Who we help · Takeaways
Opening a takeaway.
Most takeaway orders come by phone, app or website, so ordering, payments and your connection matter as much as the kitchen. Here is a typical setup and where to start.
Your typical setup
What most takeaways need, and which BizUp360 service area covers it. Use one service or all of them.
| What you’ll need | Where we help | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business bank account and registration | Business setup | Needed before card payments can be paid out to you. |
| Counter and portable card machines, payment links | Payments: card machines | Portable terminals for deliveries; links for phone orders. |
| EPOS that takes counter, phone and online orders | Payments: EPOS | One place for every order, printed in the kitchen. |
| Your own online ordering | Hospitality extras | Run it alongside delivery marketplaces. |
| Electricity and gas | Utilities: energy | Fryers, ovens and extraction use a lot of energy in the evening. |
| Waste, food waste and used cooking oil | Utilities: waste | Oil collection by a registered collector, with waste transfer notes. |
| Broadband, phone line or VoIP | Telecoms | Phone orders and online orders depend on it. |
| Public liability, employers’ liability and contents | Insurance | Through an FCA-authorised broker. Delivery drivers need suitable motor cover. |
| Payroll and accounting | Business management | Part-time and evening staff still need payroll from the first payday. |
What to sort first
Some things take weeks, so do them in roughly this order.
Register and check licences
Register your food business with the council at least 28 days before opening. Selling hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am usually needs a late night refreshment licence in England and Wales.
Energy and gas
Agree contracts as soon as you take the premises, so you’re not left on deemed rates.
Phone and broadband
Book installs early and keep your existing number if you have one.
Ordering and payments
Choose your EPOS, card machines and online ordering together so they connect.
Oil and waste collections
Set these up before you start frying, with the paperwork in place.
Insurance
Before staff start and before any deliveries go out.
Good to know
- Used cooking oil must never go down the drain: a registered collector takes it away.
- Delivery marketplaces charge their own fees, so many takeaways add their own ordering too.
- Card machines that still use an old phone line need moving before the PSTN switch-off.
- Tell us your opening hours: evening-heavy trading changes which energy contract fits.
General information, not legal advice. Check with your local council or an adviser for your situation.
Make it a checklist
Our new-business setup checklist puts every step in order, and you can print it. Stuck on a term? Try the glossary.
Want the essentials in one enquiry? See the Setup Pack, or look at other business types.
Opening a takeaway?
Tell us your opening date and what you need. We’ll get back to you within one working day.