Online ordering for kebab shops
Updated 20 October 2026
Online ordering lets your customers build their kebab on their phone (meat, size, wrap or box, salad and sauces), pay, and get it delivered or ready to collect, without a phone ringing at midnight. Menuthere gives a kebab shop its own ordering page with 0% commission: required and optional choices on every item, opening hours that run past midnight, delivery zones with a minimum order, 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
- Kebabs are standard-rated at 20% VAT: HMRC lists them as hot takeaway food and as food heated to order.
- Selling hot food after 11pm needs a late night refreshment licence in England and Wales (Licensing Act 2003).
- Build each item once: a required meat and size choice, a required "wrap, naan or box", and optional salad and sauces, with prices on the extras.
- On 500 orders a month at £15, Just Eat's 30% delivery rate costs £2,700 a month with VAT; your own page costs about £212 in card fees plus US$17.
Set up a kebab menu customers can order from
Kebab orders come with more choices per item than almost any takeaway. Menuthere's add-on groups can be required or optional, one choice or several, and each option can add to the price.
| Choice on the board | In Menuthere | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Doner, chicken shish, lamb shish, mixed | Separate dishes, or one dish with a required meat choice | Required · choose 1 |
| Small, large | Two sizes with their own prices | Pick one |
| Wrap, naan, pitta or box | Add-on group | Required · choose 1 |
| Lettuce, onion, cabbage, tomato | Add-on group | Optional · up to 4 |
| Garlic, chilli, mint yoghurt, BBQ | Add-on group, extra pots priced | Optional · up to 3, more than one of each allowed |
| Extra meat, cheese | Add-on group with a price on each | Optional |
| Kebab meal (kebab, chips, can) | One dish, contents in the description | Prints under the dish on the ticket |
Customers can take two of the same sauce if you leave More than one of each on. See add-ons and choices.
Late-night trading
Opening hours past midnight. Set your hours so the ordering page opens and closes on its own, including a close after midnight, and take a break between lunch and evening service if you have one. See working hours and breaks. A late-night menu can be just a few dishes: set the days and times on each dish and it only shows then. See show dishes at set times.
The licence. Under the Licensing Act 2003, supplying hot food or hot drink to the public between 11pm and 5am is "late night refreshment" in England and Wales and needs a premises licence from your council. Your licence may also set your closing time, so make your online hours match it. See takeaway licences in the UK.
Cooking. The FSA's guidance on cooking says kebabs, like minced meat and burgers, must be cooked all the way through: the middle should reach 70°C for 2 minutes, or an equivalent such as 75°C for 30 seconds. That's the same whether the order came in by phone, app or your own page; when the rush comes in online, keep your cook times realistic in the estimated time you show.
What you pay: apps vs your own page
A kebab shop taking 500 online orders a month at £15: £7,500 a month.
| Channel | Fee | VAT on fee (20%) | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just Eat delivers (30%) | £2,250 | £450 | £2,700 | £32,400 |
| Just Eat, your own drivers (14%) | £1,050 | £210 | £1,260 | £15,120 |
| Uber Eats, you deliver (13%) | £975 | £195 | £1,170 | £14,040 |
| Your own page: Menuthere Lite + Stripe | US$17 + £212.50 card fees | none on commission | about £212.50 + US$17 | about £2,550 + US$204 |
Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p per standard UK card: 42.5p on a £15 order. Menuthere takes 0%. App rates are from our pages on Just Eat in the UK and Uber Eats in the UK.
VAT and allergens
VAT. HMRC's VAT Notice 709/1 lists "pizzas, kebabs" among hot takeaway food, and kebabs again among food heated to the customer's order. Both are standard-rated at 20%. A cold can of drink to take away is standard-rated too, as a soft drink. Show prices including VAT. See VAT on takeaway food.
Allergens. Sauces are where kebab allergens hide: garlic mayonnaise often contains egg and milk, mint yoghurt contains milk, and breads contain gluten. The FSA says online and phone orders need allergen information before the order is completed and again at delivery, and it advises giving it in writing both times. Tag the 14 allergens on each dish and sauce in Menuthere (every plan), and label boxes with the free allergen label maker.
Delivery with your own drivers
Set a minimum order and a maximum distance so late-night drives stay worth it; see minimum order and maximum distance. On Lite you can price delivery by distance or zone and set a free-delivery threshold. On Pro, drivers use the Menuthere rider app for iPhone and Android, you assign each order with one tap, and the customer follows the driver on a live map. There's no auto-assignment or route planning, and no per-delivery fee from Menuthere. See the rider app. For more on running your own drivers, see own delivery drivers for takeaways.
WhatsApp order updates from your own number are on Pro too, at about £0.0159 per message in the UK, billed by Meta to your own account. Late-night customers often message rather than call. See WhatsApp ordering for UK takeaways.
Set it up this week
- Create your store at /get-started from your Google listing.
- Import your menu from a photo or your leaflet, then add the meat, bread, salad and sauce groups.
- Tag allergens on dishes and sauces; check every price includes VAT.
- Set opening hours to match your licence, and a late-night menu if you want one.
- Set delivery zones, a minimum order and a maximum distance.
- Connect Stripe on Lite, or start with cash on delivery and collection.
- Print your QR code on bags and leaflets; see our takeaway menu template.
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
What's the best online ordering system for a kebab shop?
Look for 0% commission, required and optional choices on each item, opening hours past midnight, delivery zones with a minimum order, and card payments into your own account. Menuthere does all of these and has a free plan for 50 orders a month.
Can customers choose their meat, bread, salad and sauces?
Yes. Make the meat and bread required single choices, and salad and sauces optional groups with a limit. Extra sauces and extra meat can carry a price.
Do I need a licence to sell kebabs after 11pm?
In England and Wales, yes. Supplying hot food to the public between 11pm and 5am is late night refreshment under the Licensing Act 2003 and needs a premises licence from your council.
What VAT rate applies to kebabs?
Kebabs are standard-rated at 20%. HMRC's VAT Notice 709/1 lists kebabs as hot takeaway food and as food heated to the customer's order.
Can my ordering page stay open after midnight?
Yes. Set your working hours with a closing time after midnight and the page opens and closes on its own. Match the hours to your licence.
How much does Menuthere cost for a kebab shop?
The Free plan is US$0 for 50 orders a month, Lite is US$17 a month for unlimited orders, and Pro is US$39 with your own drivers and WhatsApp. There's no commission; Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p per standard UK card.
Sources (6)
- HMRC, VAT Notice 709/1 (Test 1 hot takeaway examples "pizzas, kebabs"; Test 2 heated to order "pizzas hamburgers kebabs"): gov.uk/guidance/catering-takeaway-food-and-vat-notice-7091 (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Licensing Act 2003, Schedule 2, provision of late night refreshment (hot food or hot drink, 11pm–5am): legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/schedule/2/crossheading/the-provision-of-late-night-refreshment (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- FSA/GOV.UK, Cooking your food (published 18 December 2017: "Any meat that has been minced or skewered all the way through should be cooked thoroughly"; kebabs listed; 70°C for 2 minutes, 75°C for 30 seconds and other combinations): gov.uk/government/publications/cooking-your-food/cooking-your-food (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- FSA, Allergen guidance for food businesses (updated 17 July 2026; distance selling §3.2): gov.uk/government/publications/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Stripe UK pricing (1.5% + 20p standard UK cards): stripe.com/gb/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere commission pages /en/delivery-app-commission/just-eat-uk (archived 13 July 2026) and /en/delivery-app-commission/uber-eats-uk (Uber Eats UK pricing, read 11 Oct 2026: 30% / 13%)