Online ordering for Chinese takeaways

A Chinese takeaway’s online menu has to do a lot: a hundred or more numbered dishes, set meals for two or four, banquets for groups, and a steady stream of regulars who have ordered the same thing by phone for years. Your own online ordering site puts all of that in one place, with phone orders on the same screen, and stops the delivery apps from taking a percentage of orders from people who already know your number.

Chinese takeaways in Ireland

The OpenStreetMap count is a floor: many Chinese takeaways in suburbs and towns aren’t mapped. Chinese takeaways have been part of Irish towns for decades, and many are family businesses now run by a second generation, which is often when the question of moving phone orders online comes up.

How Chinese takeaway orders work online

• Long numbered menus. Keep the numbers in the dish names so regulars can still find “42”. Group them into categories (starters, soups, chicken, beef, curry, set meals) so customers aren’t scrolling through a hundred items.
• Set meals and banquets. Build each as one item with required choice steps, so a “banquet for four” arrives as one complete ticket.
• Choices on every dish. Rice or chips, spice level, sauce on the side: set them as required choices or extras with their own prices.
• Phone orders on one screen. The counter and phone POS runs on any tablet, so phone and online orders join one queue.
• Holiday pre-orders. Lunar New Year falls on 6 February 2027. Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and big match nights are also busy. Scheduled pre-orders let customers book a time in advance, with slot limits so the wok station isn’t overwhelmed.

Moving your menu without retyping it

The biggest worry for a Chinese takeaway is the menu itself. Nobody wants to retype 150 dishes. If you’re on Flipdish, your Flipdish menu is moved for you in 48 hours (switching from Flipdish). If you’re on GloriaFood, which is closing, migration is free and done for you, with your menu back on OrdFox within 24 hours for you to review (GloriaFood migration).

Allergens

Soy, sesame, peanuts, wheat, eggs and crustaceans are all among the 14 allergens, and Chinese menus use many of them. The FSAI says that for food ordered at a distance, allergen information must be available in writing before ordering and again at delivery. On your own site you can write the allergens into each dish’s description; keep printed allergen information with every delivery as well.

What the apps cost

Uber Eats publishes its Irish rates: 30% when Uber delivers (33% on Uber One orders) and 13% when you deliver or the customer collects, plus a €650 activation fee (checked on 6 October 2026). A €45 family order at 30% costs €13.50 in commission before VAT. Group and banquet orders are exactly the ones where commission hurts most. Run your figures in the commission calculator.

How OrdFox helps Chinese takeaways

• Your own ordering site on your own domain; your own iOS app on the Professional plan (Android is coming soon).
• Collection and delivery, scheduled pre-orders, a minimum order and delivery fees by distance.
• Your own drivers with a driver app, dispatch and live tracking, included on every plan.
• Card payments into your own Stripe account.
• A kitchen screen by station on the Complete plan, with an alarm that keeps ringing until the order is acknowledged.
• Coupons and a digital loyalty card.

Plans start from €45 a month billed annually (€59 monthly), ex. VAT, on a 12-month agreement. Setup is tailored and quoted before you commit. See pricing.