Opening a Takeaway in the UK: Checklist for 2026

Short answer: To open a takeaway in the UK, check the premises can be used as a hot food takeaway (in England this is its own planning use, so a change from a shop may need planning permission). Register with your local council at least 28 days before you start trading; it's free. Put a food safety system in place (HACCP, or the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business), train your staff, and prepare allergen information for every dish. If you sell hot food between 11pm and 5am you need a late night refreshment licence. Then join the delivery apps, with photos, a full menu and correct hours ready before you go live.

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The checklist at a glance

When	What to do
Before you sign a lease	Check planning: can the premises be a hot food takeaway? Ask the council.
8 weeks or more before	Food safety system, allergen list for every dish, staff training, insurance, register as self-employed or a company
At least 28 days before	Register your food business with the local council (free)
If you open after 11pm	Late night refreshment licence (part of a premises licence)
2 to 4 weeks before	Apply to Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats; take your food photos; write your menu
Launch week	Check your listings as a customer, match your hours on Google and the apps, answer every review

1. Premises and planning permission

In England, hot food takeaways have their own planning use ("sui generis", called Class A5 before September 2020). That means turning a shop or café into a takeaway can need planning permission, and councils often add conditions about extraction (the flue for cooking smells) and opening hours. Ask your council's planning team before you sign a lease. Scotland and Wales have their own rules.

2. Register your food business (at least 28 days before)

GOV.UK says you must register with your local council at least 28 days before you start trading. It is free and can't be refused. Don't register too early either: the council plans your first inspection from it. Register on GOV.UK's food business registration page. Every delivery app will expect this to be done.

3. Food safety system and training

Food safety system: by law you must use HACCP-based procedures. Most small takeaways use the FSA's free Safer Food, Better Business pack, which is designed for this.
Training: a food hygiene certificate is not compulsory, but staff must be trained or supervised to handle food safely, and a certificate is the easiest way to show it.
Premises: good ventilation, lighting and drainage, and surfaces that are easy to clean.
Waste: dispose of food waste properly, and don't pour fat, oil or grease down the sink.

4. Allergens: what delivery takeaways must do

You must give customers information about the 14 main allergens in your food. For delivery, the FSA treats an order through an app, your website or the phone as distance selling. That means allergen information must be available, free:

before the customer finishes ordering, and
when the food is delivered.

The FSA's best practice is to give it in writing at both points. On the apps, tell customers clearly where to find it before they order. At delivery, a sticker on the container or a printed allergen menu in the bag works. If a customer changes a dish, show that too.

5. Your food hygiene rating

After you open, the council inspects you, usually without warning, and gives you a rating from 0 to 5. Customers see it on the FSA website, and the apps take it seriously: Just Eat, for example, won't let restaurants with a rating of 0 trade.

England: showing your sticker is voluntary, but most customers look for it.
Wales and Northern Ireland: you must display it at the entrance. In Wales, takeaway menus must also carry a statement telling customers where to check your rating.
Not a 5? Fix what the inspector asked for, then request a re-rating in writing with evidence.

See how takeaways score across the country in our UK takeaway hygiene ratings study.

6. Late night refreshment licence

If you sell hot food or hot drinks between 11pm and 5am, including for delivery, you need a licence for late night refreshment, which is part of a premises licence from your council (England and Wales). Selling alcohol also needs a premises licence. Councils do check late-night takeaways.

7. Tax and insurance

Register as self-employed or set up a limited company, and get insurance (public liability, and employers' liability if you have staff). GOV.UK's set up a business page walks you through it.

8. Join the delivery apps, and use the new-restaurant boost

How to apply to each app is in our guide to joining Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats. The part most new owners miss: the apps give new restaurants a short boost. Just Eat gives up to 20 new businesses in an area a better position for a while, and Deliveroo boosts new restaurants for their first 30 days. If your listing is half-finished during that time, you waste it.

Have this ready before you go live:

Real photos of your best dishes. See food photos for delivery apps.
A full menu with clear descriptions: what's in each dish and what comes with it.
The right cuisine tags, so you show up when customers filter by food type.
Opening hours that match on every app and on Google.
Allergen information where customers can find it before ordering.
A launch offer, if you can afford one, to win the first orders and reviews.

Then check your shop as a customer from a few postcodes you deliver to, and answer every review in the first weeks. More: how to rank higher on Just Eat and on Deliveroo.

Questions

How long before opening should I register my takeaway?

At least 28 days before you start trading. It's free and the council can't refuse it.

Do I need planning permission to open a takeaway?

Often, yes. In England a hot food takeaway is its own planning use, so changing a shop or café into a takeaway can need permission. Ask your council's planning team before you sign a lease.

Do I need a food hygiene certificate?

It's not compulsory, but staff must be trained or supervised to handle food safely, and a certificate is the easiest way to show the inspector.

Do I need a licence to sell takeaway food late at night?

Yes, if you sell hot food or hot drinks between 11pm and 5am. That's late night refreshment, and it needs a premises licence from your council.

When should I join Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats?

Apply a few weeks before you open, but only go live when your photos, menu and hours are ready, because the apps' boost for new restaurants only lasts a short time.

Opening soon, or just opened?

Send us your new listing. We'll tell you what to fix while the new-restaurant boost lasts: photos, menu, tags and hours. Free, within 24 to 48 hours. Get your free diagnostic →

Sources

Platforms change their rules and fees. Figures were checked on the date above. Restaurant Hero is independent. We're not part of, or endorsed by, Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats.

Opening a takeaway in the UK: the checklist, from registration to your first orders on the apps