How to join Just Eat as a restaurant: the UK partner sign-up guide (2026)

Short answer: To become a Just Eat restaurant partner, apply online at Just Eat's partner sign-up page. You need a commercial premises (not a home kitchen), registration with your local council, and a food hygiene rating of 3 or more (a Pass in Scotland). You upload photo ID, proof of ownership, permission to trade, kitchen and shop-front photos, your menu and bank details. Once Just Eat approves you and you've signed the agreement, you can usually go live within 5 working days.

Just Eat charges 14% + VAT per order if you deliver yourself, or 30% + VAT if Just Eat delivers. The joining fee is unclear on Just Eat's own page, so read the costs section before you sign.

This is an owner's guide, written from the restaurant side of the counter. It covers who can join, every document, timelines, costs, the Orderpad tablet, partner support numbers and how to keep your own direct orders too.

Checked 11 October 2026 against Just Eat's UK partner sign-up page (read from a 13 July 2026 capture, because the live page blocks automated access). Just Eat can change its process at any time. Your agreement is the final word.

Joining Just Eat? Set up a commission-free ordering page for your regulars at the same time.

Create your free ordering page

How does Just Eat work for restaurants?

Just Eat is a marketplace. Customers search their postcode in the Just Eat app or website, browse local takeaways and restaurants, and order. You receive the order on an Orderpad tablet, cook it, and either deliver it yourself or hand it to a Just Eat courier.

When you sign up, Just Eat asks one question that decides your agreement: "Does your business have its own delivery drivers?" You pick one of three options:

Just Eat says the delivery option "will determine your agreement", so choose carefully. If you have no drivers, Just Eat will check whether your area is covered by its delivery service.

Each week, Just Eat deducts its commission from your order revenue. You get an invoice every Tuesday, and the balance is paid into your bank every Friday.

Who can join Just Eat? (requirements)

New business with no rating yet? Just Eat's FAQ says you must register so you can be inspected "as soon as possible", and that you will need a rating of 3 or more "to trade on Just Eat". Whether you can be listed while awaiting your first inspection isn't stated clearly. Ask Just Eat before you plan your launch around it.

Want a better rating before you apply? Read our guide to getting a 5-star food hygiene rating.

Documents you need to join Just Eat (checklist)

Get these ready before you start. Just Eat accepts most uploads as .jpg, .png or .pdf.

The list you're asked for can depend on your premises type. A shop on a lease and a food van, for example, may see different "permission to trade" options, so follow the list on your own sign-up dashboard.

How to join Just Eat: step by step

1. Check you qualify. Commercial premises, council registration and a hygiene rating of 3+ (or a Pass). If you're still setting up, register with your council first. Our guide on how to start a takeaway business covers the full start-up checklist.

2. Start the online application. Go to Just Eat's partner sign-up page (just-eat.co.uk/partner). Choose your business type (restaurant or grocery), then enter your business name, address, your own name and contact details.

3. Choose your delivery option. Own drivers, collection only, or Just Eat delivers. This decides your commission rate.

4. Upload your documents. Photo ID, proof of ownership, permission to trade, shop-front and kitchen photos, and your hygiene registration. You can do it all online.

5. Add your menu and bank details. Upload your full delivery menu with prices, and enter the bank account Just Eat should pay into.

6. Submit for review. Just Eat's sign-up dashboard says it reviews applications within 3 days of submission. If a document is rejected, you'll see the reason and can upload a new one.

7. Take the welcome call and sign the agreement. Just Eat calls to explain how everything works. Your Just Eat agreement is emailed to you to read, sign and return. Read it before you sign: check the commission for each order type, the joining fee, the notice period and the rules on marketing your own channel.

8. Receive your Orderpad and welcome pack. Just Eat sends an Orderpad tablet and printer, plus a welcome pack with what you need to get set up.

9. Set up your Partner Hub account. Just Eat sets up a Partner Hub account where you manage your business and see how it's performing.

10. Go live. Just Eat says that once your documents are approved, you could be online in as few as 3 days. Its FAQ says you can usually go live within 5 working days once you've sent everything and signed the contract.

How long does it take to join Just Eat?

The usual hold-ups: a proof-of-ownership document older than 3 months, an unsigned lease, a handwritten menu, or a hygiene registration for a different business. Get these right first time and you'll save days.

How much does it cost to join Just Eat?

Our advice on the joining fee: Just Eat's own UK sign-up page says both "no fee to join" and "£295 + VAT". Plan for the fee, then ask your account manager to confirm or waive it in writing before you sign.

VAT: Just Eat adds 20% VAT to its commission. If you're VAT-registered, you can usually reclaim it. If not, 14% really costs you 16.8%, and 30% costs 36%. For the full breakdown and a calculator, see Just Eat commission in the UK. For hot vs cold food VAT, read VAT on takeaway food.

Partner perks: in July 2026, Just Eat's sign-up page also listed up to £1,000 off electric delivery bikes and scooters, an average saving of £1,150 a year on energy bills, free Just Eat merchandising, and data and insights.

The Orderpad and Partner Hub (Partner Centre)

• Orderpad: the tablet and printer Just Eat sends you to receive and manage orders. You accept orders on it and print tickets for the kitchen.
• Partner Hub: Just Eat's online account for partners, where you manage your business and see how it's performing. Many owners still search for it as the Just Eat Partner Centre. Its web address still uses that name (partner-centre.just-eat.co.uk), but the page itself is titled Partner Hub. Log in only through Just Eat's own website or the Partner Hub app, and never share your login with anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

Setting up your Just Eat menu

Your menu is your shop window on the app. A few rules make it sell:

• Upload the full delivery menu. Include drinks, sides, sizes and every price. Just Eat won't accept handwritten menus.
• Prices include VAT. UK consumer prices must include VAT. Remember that Just Eat's commission is charged on that VAT-inclusive price.
• Allergens. For food sold online, the 14 allergens must be available to the customer before they buy and when the food is delivered. Include your allergen key, and keep your allergen matrix up to date.
• Name dishes clearly. "Chicken tikka masala (mild)" beats "CTM".
• Use good photos. Your best sellers should have clear, appetising photos.
• Think about app prices. Some restaurants charge slightly more on apps to cover commission. Just Eat doesn't publish its UK price rules, so check your agreement before you do this.

Just Eat partner contact numbers

Stay safe: only use numbers and links from Just Eat's own website or your Partner Hub. Be wary of calls, texts or emails asking for your login, bank details or a "fee" to speed up your application.

How to keep your direct orders when you join Just Eat

Just Eat is good at finding new customers. But paying 14–30% + VAT every time a regular reorders adds up fast. At 300 orders a month at £25 on the own-drivers tier, Just Eat takes about £1,260 a month including VAT.

Here's how to use Just Eat for discovery and keep your regulars commission-free, without breaking your agreement:

1. Set up your own ordering page. Customers order collection, delivery or dine-in from your menu, with no app to download. Menuthere takes 0% commission. The Free plan covers up to 50 orders a month, and card payments run through your own Stripe account on Lite and above. On every plan, including Free, you can tag the 14 UK allergens, calories and a halal mark on each dish, and customers see them when they open it. See our takeaway ordering system.
2. Promote it on your own channels. Your Google profile, Instagram bio, shop window, counter and the bags for orders you take yourself. Just Eat doesn't publish its rules on this, so check your agreement before you put any marketing inside Just Eat orders.
3. Make reordering easy on WhatsApp. A customer sends "Hi" to your number, taps Order Now and gets automatic order updates. This is a Pro feature. Meta bills your own WhatsApp account per message, and Menuthere adds no markup. See WhatsApp ordering.
4. Choose the lowest tier you can run. If you can deliver yourself, 14% + VAT costs far less than 30% + VAT.
5. Track cost per order by channel each month. Use your Tuesday invoice, not the headline rate.
6. Give regulars a reason to order direct. Loyalty points on your own ordering page are a Pro feature. Once you have plenty of weekly regulars, Menuthere's Branded App plan (US$99 a month, store fees included) puts your takeaway's own app on their phones, with push offers. More ideas in our Just Eat alternatives guide.

Keep Just Eat for new customers, and take your regulars' orders commission-free. Want a walkthrough?

Create your free ordering pageBook a demo (opens in a new tab)

Is Just Eat worth it for your restaurant?

Good fit if you:

• run a takeaway in a town or suburb where Just Eat is the go-to app
• have your own drivers, so you can use the 14% tier
• want new customers and have spare kitchen capacity on weeknights

Think twice if you:

• rely on Just Eat's couriers at 30% + VAT with thin margins
• mostly serve regulars who would order from you anyway
• trade from home (Just Eat doesn't accept residential premises)

Not sure which app to start with? Compare Just Eat vs Deliveroo vs Uber Eats for restaurants, read our Uber Eats Manager guide, or see Just Eat alternatives. Selling from a home kitchen? Read selling food from home in the UK.

Before you sign: Just Eat checklist

• Commission for own delivery, Just Eat delivery and collection, in writing
• Joining fee: £295 + VAT or free? Confirmed in writing
• Notice period and how to leave
• Orderpad: damage, loss and return terms
• Card or admin fees per order, if any
• Rules on marketing your own channel and on menu prices
• Who pays for refunds and missing items
• Your VAT status: can you reclaim VAT on commission?
• Your own ordering page is ready for regulars