Social media for takeaways and delivery restaurants: a practical guide for 2026

People decide on a takeaway in minutes, often while scrolling. Your job is to be the place they remember, and to make the route to ordering obvious, whether that is your own website, your phone number or a delivery app.

Instagram and TikTok suit food videos: the sizzle, the cheese pull, the box being packed. Facebook reaches local families and suits deals and opening hours. A Google Business Profile matters most of all for 'takeaway near me' searches. Google says an update post can carry a button linking to a site where customers can make a booking, order online or learn more, and that for single-location food and drink businesses in English in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, featured posts about events, deals or specials may appear on your mobile profile in place of reviews.

Source: Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts on your Business Profile, checked 15 October 2026

Post before people decide, not after. Late afternoon on your busiest nights is when a video of tonight's special does most work. Three or four feed posts a week, plus stories when you open, is enough.

• Monday: the week's special, with the price and how to order.
• Wednesday: from the kitchen. Dough being stretched, curry being finished, a box being packed.
• Thursday: a dish explained. What is in it, how spicy it is, who it feeds.
• Friday, late afternoon: 'open from 5', with the order link.
• Saturday: a customer favourite, or a review shared with permission.
• Monthly: meet the team, a new dish, or a hygiene inspection result.

Takeaways are distance sellers, so allergen rules work slightly differently. The Food Standards Agency says that for food sold online or by phone, allergen information must be provided at two stages: before the purchase is completed, which can be written or oral, and when the food is delivered, for example with stickers or an enclosed menu. The FSA lists 14 allergens, from celery and mustard to sesame and sulphites. The UK labelling rules for prepacked for direct sale food do not apply to PPDS food sold by distance selling, but mandatory allergen information must still be available before purchase and at delivery.

In the US, the FDA lists nine major allergens, including sesame from 1 January 2023. Its allergen labelling rules for packaged food generally do not cover food put in a wrapper or container after the customer orders, but customers will still ask, so have accurate answers ready.

• Do not answer 'is this nut-free?' in a comment. Point to your allergen information and ask people to call.
• Make sure your allergen information is on every ordering route you promote, including delivery apps.
• Label or mark allergen orders when they leave the kitchen.
• Update menus and pinned posts when a recipe or supplier changes.

Sources: Food Standards Agency: Allergen guidance for food businesses, checked 15 October 2026; Food Standards Agency: Introduction to allergen labelling for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, checked 15 October 2026; US FDA: Food allergies, checked 15 October 2026

Larger takeaways and chains have extra rules. In England, businesses with 250 or more employees that sell non-prepacked food for immediate consumption must show calorie information, including on websites and apps such as third-party delivery apps, with the statement 'Adults need around 2000 kcal a day'. Franchisees may count towards the franchisor's total. In the US, the FDA's menu labelling rule applies to chains with 20 or more locations, which must show calories on menus and menu boards with the statement '2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice'.

Show full prices. The CMA says a social media post can be an invitation to purchase, and that hiding mandatory fees, taxes or other charges is illegal; they belong in the total price. If every order carries a service or packaging charge, include it.

Since 5 January 2026, paying to place online ads for identifiable less healthy food or drink is banned in the UK, unless the person paying is a food or drink SME. Pizza, chips and complete meals such as a burger in a bun with fries are among the categories in scope, subject to a nutrient profiling score. In July 2026 the ASA upheld a complaint about a paid Instagram ad from a single franchisee of a chicken shop chain, because franchisees were counted with the franchisor and together employed more than 250 people.

Sources: GOV.UK: Calorie labelling in the out of home sector, implementation guidance, checked 15 October 2026; US FDA: Menu labeling requirements, checked 15 October 2026; CMA: Providing clear and accurate information about prices (summary), checked 15 October 2026; legislation.gov.uk: Communications Act 2003, section 368Z14 (online advertising of less healthy food or drink), checked 15 October 2026; GOV.UK: Restricting advertising of less healthy food or drink on TV and online, products in scope, checked 15 October 2026; ASA ruling on S&E1 Ltd t/a Morley's Woking, 8 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026

Diners cannot see your kitchen, so your hygiene rating carries more weight than it does for a sit-down restaurant. The Food Standards Agency encourages businesses to promote their rating on their website or social media pages. In Wales, takeaways with a menu or leaflet showing food, prices and a way to order without visiting must publish a bilingual statement directing customers to the food hygiene ratings website. In Scotland, the Food Hygiene Information Scheme gives a Pass or Improvement Required result.

Reply to every review. For complaints about a late or wrong order, apologise, ask for the order number privately and fix it. Google's policy says merchants must not offer incentives for reviews, such as discounts or free food, discourage negative reviews or ask only happy customers. The US FTC's rule bans incentives conditioned on reviews expressing a particular sentiment.

Sources: Food Standards Agency: Food Hygiene Rating Scheme guidance for businesses, checked 15 October 2026; Food Standards Scotland: Food Hygiene Information Scheme, checked 15 October 2026; Maps User Generated Content Policy: Prohibited & restricted content, checked 15 October 2026; FTC final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026

Takeaway demand peaks on Fridays, during big sports events and on dates like Halloween and New Year's Eve. Plan those posts first, then fill the rest of the month.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Brand Brain can hold your menu names and order link, but Zolyp does not check allergen or calorie claims, so confirm every detail before you approve a post. Plans start at $29/mo. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: list specials, big events and any price changes.
• Week 2: film new dishes during prep, before service.
• Week 3: check your Google profile hours, order link and photos.
• Week 4: compare order numbers on posting nights with quiet nights.