Selling food online in Ireland.

Taking an order through your own site rather than in person means consumer distance selling rules apply. Most restaurants set up ordering as a technical project and never look at the information obligations, which is why the same gaps appear on site after site.

Irish consumer legislation requires a trader to provide a telephone number as part of the contact information for distance contracts. A contact form and an email address alone is a common setup and it does not meet this. If you take orders online, publish a phone number.

All charges, including delivery and any service fee, must be clear before the customer commits. Beyond the legal point this is also the single biggest cause of checkout abandonment, so the compliant version and the commercially better version are the same thing.

The standard right to cancel a distance contract generally does not apply to perishable goods, which covers most prepared food. That does not remove your obligations where an order is wrong, late or not as described, which fall under general consumer rights and your own complaints handling.

This is an outline of the areas restaurants most often miss, not a complete statement of consumer law. Requirements can change and specifics depend on how you trade. Check current guidance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and take advice where it matters.