OrderYOYO handle that process for you.

Does Flipdish work for small London takeaways or just big chains? Flipdish is used by both single-site independents and multi-site groups. The Essentials tier is designed for operators getting started with direct ordering and grows into the Pro and Advanced tiers as order volume and operational complexity increase. The platform is particularly strong for QSR and takeaway operators, which is the core London use case.

What is the cheapest way to start taking direct orders as a London takeaway? GloriaFood's free tier allows you to take direct delivery and collection orders with no commission and no monthly fee. Card payment acceptance requires a paid add-on. It is the lowest-cost starting point, though most operators will want to move to a more capable platform once they have established a direct-order customer base.

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Verdict

London's takeaway market is too competitive and too expensive to run on marketplace commission alone. Every order that goes through your own branded channel rather than Just Eat or Deliveroo is a meaningful improvement to your unit economics.

Flipdish is the top recommendation for London takeaways that are serious about direct ordering. The combination of branded app, website, Order with Google, POS, loyalty, and marketing in one connected platform makes it qualitatively better than any patchwork of separate tools. It is not the cheapest option, but for any operator processing meaningful order volume, the commission savings and repeat-order economics make it the best long-term investment.

OrderYOYO suits operators who want the branded app and marketing managed for them. Hungrrr suits operators who want cost predictability and 0% commission. GloriaFood is the right starting point for any takeaway with no direct channel at all. Deliverect solves the operational complexity of running multiple marketplace tablets in a busy London kitchen.

The best approach for most London takeaways is to start building a direct channel as early as possible, convert your most loyal marketplace customers onto it, and measure the margin impact over twelve months. The platforms above give you the tools to do exactly that.

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