Online ordering for Plymouth takeaways, cafés and restaurants

Chefzi is an online ordering system for Plymouth restaurants and takeaways, with commission-free online ordering. The ordering page is part of your own site; see a website for your restaurant. You can see the online ordering system end to end. There are set-ups for each kind of shop, such as kebab shop ordering system and ordering for chicken shops.

# Online ordering for Plymouth takeaways, cafés and restaurants

Short answer: Plymouth is a sit-down city. The FSA register lists 461 restaurants, cafés and canteens but only 171 takeaways, 2.7 for every takeaway (the UK figure is about 2.2). Among the takeaways, Chinese is the biggest group by name, and hygiene trails the region: 55.1% rated 5 against 72.9% across the South West. For many Plymouth food businesses the most useful role for online ordering is collection, pre-orders and table ordering rather than long delivery runs. Chefzi gives you a commission-free ordering site with no setup fee, free migration and the first month free. Your own domain is included.

A restaurant and café market first

With 461 restaurants and cafés, Plymouth has more sit-down food premises per takeaway than most UK cities. The Barbican, the Hoe and the city centre bring visitors and lunchtime trade. For these businesses online ordering isn't mainly about delivery:

• QR table ordering. Guests scan a code at the table and order, and the order lands on the kitchen app. It shortens waits at busy times without more staff on the floor.
• Collection and pre-orders. Cafés can take orders for a set pick-up time, with a lead time you choose, so the morning or lunch queue moves online.
• Your own site. A restaurant website with a menu that customers can actually order from, on your own domain if you have one.

Chinese takeaways lead

By name, Plymouth's takeaways are led by Chinese (31), ahead of pizza (23), fish and chips (22), Indian (11) and chicken (8). Treat that as an estimate (41.5% of names don't match a cuisine), but it's unusual. Of the 30 places we've profiled so far, only Plymouth and Portsmouth have Chinese takeaways in front. In most cities pizza leads. Chinese menus are long, with set meals for two or more, and numbered dishes. With Chefzi, a dish number goes in the dish name (for example "27. Salt and pepper chicken"), and set meals work well as one item with required choices. See our Chinese takeaway page.

Hygiene: behind the South West

Plymouth takeaways score well below their neighbours. 55.1% have a 5, against 72.9% across the South West, so Plymouth ranks 21st of 22 councils in the region. The city's restaurants and cafés do much better: 75.6% of them have a 5.

Where the points go: an officer can only award a 5 if a business scores no more than 5 in each of three areas. Of the 71 rated takeaways below a 5, 73.2% fell short on confidence in management (records, training, procedures), 57.7% on the premises and 50.7% on food handling. 15.8% of takeaway ratings are more than two years old, so some may not reflect the kitchen today.

If you've improved since your last visit, the FSA's guidance lets you request a re-rating inspection. Have your Safer Food, Better Business records in order first, because the officer looks at everything, not just the issues you've fixed.

By district, PL5 and PL6 (both 68.4% rated 5) score highest. PL4, the busiest district, has only 45.5% on a 5 and 12.1% on 0 to 2.

Districts and water

Plymouth's delivery map is shaped by water: the Tamar to the west, the Sound to the south and the Plym estuary to the east.

• PL4 (36): Mutley, Lipson, Greenbank and Coxside. Ebrington Street and Exeter Street lead. The University of Plymouth is close by, so term-time evenings are busy.
• PL1 (29): city centre, Stonehouse and Devonport. Union Street and Notte Street have the most takeaways.
• PL2, PL5 and PL6 (25, 19, 19): the north and west. Wolseley Road (12 across PL2 and PL5), Albert Road and Southway Drive. Home Park, where Plymouth Argyle play, is in PL2. Expect slower roads there on match days.
• PL9 and PL7 (13 and 12): Plymstock and Plympton, across the Plym. They're a separate run from the centre. Give each its own zone with a realistic delivery time.

Two-thirds of takeaways (66.7%) are within 2 miles of the centre point, and all are within 5. In Chefzi, delivery zones can be drawn by hand, so the zone follows the bridges rather than reaching across the water. Each zone has its own fee, minimum order and time.

Licensing and display

In England, showing your hygiene rating is voluntary, but the FSA encourages it on your door and online. Selling hot food or hot drink between 11pm and 5am, eat-in or takeaway, needs a premises licence that covers late night refreshment under the Licensing Act 2003. In Plymouth that comes from the city council's licensing team. Match your online ordering hours to the licence.

Chefzi in a Plymouth kitchen

Orders from your ordering site, table QR codes or website embed all arrive on one kitchen app, which rings until someone accepts or rejects. If the tablet goes offline, Chefzi sends a text and then calls.

Price: £39 a month billed annually (£49 if billed monthly), with your own domain and your own branded app (Android & iOS) included, first month free. All per location, excluding VAT, 0% commission ever, no setup fee. Free menu migration. Current offer: One plan at £39 a month per location, ex VAT: ordering website, your own branded app (Android & iOS), EPOS till, kitchen screen, SMS and email marketing (GDPR compliant) and loyalty rewards. 0% commission ever, no setup fee, free migration and one month free.

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