Q&A: Does Just Eat Franchise in the UK?

If you’re a food-loving, business-minded person thinking about starting your own food delivery franchise, you’re probably exploring a variety of different options. As you do, you’re likely to consider delivery giant Just Eat, a hugely well-recognised name in the field of to-the-doorstep dinner. But does Just Eat franchise in the UK, and can you become a franchisee with the profitable company?

The online food ordering and delivery platforms market in the UK is worth almost £3 billion [IBISWorld]. In 2022, customers massively value the convenience offered to them by apps like Just Eat and Deliveroo, and by all the delicious food takeaway franchises that partner with them. 

Does Just Eat franchise in the UK?

If starting your own delivery franchise with a Just Eat business sounds perfect to you, you’ll be disappointed to discover that no, Just Eat doesn’t franchise in the UK. Instead, Just Eat offers existing restaurants and cafes the opportunity to become a Partner with the app and expand their capacity to bring in revenue. In the words of David, one of Just Eat’s Partners, “The Partner Perks system is really really good. It’s a great way that Just Eat have sat down and thought, how can we add value to our product? It’s a win-win deal.”

​​​​​​​We’re a leading global food platform serving millions of customers across 25 countries. With over 15,000 employees worldwide, we power a vast array of much-loved local brands, with the mission of empowering every food moment for our customers.
- Just Eat

The history of Just Eat

Just Eat was originally founded in 2001 in Denmark, and launched in the UK five years later in 2006. The merged company, Just Eat Takeaway.com, came into being in January 2020, connecting Just Eat’s success with the success of Takeaway.com (founded in 2000 in The Netherlands). There are now over 580,000 restaurants on Just Eat, offering consumers a huge variety of easily accessible food choices.

In the words of Just Eat, “Both com­pa­nies were start­ed by ambi­tious entre­pre­neurs who grew their busi­ness­es to be the num­ber one food deliv­ery play­ers in their home mar­kets and many oth­ers around the world. Today, Just Eat Take​away​.com is the lead­ing glob­al online food deliv­ery mar­ket­place out­side China. We haven’t stopped there. Our mis­sion is to be the best food deliv­ery com­pa­ny on the planet.”

We utilise a hybrid mod­el which builds on our mar­ket­place her­itage (where restau­rants do their own deliv­ery) with logis­tics capa­bil­i­ty (for select restau­rants with­out their own deliv­ery capa­bil­i­ties). This mod­el ensures con­sumers have the widest pos­si­ble vari­ety of restau­rants to order from.
- Just Eat

Start a franchise in the food delivery industry 

If you love what you’ve learned about Just Eat and are still keen to find a franchise in the delivery and takeaway sector that you can invest with, keep reading. Below, you’ll discover some of the best franchise investment opportunities for those who dream of running a food delivery franchise...

1. Local Eats

Local Eats is a low-cost food franchise opportunity that takes restaurant dishes right to people’s doors after they order online. The company was founded in 2018 and has a string of branches across the North West, but is now focusing on nationwide expansion. 

• Becoming a Local Eats franchisee: You should be passionate about connecting local restaurants and food businesses with consumers in your local area, driven to build a successful franchise business in the takeaway industry. 
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £6,000.
• What you get for your investment: In just 10 days, you’ll be provided with all you need to get up and running, including face-to-face or online training, your own website, apps, marketing resources and plenty of expert advice.

2. Street Greek  

Street Greek is a casual Greek restaurant keen to honour traditional Greek dishes with a modern, tasty spin. The franchise offers investors an excellent opportunity to join an experienced restaurant franchise network. 

• Becoming a Street Greek franchisee: You should be passionate about the brand and equipped with effective management skills and strong people skills. You’ll also need to be business-minded, driven and determined to succeed.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £120,000, with franchise fees of £15,000, a total investment cost of £200,000 and advertising and royalty fees of 2% and 5%.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll be provided with a comprehensive franchise package, inclusive of training that covers all aspects of running your Street Greek franchise. You’ll be supported with site selection, design, promo and more.

3. Toni Loco  

Founded in 2018, Toni Loco has been growing at a substantial pace, and you could become a part of this expansion as a franchisee. The franchise is particularly beloved by customers for its authentic 50cm pizzas, hand-tossed with a deliciously thin crust.

• Becoming a Toni Loco franchisee: You’ll need to be passionate about running a restaurant business, committed to developing your Toni Loco location. You should also be ambitious and capable of leading a team, with an eye for recruitment.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £200,000.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll be assisted with interior design and provided with kitchen equipment, furniture, packaging materials, food ingredients, marketing assets and more. Expert franchisor advice will always be on hand.

If you’re interested in running your own business, a food delivery franchise could be a profitable option 

Hopefully, this article has inspired you. No, you can’t start a Just Eat franchise - but that doesn’t mean there aren’t many amazing franchise opportunities available to you in the takeaway and delivery sector. Stay on Point Franchise to continue your research in this area, discovering how to choose the right food takeaway franchise for you, exploring the five biggest advantages of running a takeaway franchise and checking out four tips for running a food takeaway franchise.