Online ordering for pizza takeaways
Updated 20 October 2026
Online ordering lets your customers choose the size, the base and the toppings on their phone, add a deal, pay, and get the pizza delivered or ready to collect. Menuthere gives a pizza takeaway its own ordering page with 0% commission: sizes with their own prices, topping groups with limits and doubles, 2-for-1 deals and discount codes, delivery priced by distance, 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
- Hot pizza is standard-rated at 20% VAT. HMRC lists pizzas both as hot takeaway food and as food heated to order.
- Sizes and toppings are built in: 10", 12" and 14" as sizes; extra toppings as a priced group with a limit, and doubles allowed.
- Deals: discount codes and item offers on Lite; Buy X get Y ("buy two large, get garlic bread free") on Pro.
- On 600 orders a month at £22, Just Eat's 30% delivery rate costs £4,752 a month with VAT; your own page costs about £318 in card fees plus US$17.
Set up a pizza menu
| On your menu | In Menuthere | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 10", 12", 14" | Sizes, each with its own price (and a delivery price if delivery costs more) | Pick one |
| Classic, thin or stuffed crust | Add-on group, stuffed crust priced | Required · choose 1 |
| Extra toppings | Add-on group, each with a price | Optional · up to 5 |
| Double pepperoni, extra cheese | Same group with More than one of each on | Counts towards the limit |
| Dips | Add-on group | Optional, more than one of each |
| Sides: garlic bread, wedges, wings | Separate dishes, sizes where needed | — |
| Meal deal ("2 large + 2 sides + a bottle") | One dish, with groups such as "Choose pizza 1", "Choose pizza 2", "Choose your sides" | Each required |
See sizes and portions and add-ons and choices.
Half-and-half pizzas. Menuthere doesn't have a visual half-and-half builder. If you sell them, the closest set-up is a "Half and half" dish with two required single-choice groups, "First half" and "Second half", listing your pizzas, with any premium pizza adding its price difference as the option's price. If half-and-half is a big part of your trade, that's a reason to look at a pizza-specific system.
Deals that pizza customers expect
| Deal | How to run it | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| 20% off over £30 with a code | Discount code with a minimum order | Lite |
| £2 off every large pizza this week | Item offer on chosen dishes | Lite |
| Buy two large, get garlic bread free | Buy X get Y | Pro |
| Free pizza after 10 orders | Loyalty points with a free-item reward | Pro |
| Tuesday-only student deal | Any offer limited to set days and times | Lite or Pro |
Set the days, times and validity on each offer; see limits, days and validity and Buy X get Y. Work out what a deal does to your margin first with the free recipe cost calculator.
What you pay: apps vs your own page
A pizza takeaway taking 600 online orders a month at £22: £13,200 a month.
| Channel | Fee | VAT on fee (20%) | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just Eat delivers (30%) | £3,960 | £792 | £4,752 | £57,024 |
| Just Eat, your own drivers (14%) | £1,848 | £369.60 | £2,217.60 | £26,611.20 |
| Your own page: Menuthere Lite + Stripe | US$17 + £318 card fees | none on commission | about £318 + US$17 | about £3,816 + US$204 |
Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p per standard UK card: 53p on a £22 order. Menuthere takes 0%. Deliveroo doesn't publish its UK rates; its terms show 35% + VAT for Marketplace+ restaurants using its riders. See Just Eat commission and Deliveroo fees.
Delivery: prices, zones and your own drivers
Pizza is mostly delivered, so delivery pricing matters as much as menu prices.
- Every plan: a delivery radius or drawn zones, a flat delivery charge, a minimum order and a maximum distance.
- Lite: delivery charges by distance or by zone, plus a free-delivery threshold such as free over £20. See delivery charges.
- Pro: your drivers use the Menuthere rider app for iPhone and Android. You assign each order with one tap, customers follow the driver on a live map, and there's no per-delivery fee from Menuthere. Menuthere doesn't auto-assign or batch orders. See the rider app. For more on running your own drivers, see own delivery drivers for takeaways.
VAT, allergens and other rules
VAT. HMRC's VAT Notice 709/1 lists pizzas under two of its tests for hot food: as hot takeaway food, and as food heated to the customer's order. Both mean 20%. A bottle of soft drink is standard-rated too. Show prices including VAT, and don't add a card surcharge. See VAT on takeaway food.
Allergens. Pizza bases contain cereals with gluten, and cheese contains milk; pesto often contains nuts, and some dough and dips contain egg or mustard. The FSA says online and phone orders need allergen information before the order is completed and again at delivery, and advises writing at both stages. Tag the 14 allergens on every pizza, topping and dip in Menuthere (every plan), and print a sheet for the box with the allergen chart maker.
Calories. In England, menus must show kcal per portion only for businesses with 250 or more employees, which covers the big pizza chains, not most independents. If you show calories anyway, add them to each pizza in Menuthere.
Late nights. In England and Wales, hot food sold between 11pm and 5am needs a late night refreshment licence. See takeaway licences in the UK.
Set it up this week
- Create your store at /get-started from your Google listing.
- Import your menu from a photo or PDF, then add sizes, crusts and the toppings group.
- Tag allergens on pizzas, toppings and dips; check every price includes VAT.
- Set delivery zones, a delivery charge, a minimum order and a free-delivery threshold.
- Add one deal to start: a discount code for direct orders.
- Connect Stripe on Lite, or start with cash on delivery.
- Put your QR code on the box lid and your 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
Can customers choose the size, crust and toppings online?
Yes. Give each pizza its sizes, add a required crust choice and an optional toppings group with a limit. With More than one of each on, customers can double a topping, and each extra carries its price.
Does Menuthere do half-and-half pizzas?
Not with a dedicated builder. You can make a "Half and half" dish with required "First half" and "Second half" choices, with a premium pizza adding its price difference. If half-and-half is a large share of your orders, check that set-up works for you first.
Can I run a 2-for-1 or buy-two-get-one deal?
Yes. Buy X get Y offers are on Pro. Discount codes and item offers are on Lite, and any offer can be limited to set days and times.
What VAT rate applies to takeaway pizza?
Hot takeaway pizza is standard-rated at 20%. HMRC's VAT Notice 709/1 lists pizzas as hot takeaway food and as food heated to the customer's order.
Can I charge for delivery by distance?
Yes, on Lite. Delivery charges can be flat, by distance or by zone, with a minimum order and a free-delivery threshold.
How much does Menuthere cost for a pizza takeaway?
The Free plan is US$0 for 50 orders a month, Lite is US$17 a month for unlimited orders, deals and distance-based delivery, and Pro is US$39 with Buy X get Y, loyalty and your own drivers. There's no commission.
Sources (6)
- HMRC, VAT Notice 709/1 (Test 1 hot takeaway examples "pizzas, kebabs"; Test 2 heated to order "garlic bread pizzas hamburgers kebabs"): gov.uk/guidance/catering-takeaway-food-and-vat-notice-7091 (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)
- DHSC, Calorie labelling in the out of home sector: implementation guidance (businesses with 250 or more employees; in force from 6 April 2022; extends to food sold on websites and apps): gov.uk/government/publications/calorie-labelling-in-the-out-of-home-sector/calorie-labelling-in-the-out-of-home-sector-implementation-guidance (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Licensing Act 2003, Schedule 2 (late night refreshment): legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/schedule/2 (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Stripe UK pricing: stripe.com/gb/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere commission pages /en/delivery-app-commission/just-eat-uk (archived 13 Jul 2026) and /deliveroo-uk (Deliveroo partner terms: 35% + VAT for Marketplace+ restaurants using Deliveroo riders)