Quick answer: Stop re-typing tablet orders by connecting Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to your POS, so every order lands in the same queue as dine-in and collection tickets. Then fix the basics around it: accurate menus and allergen information, one stock count, and consistent VAT treatment on hot delivered food.
Most restaurants that sell through delivery apps start the same way: one tablet per platform on the pass, a different ringtone for each, and someone copying orders into the till so the end-of-day figures add up. It works at ten orders a night. At fifty, it becomes the busiest and most error-prone job in the building. This guide explains how to bring all delivery orders into one workflow, what to check in the kitchen and in the back office, and what the official guidance says about allergens and VAT.
Key takeaways
- Separate tablets create double entry, missed orders and sales figures that never quite reconcile.
- An integrated POS receives each platform order directly and can send it on to the kitchen display or printer.
- Allergen information is a legal responsibility for your business, even when a platform displays your menu.
- Hot food delivered to a customer is generally standard-rated for VAT, so your reporting needs to reflect that.
- Menus, availability and stock should be managed once and not edited separately on every app.
Why do separate delivery tablets cause problems?
A tablet per platform solves the first problem (getting the order) and creates several more:
- Missed or late orders: a tablet buried behind the pass, on silent, or running out of battery means a customer waits for food that nobody knows about.
- Double entry: staff re-key orders into the till for reporting, which takes time at the busiest moment and introduces mistakes.
- Split reporting: sales sit in three platform dashboards plus your own system, so you cannot see one view of the day.
- Menu drift: a price or item changed on one app but not another leads to disputes and refunds.
- Clutter: every device is another charger, another login and another thing for a new team member to learn.
What does it mean to integrate delivery platforms with your POS?
Integration means the order from the platform is passed electronically into your POS, instead of being read from a separate screen. Once it is in the POS, it behaves like any other order: it prints or appears on the kitchen display system, it is counted in your sales, and it can deduct ingredients from stock.
Sanguine’s Portal Integration is built for this: Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats orders come into the same POS your team already uses. If you are still deciding between screens and printers for the kitchen side, our earlier guide on kitchen display systems vs ticket printers will help.
How should delivery orders flow through the kitchen?
Whatever system you use, a reliable flow has the same stages. Use this as a checklist when you test an integration:
- The platform order arrives in the POS and is accepted (or auto-accepted) within the time the platform allows.
- The ticket is routed to the right kitchen station, clearly marked with the platform name and the promised collection time.
- The kitchen marks items ready, and the order status updates for the front-of-house team.
- Packing staff check the order against the ticket, add allergen information where required, and seal the bag.
- The rider hands over the order, and the POS records it as complete.
- At close, the sales from each platform appear in one report, ready to reconcile against platform statements.
Keep delivery tickets distinguishable
Label each ticket by platform and give delivery orders a colour or tag on the screen. When a rider is waiting at the door, the packer should not have to hunt for the right bag.
What allergen duties apply to delivery orders?
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is clear that delivery businesses carry responsibility for allergen information. Its guidance for food delivery says businesses should provide allergen information when taking an order and ask customers whether they need it, and advises that written allergen information should also come with the food, for example as a sticker on the container (FSA: food safety for food delivery).
The FSA also notes that if you sell through an external online ordering website, that site may have its own requirements for how allergen information is shown. Those rules sit alongside your own duties, not instead of them (FSA: food sold online).
In practice, that means keeping one accurate source of recipe and allergen data, updating it whenever a recipe or supplier changes, and making sure the information on every app matches. Recipe-level data in a system such as WebStocks makes this easier, because the ingredients behind each dish are recorded in one place.
How is VAT treated on delivered hot food?
HMRC’s catering and takeaway guidance (VAT Notice 709/1) explains that supplies of hot takeaway food are standard-rated, and the guidance covers hot food that is delivered (GOV.UK: Catering, takeaway food and VAT, Notice 709/1). HMRC’s internal manual sets out the test for hot takeaway food, including whether the food, or any part of it, is hot when it is provided to the customer (HMRC VAT Food manual VFOOD4220).
Cold items such as some bakery products, or drinks and confectionery, can follow different rules, so do not assume one rate for the whole basket. Check each product against the guidance, or ask your accountant, and set the VAT code on each menu item once in your POS so every channel uses the same one.
How do you keep menus, availability and stock consistent?
The biggest hidden cost of multiple delivery tablets is inconsistency. Aim for one master menu, with platform-specific differences handled deliberately rather than by accident.
- Mark items unavailable once. If the fryer is down or a dish has run out, switch it off in one place.
- Deduct ingredients automatically. When delivery orders reach the POS, recipe-level stock control can reduce stock as they are sold, so delivery sales do not distort your counts.
- Review each platform separately. Compare sales, average order value and refunds by channel to see which ones genuinely pay for themselves.
- Plan prep for peak times. Use your sales history to prepare for the evenings when delivery and dine-in overlap.
Can you run delivery-only brands from one kitchen?
Many operators now run several virtual brands out of a single kitchen. The same integration approach applies: every brand’s orders arrive in one system, with one stock pool behind them. Our page on cloud kitchens covers this setup in more detail.
A simple comparison: separate tablets vs integrated orders
| Area | Separate tablets | Integrated with POS |
|---|---|---|
| Order entry | Often re-keyed by hand | Received directly in the POS |
| Kitchen routing | Manual relay to the pass | Sent to the kitchen display or printer |
| Sales reporting | Split across several dashboards | Combined with dine-in and collection |
| Stock | Adjusted by hand, if at all | Deducted from recipe-level stock |
| Staff training | One device per platform | One system for every order |
How do you get started?
Start by listing every platform you use and who currently handles each tablet. Then walk through one busy evening and note every point where a person copies information from one screen to another. Those are the steps an integration should remove. When you are ready to see it working, you can start a 14-day free trial or book a free demo and we will show you how delivery orders flow through the POS and kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate tablet for each delivery app?
Not if your POS integrates with the platforms. Orders from Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats can arrive in the POS, so staff work from one screen. You should check which platforms and plans your provider supports before you switch.
Am I responsible for allergen information on delivery apps?
Yes. The FSA says delivery businesses should provide allergen information when taking an order and should send written information with the food. A platform may have its own rules, but those do not replace your own duties.
Is VAT charged on delivered hot food?
HMRC guidance treats hot takeaway food as standard-rated, and that includes hot food that is delivered. Some items, such as cold food, can be treated differently, so check each product against HMRC guidance or ask your accountant.
Will delivery orders affect my stock counts?
They can, which is why they should be recorded in the same system as everything else. With recipe-level stock control, ingredients can be deducted as delivery dishes are sold, giving you more accurate counts.
Does this work for delivery-only brands?
Yes. Several brands can share one kitchen and one stock pool, with orders for each brand arriving in the same system. This is common in cloud kitchen setups.