Takeaway marketing ideas: 12 low-cost ways to get more direct orders

Updated 12 Nov 2026. This is a practical list for UK takeaway owners. It has no invented statistics: where a number appears, it is an example we have worked out, and it is labelled as one.

1. Fill in your Google Business Profile properly

When someone searches for your name or "takeaway near me", your Google listing is often the first thing they see. Check your address, phone number, opening hours (including bank holidays), photos and menu link, and add an Order online link that goes to your own ordering page rather than a marketplace. Our guide shows how to add your Order online link to Google. Cost: free. Marketing works best when repeat customers order direct, so move your Deliveroo regulars to your own site wherever you can.

2. Make direct ordering one tap away

Put your ordering link everywhere a customer already looks: your Instagram and Facebook bios, your website's top button, your WhatsApp status and the text on your window. Then add a QR code to the places people hold in their hand: the bag, the receipt, the menu and the table card. Our QR code order kit makes printable posters and cards. Cost: printing only.

3. Show your food hygiene rating

A 5 on the window or the website reassures a new customer before they order. Wales and Northern Ireland require displaying the rating; in England it is voluntary. See our food hygiene rating guide for takeaways. Cost: free.

4. Photograph the five dishes you sell most

Good photos of your best sellers do more than a long menu. Use daylight, a clean plate and the same angle each time. Write short, honest descriptions, and list allergens correctly (see the allergen information guide). Cost: your phone and 30 minutes.

5. Text and email your regulars, with permission

Existing customers are your cheapest audience. The ICO's rule is that you must not send marketing emails or texts to individuals without specific consent, with a limited exception for your own previous customers (the soft opt-in), where you must have given them a clear chance to opt out when you collected their details and in every message. Always include an opt-out and act on it. The ICO also advises against asking customers to forward your message or hand you friends' contact details. A short message works best: today's special, a new dish or opening hours for a bank holiday.

Chefzi's SMS and email marketing is on the Plus and Pro plans. See SMS and email marketing.

6. Run one direct-only offer you can afford

Delivery apps take a commission on every order, so a direct order leaves you more per sale, and some of that can go back to the customer. A worked example, ours and not a quote: on a £25 order, a 25% commission would cost £6.25, so a £2 discount on a direct order still leaves you £4.25 better off. Use our commission calculator with your own rate. Keep the offer simple: a free drink over a set spend, or a small discount on the first direct order.

7. Reward repeat orders

Loyalty works for takeaways when the reward is simple and the target is close. See eight loyalty programme ideas and how to cost them. Chefzi's loyalty rewards are on the Pro plan. See loyalty rewards.

8. Plan around the calendar

Some weeks are busier than others and need earlier preparation: Ramadan and Eid, Christmas and New Year, and local events. Publish your opening hours and pre-order dates early. See Ramadan and Eid online ordering and Christmas opening hours and pre-orders. Cost: free.

9. Ask happy customers for a Google review

Ask regulars at the counter, or add a line to a thank-you text. Reply to every review, good or bad, in a calm and short way. Do not offer discounts or gifts in return for a review: Google's contributions policy says reviews posted because of an incentive such as payment, discounts or free goods are not allowed and will be removed. Cost: free.

10. Hand out something at the door

A small flyer or sticker in a bag, or a leaflet to nearby offices, shops and gyms, with your QR code and one offer. Track which flyer brings orders by giving each place its own code word. If you also sell through marketplaces, check each platform's terms before you add anything to its orders, and see how to move customers from Just Eat to your own website.

11. Post short, real videos

A 15-second clip of food coming out of the kitchen, or the day's special, does more than a stock image. Post at the same time each day, and always link to your direct ordering page. Cost: your phone.

12. Keep your own website findable

A site that loads fast, has your menu as text and lists your address and hours can show up when people search for your cuisine and area. See restaurant website SEO.

What not to do

• Do not buy email or phone lists. The ICO says the soft opt-in does not apply to new contacts from bought-in lists.
• Do not disguise who you are in a marketing message, and always give a way to opt out.
• Do not promise what you cannot deliver, such as delivery times in a busy hour.
• Do not forward-to-a-friend marketing. The ICO advises against it.

How to tell what is working

Keep a simple weekly tally: orders from your own site, orders from each marketplace, and how new customers heard about you. Ask at the counter, or look at which QR code was scanned. Change one thing at a time so you can see what moved the numbers.

Where Chefzi fits

Chefzi gives you the direct ordering page that the ideas above point to: Starter £12 a month (£9 billed annually), Plus £22 (£19) with card payments and SMS and email marketing, and Pro £49 (£39) with loyalty rewards, a branded Android app and the Chefzi POS (in beta), per location, excluding VAT. 0% commission, no setup fee, first month free and no credit card to start. Chefzi is not a social media manager, a CRM or a designer, so photos, posts and flyers are yours to make. See pricing.

Sources

• ICO, electronic mail marketing, ico.org.uk, read 12 Nov 2026.
• Google Maps contributions policy, support.google.com, read 12 Nov 2026.
• Chefzi facts and pricing, chefzi.co.uk, read 12 Nov 2026.

Restaurant marketing budget breakdown: a £150 a month example

A restaurant marketing budget breakdown for a takeaway starts with the free steps, then spends small amounts where regulars already are. The example below splits £150 a month between printed order-direct reminders, SMS and email credits, a direct-only offer and fresh photos. It is an illustration we worked out, not a benchmark.

• £0: Google Business Profile, a direct ordering link everywhere and your hygiene rating (ideas 1 to 4).
• £40: printed QR stickers or bag inserts that point to your own ordering page.
• £35: SMS or email credits for one monthly message to customers who agreed to hear from you.
• £50: the cost of one direct-only offer you absorb, such as a free drink on orders over £20 placed on your own page.
• £25: fresh photos of your five best-selling dishes.

That is £150 in total. Change the split to your own numbers. If you have only £50 a month, do the £0 steps and run the offer. Orders on your own page keep full margin because Chefzi charges 0% commission, so work out what each moved order saves before you decide how much to spend.