Online ordering for fish and chip shops
Updated 20 October 2026
Online ordering lets your customers pick cod or haddock, the size, the sides and the sauce on their phone, pay, and collect at a time you can cook for, with no phone queue on a Friday. Menuthere gives a fish and chip shop its own ordering page with 0% commission: sizes and add-ons for every portion, pre-orders for teatime, the 14 allergens on each dish, and your own drivers on Pro. The Free plan covers 50 orders a month; Lite is US$17 a month for unlimited orders.
In short
- Around 7,210 independent fish and chip takeaways trade in the UK, according to Seafish's June 2026 study, with cod and chips averaging £11.41 and haddock and chips £10.29.
- Hot fish and chips are standard-rated for VAT at 20%. HMRC names "chips, fish and chips" as hot takeaway food.
- Build the menu once: sizes for each fish, required choices for the fish and the batter, optional extras for peas, curry sauce and gravy.
- Friday teatime: let customers order ahead for a time slot, so the fryer isn't swamped at 5:30.
Set up a chippy menu that customers can order from
A chip shop menu is short, but every line has choices. Menuthere handles them with sizes (one choice, each with its own price) and add-on groups (required or optional, one choice or several).
| On your board | In Menuthere | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cod: regular, large | Dish with two sizes | Cod (Regular £9.20 / Large £11.80) |
| Haddock, plaice, scampi, fishcake | Separate dishes, each with sizes if needed | Haddock (Regular / Large) |
| Chips: small, regular, large | Dish with three sizes | Chips (Small £2.80 / Regular £3.60 / Large £4.40) |
| Salt and vinegar? | Required single choice | "Salt and vinegar: Yes / Salt only / None" |
| Mushy peas, curry sauce, gravy, beans | Optional add-on group, more than one allowed | "Add a side: Mushy peas +£1.60, Curry sauce +£1.70" |
| Fish supper or meal deal | One dish, contents listed in the description | "Cod, chips, peas and a can" |
| Gluten-free batter (on set days) | Separate dish shown only on chosen days | "Gluten-free cod (Mondays)" |
Contents of a meal deal can be printed under the dish name on the kitchen ticket if you start each item on its own line. See sizes and portions and add-ons and choices.
Show dishes only when you fry them. If you run a gluten-free fryer one day a week, or a lunchtime special, set the days and times on the dish and it appears only then. See show dishes at set times.
Friday teatime: take orders for later
Most chippies have one big peak. On Lite, customers can pick a collection or delivery time when they order, and you can take pre-orders while you're still closed, so the orders for 5:00 to 6:30 are in before you start frying. See scheduled orders and pre-orders.
The partner app rings for each new order until someone accepts it, and tickets print to your kitchen printer. Or switch on auto-accept for the rush.
What you pay: apps vs your own page
A busy chippy taking 400 online orders a month at £24 (two fish suppers and a drink): £9,600 a month.
| Channel | Fee | VAT on fee (20%) | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just Eat delivers (30%) | £2,880 | £576 | £3,456 | £41,472 |
| Just Eat, your own drivers (14%) | £1,344 | £268.80 | £1,612.80 | £19,353.60 |
| Your own page: Menuthere Lite + Stripe | US$17 + £224 card fees | none on commission | about £224 + US$17 | about £2,688 + US$204 |
Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p per standard UK card: 56p on a £24 order. Menuthere adds nothing. If you're VAT-registered you can usually reclaim the VAT on app fees, but not the commission. Just Eat's rates are from its UK sign-up page, as archived in July 2026; see Just Eat commission in the UK.
VAT, allergens and other rules for chip shops
VAT on fish and chips. HMRC's VAT Notice 709/1 lists "chips, fish and chips, and similar items" as hot takeaway food, which is standard-rated at 20%. Food kept hot, or packed in heat-retentive packaging such as foil-lined bags, is standard-rated too. A cold sandwich or a bottle of water to take away is treated differently, so check our VAT on takeaway food guide. Prices on your ordering page must include VAT.
Allergens. Fish is one of the 14 allergens, and batter usually contains cereals with gluten. The FSA says that for online and phone orders, allergen information must be given before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered, and it advises giving it in writing at both stages. Tag the 14 allergens on each dish in Menuthere (every plan), and put a printed allergen sheet in the bag; make one with the allergen chart maker. Only call a dish gluten-free if you can control cross-contact in your fryers.
Late nights. In England and Wales, selling hot food between 11pm and 5am needs a late night refreshment licence under the Licensing Act 2003. See takeaway licences in the UK.
Printed menus in Wales. Takeaways in Wales must print a bilingual statement on menus and leaflets that list food, prices and a way to order without visiting, telling customers they can check the food hygiene rating online.
Delivery with your own drivers
Many chippies deliver within a couple of miles. On every plan you can draw delivery zones and set a minimum order; on Lite you can price delivery by zone or distance and set a free-delivery threshold. On Pro, your drivers use the Menuthere rider app for iPhone and Android, you assign each order with one tap, and customers follow the driver on a live map. Menuthere doesn't auto-assign drivers or plan routes. See the rider app. For more on running your own drivers, see own delivery drivers for takeaways.
On Pro you can also send order updates on WhatsApp from your own number: "Your order is in the fryer", "Your driver is on the way". Meta charges about £0.0159 per update in the UK, billed to your own account. See WhatsApp ordering for UK takeaways.
Marketing dates for chippies
- National Fish & Chip Day is the first Friday in June; its organiser, NEODA, held it on 5 June 2026.
- Lent Fridays and Good Friday (26 March 2027) are traditional fish days.
- See the full UK restaurant marketing calendar and print a matching takeaway menu template.
Set it up this week
- Create your store at /get-started from your Google listing.
- Import your menu from a photo of your board or a PDF leaflet, then add sizes and the sides group.
- Tag allergens on every dish and set prices including VAT.
- Set collection times, delivery zones and a minimum order.
- Connect Stripe on Lite for card payments, or start with pay on collection.
- Put your link and QR code on your Google profile, the counter and every bag.
Plans are billed in US dollars: Free US$0, Lite US$17, Pro US$39 a month. See pricing or the takeaway ordering system.
FAQs
How much does online ordering cost for a fish and chip shop?
With Menuthere, nothing per order: there's no commission. The Free plan covers 50 orders a month and Lite is US$17 a month for unlimited orders. Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p per standard UK card, so 56p on a £24 order.
Can customers choose cod or haddock, the size and the sides?
Yes. Give each fish its sizes, add a required choice for salt and vinegar, and an optional group for peas, curry sauce and gravy. Each extra can add to the price.
Can customers order ahead for Friday teatime?
Yes, on Lite. Customers choose a collection or delivery time, and you can take pre-orders while you're closed.
What VAT do I charge on fish and chips?
Hot fish and chips are standard-rated at 20%. HMRC lists "chips, fish and chips, and similar items" as hot takeaway food in VAT Notice 709/1.
Do I have to show allergens on my chip shop's online menu?
For online and phone orders, the FSA says allergen information must be given before the order is completed and again at delivery, in writing or orally, and it advises writing at both stages. Fish and gluten are the usual ones on a chippy menu.
Can I use my own delivery drivers?
Yes, on Pro. Drivers use the Menuthere rider app for iPhone and Android, you assign each order with one tap, and customers track the driver on a live map.
Sources (9)
- Seafish, "Seafish publishes landmark study of the UK's favourite takeaway meal" (29 June 2026: around 7,210 independent fish and chip takeaway shops; haddock and chips £10.29, cod and chips £11.41 average; haddock leads in Scotland and parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands): seafish.org/about-us/news-blogs/seafish-publishes-landmark-study-of-the-uk-s-favourite-takeaway-meal (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- HMRC, VAT Notice 709/1 Catering, takeaway food (hot takeaway tests; "chips, fish and chips, and similar items"; heat-retentive packaging): gov.uk/guidance/catering-takeaway-food-and-vat-notice-7091 (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- FSA, Allergen guidance for food businesses (updated 17 July 2026; 14 allergens; §3.2 food delivery and takeaway: before purchase and on delivery, writing advised): gov.uk/government/publications/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Licensing Act 2003, Schedule 2 (late night refreshment, 11pm–5am): legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/schedule/2 (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- FSA, Food hygiene rating publication and displaying your rating (Wales bilingual statement on takeaway menus and leaflets): food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-hygiene-rating-publication-and-displaying-your-rating (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- NEODA, National Fish and Chip Day ("this year will take place on 5 June 2026"): neoda.org.uk/national-fish-and-chip-day/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK bank holidays (Good Friday 26 March 2027): gov.uk/bank-holidays.json (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Stripe UK pricing (1.5% + 20p standard UK cards): stripe.com/gb/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere commission page /en/delivery-app-commission/just-eat-uk (Just Eat UK sign-up page, archived 13 July 2026: 14% own drivers, 30% Just Eat delivers, + 20% VAT)