How to open a takeaway in the UK: costs, planning and licences (2026)
Updated 19 October 2026
Short answer: to open a takeaway in the UK, find premises with the right planning use (in England a hot food takeaway is "sui generis" and needs its own planning permission), register with your council at least 28 days before opening, and get a late night refreshment licence if you'll sell hot food after 11pm. Budget roughly £30,000–£160,000 (typical estimate). Then fit out the kitchen with proper extraction, write a business plan that includes delivery-app commission, and set up your own online ordering.
This guide covers each step for 2026, with a £ cost table, a takeaway business plan with monthly figures, and the rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's for anyone starting a fast food takeaway: pizza, chicken, kebab, curry, Chinese, fish and chips or burgers.
Not legal or financial advice. Based on gov.uk, FSA, HMRC and planning legislation checked on 11 October 2026. Planning and licensing are decided by your local council, so talk to them before you sign anything.
How much does it cost to open a takeaway in the UK?
The big split is whether you take over an existing takeaway (planning, extraction and kit already in place) or start from an empty unit. These are typical estimates, not sourced figures.
| Cost | Taking over a takeaway | New unit from scratch |
|---|---|---|
| Lease premium or goodwill | £10,000–£60,000 | Usually £0 |
| Rent deposit | £3,000–£12,000 | £3,000–£12,000 |
| Planning application fee and consultants | Usually £0 | £1,000–£5,000 (estimate; check the council's current fee) |
| Kitchen fit-out (walls, floors, plumbing, gas) | £2,000–£10,000 | £15,000–£50,000 |
| Extraction and odour control | £0–£3,000 (servicing) | £5,000–£20,000 |
| Cooking kit (fryers, pizza oven, grill, hob) | £2,000–£10,000 | £5,000–£20,000 |
| Fridges, freezers, prep counters | £1,000–£5,000 | £3,000–£10,000 |
| Licences (premises licence, legal fees) | £100–£1,500 | £300–£2,000 |
| EPOS, printer, ordering tablet | £0–£2,000 | £0–£2,000 |
| Signage and shopfront | £500–£3,000 | £2,000–£8,000 |
| Opening stock and packaging | £2,000–£4,000 | £2,000–£4,000 |
| Marketing and launch | £500–£3,000 | £500–£3,000 |
| Working capital (2–3 months) | £10,000–£25,000 | £10,000–£25,000 |
| Rough total | £31,000–£130,000 | £47,000–£160,000 |
Buying a takeaway that already has planning permission and a working extraction system can save months and thousands. Check the paperwork carefully, including planning conditions on opening hours.
Step 1: Choose your concept
Pick a menu that suits your area and your skills. Ask:
- What's missing locally? Count the takeaways within a mile and note their cuisine, prices and hygiene ratings.
- Who orders? Students, families and night workers want different things and different hours.
- How will it travel? Fried chicken and pizza survive a 20-minute delivery. Some dishes don't.
- Franchise or independent? A franchise gives you a brand and systems, but you pay fees and follow their rules.
Starting a pizza business? Pizza is the one cuisine with real search demand in the UK. Budget for a deck or conveyor oven, a dough mixer and good chilled storage for dough.
Step 2: Write a takeaway business plan
Keep it practical. Cover concept, location, competitors, menu and GP, staffing, opening hours, delivery model, marketing and a 12-month forecast.
Worked monthly forecast: a pizza takeaway (typical estimate)
Assumptions: 600 orders a week (about 2,600 a month), average order £24 including VAT, half of orders through a delivery app where the app's riders deliver.
| Line | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Sales inc VAT (2,600 × £24) | £62,400 |
| Sales ex VAT (hot food, 20%) | £52,000 |
| Food and packaging at 32% | £16,640 |
| Gross profit (68% GP) | £35,360 |
| App commission: 30% on £31,200 of app orders (illustrative; your contract sets how it's worked out) | £9,360 |
| Wages (including yours) | £12,000 |
| Rent | £2,000 |
| Business rates (after relief) | £400 |
| Energy (ovens and fryers are hungry) | £2,000 |
| Insurance, card fees, marketing, waste, software, repairs | £2,500 |
| Total overheads | £28,260 |
| Profit before tax | £7,100 |
The commission line is the one to watch. In this example the app costs more than the rent, rates and energy put together. Moving just 20% of those app orders to your own ordering page would save about £1,870 a month in commission. You'd still pay card fees and your own delivery costs.
UK delivery-app rates: Uber Eats' UK pricing page lists 30% when its riders deliver (33% for Uber One orders) and 13% for your own delivery or pickup, plus VAT, and a £650 + VAT activation fee. Just Eat and Deliveroo set their own rates, so check their partner pages before you sign. Compare them in Just Eat vs Deliveroo vs Uber Eats.
Is a takeaway business profitable? It can be. Strong takeaways run food GP of around 60–70% before packaging and commission (typical range). Profit comes from high order volume, tight food costs and as many direct orders as possible. Check each dish with the GP calculator.
Step 3: Get planning permission right
This is the step that sinks most takeaway plans. Check it before you sign a lease.
- England: since 1 September 2020, a hot food takeaway is "sui generis". It's in a class of its own, so you need planning permission to turn a shop, café or office into a takeaway. Cafés and restaurants (Class E(b)) can't switch to a takeaway without permission either.
- Wales: restaurants, cafés and takeaways share Class A3 (food and drink). Changing from a shop needs planning permission. Moving between uses within A3 may not, but the council decides each case.
- Scotland: hot food takeaways are sui generis, separate from Class 3 cafés and restaurants. A restaurant with a small takeaway trade can stay in Class 3.
- Northern Ireland: hot food takeaways (and cafés and restaurants) sit outside every use class, so a change of use to a takeaway needs planning permission.
What councils look at:
- Local plan policies. Many councils limit new takeaways, especially near schools, and some set a distance from school gates where new takeaways are refused. Check your council's local plan.
- Opening hours. Permission often comes with conditions on closing times.
- Odour and noise from extraction. Expect to submit details of your extraction system and flue.
- Litter, parking and deliveries. Rider and car parking outside can be an issue.
Check any existing permission and its conditions on the council's planning portal. A takeaway open "until 11pm" under a planning condition can't trade later just because it has a licence.
Step 4: Get a late night refreshment licence (if you open after 11pm)
- England and Wales: selling hot food or hot drink between 11pm and 5am is "late night refreshment" under the Licensing Act 2003. You need a premises licence for it. The fee depends on your premises' rateable value band, and the application is advertised so neighbours can comment.
- Selling alcohol too? The same premises licence can cover alcohol. You'll also need a designated premises supervisor with a personal licence.
- Scotland: selling food between 11pm and 5am usually needs a late hours catering licence from the council under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. Councils set their own hours.
- Northern Ireland: the Licensing Act 2003 doesn't apply, so check opening-hour conditions with your council.
Cold food only, or closing by 11pm? You don't need a late night refreshment licence. For fees and how to apply, see our takeaway licence guide.
Step 5: Fit out the kitchen properly
- Extraction and ventilation. A canopy, filters, fan and flue sized for your cooking. Odour control (carbon filters or similar) is often a planning condition. Keep service records, because grease build-up is a fire risk.
- Gas safety. Commercial gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for catering appliances. The law requires gas appliances to be kept safe, so book regular servicing and keep the engineer's records.
- Fire safety. In England and Wales, the person responsible must carry out a fire risk assessment (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005). Fit fire suppression over fryers if your insurer asks.
- Hand-washing basin separate from food sinks, with hot and cold water.
- Grease trap or grease removal unit to stop fat blocking drains. Water companies can prosecute.
- Surfaces that are smooth, washable and in good repair.
Step 6: Register and set up food safety
- Register with your council at least 28 days before opening. It's free and can't be refused. You must register even if you take over an existing takeaway.
- Food safety management system: use the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack (CookSafe in Scotland) or your own HACCP plan.
- Training: no certificate is legally required, but everyone must be trained. Level 2 for food handlers and Level 3 for the manager is the norm.
- Allergens: know all 14 allergens in every dish. For phone, app and online orders, give allergen information before purchase and at delivery. Label bags clearly. Build your chart with our allergen matrix maker. On a Menuthere ordering page you can tag the 14 allergens, calories and a halal mark on each dish, on every plan including Free, so customers see them before they pay.
- Hygiene rating: a 5 matters even more for takeaways, because delivery apps and Google show it. You must display it in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Step 7: Sort VAT, tax and business rates
- VAT: register once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months. Most takeaways reach that quickly. Hot takeaway food is 20%, and so is your own delivery charge on hot food. See our VAT on takeaway food guide.
- Business rates: in England, small business rate relief gives 100% off for a rateable value of £12,000 or less (your only property), tapering to £15,000. Eligible hospitality premises under £51,000 pay a lower multiplier in 2026/27.
- Income tax: sole traders register for Self Assessment, or you can set up a limited company. Making Tax Digital applies to sole traders over £50,000 from April 2026.
Step 8: Hire staff legally
- Pay at least £12.71 an hour (National Living Wage, 21+, from April 2026). The rates are £10.85 for 18–20 year olds and £8.00 for 16–17.
- Do right to work checks before anyone starts. Fines for illegal working are high.
- Register as an employer and run PAYE; set up workplace pensions.
- Delivery drivers need hire and reward insurance on their vehicle. Employers' liability insurance is required by law once you have staff.
- Under the tips law in force since October 2024, all tips must go to workers, with a written policy.
Step 9: Plan delivery and collection
You have three models, and most takeaways mix them:
| Model | You pay | You get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery app, app's riders | Highest commission (around 30% + VAT) | Reach, no drivers to manage | Margin, no customer data |
| Delivery app, your drivers | Lower commission (13% + VAT on Uber Eats) | App visibility | Driver costs |
| Your own ordering page | 0% commission on Menuthere; card fees only | Your customers, your data, repeat orders | You need to promote it |
Use the apps to get found. Use your own ordering page to keep regulars. Set a fair delivery charge with our delivery fee calculator.
Step 10: Set up ordering, EPOS and payments
- A takeaway website with online ordering for collection and delivery. See our takeaway website builder.
- One place for all orders so the kitchen isn't juggling three tablets. Read about EPOS for takeaways.
- Phone and WhatsApp orders turned into a menu link and automatic updates (Menuthere Pro): WhatsApp ordering system.
- Card payments online and at the counter. Card surcharges on consumer cards are banned in the UK, so build card fees into your prices.
CTA: start taking direct orders before you open. Menuthere gives you a commission-free ordering page for collection and delivery, with kitchen ticket alerts, allergen and calorie tags on every dish, and no app for customers to download. Start free (50 orders a month, basic delivery zones), then move to Lite for unlimited orders, advanced delivery zones (pricing by zone), coupons and card payments through your own Stripe account, from US$17 a month (billed in US dollars; your bank converts it). Create your free ordering page, try Lite free for 7 days (a card is needed to start; nothing is charged until the trial ends) or see the takeaway ordering system.
Step 11: Launch and build regulars
- Soft launch with friends and neighbours to test the kitchen at speed.
- Set up Google Business Profile with your menu link, photos and hours.
- Put your ordering link everywhere: flyers, bag stickers, your shop window, and inside app order bags if your app contract allows it (check the terms first).
- Reward direct orders with a coupon for the next order (Menuthere Lite). Menuthere Pro adds loyalty points, and a branded takeaway app puts your menu, points and push notifications on regulars' phones.
- Ask every customer for a review. Menuthere Pro can send a review request after each order.
- Waste: use a licensed commercial waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes. In England, food waste must be separated (micro-firms with under 10 full-time-equivalent staff from 31 March 2027).
Growing to more shops or franchising? Look at Primary Authority. You partner with one council for assured advice on food hygiene and other rules, and other councils must respect that advice. It's run by the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
Can you start a takeaway business from home?
You can sell food from home once you're registered, but a hot food takeaway from home is a different matter. Regular collections, cooking smells and drivers outside can count as a change of use that needs planning permission, and neighbours may complain. A domestic kitchen also lacks commercial extraction. Check each delivery app's partner requirements before you plan around them.
Many owners start small at home with pre-ordered, scheduled collections, then move to a unit once demand is proven. Others skip the shopfront and open a delivery-only dark kitchen. Read the rules on selling food from home first, and ask your council's planning team about your plans.
Takeaway rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning use for takeaways | Sui generis (permission needed) | Class A3 (with cafés and restaurants) | Sui generis | Outside the use classes (permission needed) |
| Register food business | 28 days before opening | 28 days before opening | 28 days before opening | 28 days before opening |
| Hot food 11pm–5am | Premises licence (late night refreshment) | Premises licence (late night refreshment) | Late hours catering licence, where the council requires one | Licensing Act 2003 doesn't apply; check with the council |
| Hygiene rating display | Voluntary | Required by law | FHIS Pass / Improvement Required, display voluntary | Required by law |
| Fire risk assessment law | Fire Safety Order 2005 | Fire Safety Order 2005 | Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 | Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006 and Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010 |
FAQs
Do I need planning permission to open a takeaway?
In England, yes, unless the unit already has hot food takeaway use. Takeaways are "sui generis", so changing from a shop, café or restaurant needs permission. In Wales, takeaways share Class A3 with cafés and restaurants, but a change from a shop still needs permission.
What licence do I need to open a takeaway?
You must register as a food business, which is free. To sell hot food between 11pm and 5am in England and Wales you need a premises licence for late night refreshment. In Scotland you need a late hours catering licence. Alcohol needs a premises licence too.
How much does it cost to open a takeaway in the UK?
As a typical estimate, about £31,000–£130,000 to take over an existing takeaway and £47,000–£160,000 to fit out a new unit. Extraction, kitchen fit-out and working capital are the biggest costs.
How long does it take to open a takeaway?
Taking over an existing takeaway can take one to three months. A new unit that needs planning permission often takes six months or more. Register with the council at least 28 days before you open.
Is a takeaway business profitable?
It can be, with high order volumes and tight food costs. Delivery-app commission is often the biggest drain, so the most profitable takeaways push regulars to order direct.
Do I need a qualification to open a takeaway?
No qualification is legally required. You and your staff must be trained in food hygiene, usually to Level 2, with Level 3 for the manager.
Can I open a takeaway from home?
Selling food from home is allowed once you're registered, but a regular hot food takeaway from home may need planning permission and suitable extraction. Check with your council before you start.
Should I join Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats?
Apps help new customers find you, but commission is high: around 30% plus VAT when their riders deliver. Most takeaways use apps for reach and their own ordering page for regulars.
Sources (14)
- GOV.UK / FSA, Starting a food business, gov.uk/guidance/starting-a-food-business, last updated 19 August 2026 (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- GOV.UK / FSA, Food business registration, last updated 25 June 2026 (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/757); GOV.UK When is permission required? (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- Welsh Government, Planning permission: use classes (change of use), gov.wales (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997, art. 3(5), legislation.gov.uk (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- Licensing Act 2003, Schedule 2 and explanatory notes (late night refreshment), legislation.gov.uk (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, s.42 (late hours catering); Planning (Use Classes) Order (NI) 2015, art. 3(4); Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006; Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- HMRC, Catering, takeaway food (VAT Notice 709/1) (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- GOV.UK, Small business rate relief (2026/27) (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- GOV.UK, National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- GOV.UK, Local regulation: Primary Authority, last updated 13 April 2026 (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- GOV.UK, Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England (accessed 11 Oct 2026).
- Uber Eats, Pricing (GB), merchants.ubereats.com/gb/en/pricing (30% / 33% Uber One / 13%, excl. VAT; £650 + VAT activation) (accessed 11 Oct 2026). Just Eat's partner page sits behind a bot check and wasn't read.
- GOV.UK, Code of practice on fair and transparent distribution of tips (1 October 2024) (accessed 11 Oct 2026).