The Ordering System Is Not Your Website
This is the mistake most takeaway owners make. They sign up with Flipdish, Slerp, or Storekit and assume that's their web presence sorted. It isn't.
An ordering system is a checkout engine. It takes orders, handles payments, routes them to your kitchen. A website is what gets customers there in the first place — it's the thing Google indexes, the thing that shows up when someone searches 'best chicken wings in Coventry', the thing that builds trust before a single item goes in the basket.
These are two different tools. They work best together. Understand that distinction and the rest of this comparison makes a lot more sense.
Why Any of These Beats the Marketplace for Collection
Just Eat charges 14% on collection orders. On a £30 order, that's £4.20 gone before you've cooked a single chip. Run your own site with direct ordering and the all-in cost — payment processing included — drops to roughly £1.91 on that same order. The maths compounds fast across a week.
Flipdish, Slerp, and Storekit are all built around the same core idea: you pay a platform fee (subscription or percentage) and standard card fees, with no marketplace commission on top. You keep the customer relationship. You own the data. The apps and delivery platforms can stay for delivery if you like — but your collection trade moves direct.
If you want to know more about why collection is the right place to start pulling orders back, read how to move regulars to direct collection orders.
Flipdish: Built for Branded Apps and Multi-Site Groups
Flipdish is one of the better-known names in UK hospitality tech. It's aimed at operators who want a white-label branded app — your name on the App Store, your colours throughout, push notifications to customers who've downloaded it.
That ambition comes at a price. Flipdish's pricing model involves a monthly subscription plus card processing fees, and the app route typically requires a longer setup and a commitment that suits groups and franchises better than a single-site chip shop. They also offer web ordering, so you don't have to go the app route.
Where Flipdish shines: loyalty programmes, multi-location management, marketing automation. Running three or more sites and want consistent branding? It's worth a proper look.
Where it can be overkill: a single-site takeaway doesn't usually need a loyalty programme on day one. You need orders.
Slerp: Strong Fit for Independent Cafés and Food Brands
Slerp started in the speciality coffee and independent café world and has grown from there. It handles collection, delivery (own fleet), and pre-order well — particularly for venues with more complex menus, scheduled pick-up slots, or seasonal product drops.
It operates on a subscription plus card fee model, similar to the others. No marketplace commission. The interface is clean and the product feels consumer-grade, which matters when you're asking customers to order directly rather than defaulting to the app they already have on their phone.
Slerp tends to suit food brands with some personality — artisan burger places, specialty pizza, independent dessert shops. It's less well-known to chippy and curry house owners, but that doesn't mean it's a worse fit. Worth demoing if your menu and brand have a strong visual identity you want to carry through to the ordering experience.
Storekit: Lean, Fast, and Suited to Straightforward Menus
Storekit is the most stripped-back of the three. Fast to set up, clean ordering flow, no fluff. It's designed for operators who want web-based collection ordering without the overhead of a full app or an enterprise contract.
It works well for takeaways with a focused menu and owners who don't need loyalty schemes or multi-location dashboards right now. You get a shareable ordering link, table ordering if you need it, and card processing at competitive rates.
The trade-off is depth. If you grow and want richer customer data, tiered promotions, or franchise tooling, you'll likely outgrow it. But for a fish and chip shop moving its first regulars off Just Eat, Storekit removes friction without asking you to learn a new CRM first.
Side-by-Side: How They Stack Up
General positioning notes — always verify current pricing directly with each provider.
| Feature | Flipdish | Slerp | Storekit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Multi-site groups, franchises | Independent food brands, cafés | Single-site takeaways, fast setup |
| Branded app | Yes (core offer) | Limited / web-first | No — web ordering only |
| Pricing model | Subscription + card fees | Subscription + card fees | Subscription + card fees |
| Marketplace commission | None | None | None |
| Loyalty tools | Built-in | Some | Basic |
| Setup complexity | Medium–high | Medium | Low |
| Multi-location | Strong | Growing | Limited |
| Pre-order / scheduling | Yes | Strong | Basic |
None of these replace your website. They are checkout engines. The site gets customers there.
How Takely Wires Ordering Into Your Website
Whichever platform you choose — Flipdish, Slerp, Storekit, or something else entirely — Takely builds the site that sits in front of it and does the converting.
Our Growth plan is specifically built to wire in your existing ordering system. That means clear 'Order Now' buttons that link directly to your Flipdish, Slerp, or Storekit checkout. Menu content built as real searchable text with structured data, not a PDF or a screenshot. Locally-targeted landing pages built to catch searches from people two streets away. A Google Business Profile properly connected to the site.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
- Your Flipdish web ordering link — or Slerp or Storekit checkout URL — dropped into the site so every 'Order Now' button goes exactly where it should
- No PDF menus. Menu items written as text, marked up with schema so Google can read them
- Landing pages for your area — not just one homepage — so you rank for searches your competitors aren't targeting
- Review prompts that stay on the right side of DMCC rules: no bribes, no review-gating, just the right timing and the right ask
- Monthly analytics report so you know what's working
If you haven't picked an ordering platform yet, we can advise during the build. If you already have one, we wire it in. Either way, the site goes live in seven days.
We're also building our own collection ordering system — Takely Ordering — at 4% flat plus card fees, no monthly platform charge on top. It's coming soon. Join the waitlist if you want to hear first.
What to Actually Ask Before You Sign Up
Before demoing any platform, get answers to these questions:
- What is the monthly subscription, and what does it include? Some tiers look cheap but charge extra for analytics, loyalty, or extra locations.
- What are the card processing fees? Stripe, Adyen, and bespoke deals all vary. Get the exact percentage and pence-per-transaction figure.
- Is there a minimum term or setup fee? A free setup sounds great until you're locked in for 12 months.
- Do I own my customer data? You should be able to export emails, order history, and spend data. If the platform can't confirm this, walk away.
- How does it integrate with my POS or kitchen screen? A great ordering app that needs orders retyped manually defeats the point.
- What does the mobile checkout look like? Most customers order on a phone. Test the flow yourself before you commit.
The Short Version
If you're a single-site takeaway moving your first orders direct: Storekit is fast and unfussy. If you're an independent food brand with a strong visual identity: Slerp is worth a proper look. If you're running multiple sites or want a branded app with loyalty built in: Flipdish is the more complete platform.
But whichever you pick, pair it with a proper website. The ordering system handles the checkout. The website handles getting-found, trust-building, and conversion. Both matter. Don't mistake one for the other.
Wondering whether your shop actually needs a website at all? Start here.
Frequently asked questions
Is Flipdish free to use?
No. Flipdish operates on a subscription model plus card processing fees. There is no marketplace commission, which is the point — you pay a platform fee rather than a cut of every order. The monthly cost depends on which tier you're on and how many locations you run. Always ask for the full cost breakdown including card fees before signing, as these vary.
What is the difference between Slerp and Storekit?
Both are web-based direct ordering platforms with no marketplace commission. Slerp tends to suit food brands with a strong identity — scheduled pre-orders, artisan menus, café-style operations. Storekit is more stripped-back: fast to set up, clean checkout, ideal for a single-site takeaway that wants to start taking direct orders without a long onboarding process. Neither offers a native branded app.
Can I use Flipdish, Slerp, or Storekit alongside Just Eat or Deliveroo?
Yes. These platforms are not exclusive. Most takeaways run direct ordering for collection — where the savings are biggest — while keeping Just Eat or Deliveroo for delivery. You keep the marketplace for the reach. You move loyal, repeat customers to your own site over time. The goal is not to abandon every channel at once but to stop paying 14% on orders from people who already know you.
Do I still need a website if I have a Flipdish ordering page?
Yes. Your Flipdish, Slerp, or Storekit page is a checkout, not a website. It won't rank in Google for local searches, it won't build trust with a first-time customer, and it won't tell your story. A proper website sits in front of the ordering page — it gets customers to you and earns their first click. The ordering system closes the sale. Both jobs need doing.
What is the cheapest way to take direct orders as a UK takeaway?
It depends on your volume. Low-volume shops sometimes start with a simple payment link or a QR code to a Storekit page to test direct ordering before committing to a platform. At higher volumes, a subscription-based platform often works out cheaper per order than any marketplace. Takely Ordering — currently on the waitlist — will charge 4% flat plus card fees with no separate monthly platform cost on top.
How long does it take to set up a direct ordering system?
Storekit and Slerp can be configured in a day or two once your menu is ready. Flipdish, particularly the branded app route, takes longer — typically a few weeks to get through app store approvals. The website around it, with a Takely Growth build, goes live in seven days and can link to your ordering system from day one, even if you're still configuring the platform behind the scenes.
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