Knowledge
What we have learned, written down.
We build the software local businesses run on, so we see what actually works and what actually costs. 30 pieces, free to read, no email asked for. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
Most recently checked
Updated 10 September 2026 Commission-free online ordering system for restaurants Commission free means the ordering provider takes no percentage of your sales. It does not mean free. These are the fees that remain, with the maths to compare offers.
Updated 10 September 2026 Google Ads for restaurants and takeaways How Google Ads works for a local restaurant: which campaign type to use, how to set the radius and budget, what a click is worth, and how to track real orders.
Updated 10 September 2026 Google reviews for restaurants and takeaways How to get more genuine Google reviews, what to write back to every star rating, how to report fake reviews, and the rules that apply in Ireland and the UK.
What the apps cost you
Published rates, what the rate pages leave out, and how to work out what you really pay from your own invoices.
- Deliveroo commission rate, Just Eat and Uber Eats fees for restaurants Published fees for each app in Ireland and the UK, what the rate pages leave out, how VAT applies to commission, and how to work out what you really pay from your invoices.
- Commission-free online ordering system for restaurants Commission free means the ordering provider takes no percentage of your sales. It does not mean free. These are the fees that remain, with the maths to compare offers.
- Card machines for restaurants in Ireland and the UK What card machines cost restaurants in Ireland and the UK on published prices, how the fees, contracts and payouts work, and what to check before you sign. Eclyde does not process cards.
- How to increase average order value in a restaurant or takeaway Practical ways to raise what each customer spends in the shop, on the phone and online, with the margin maths that shows which tactics make money and which only make the number bigger.
Being found, and being ordered from
How people look for a local business, and what makes them order from you instead of from an app.
- Restaurant SEO for independent restaurants and takeaways How Google chooses which restaurants to show in Maps and search, and the work that moves you up: Business Profile, reviews, website, listings and tracking.
- How to get more direct orders for your restaurant or takeaway A practical plan to turn app customers and walk-ins into direct, repeat orders, inside the rules Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats set for their restaurant partners.
- Google reviews for restaurants and takeaways How to get more genuine Google reviews, what to write back to every star rating, how to report fake reviews, and the rules that apply in Ireland and the UK.
- Google Ads for restaurants and takeaways How Google Ads works for a local restaurant: which campaign type to use, how to set the radius and budget, what a click is worth, and how to track real orders.
- Online ordering system for restaurants and takeaways What a direct ordering system should do for an independent restaurant or takeaway, what it costs in Ireland and the UK once card fees are counted, and how to choose one.
- Restaurant website builder for independent restaurants The pages a restaurant or takeaway website needs, how builders, agencies and restaurant platforms compare, what a site costs in Ireland and the UK, and the checks to run before launch.
- Restaurant booking system for independent restaurants Where bookings come from, what each one costs, how deposits and no-show fees work under Irish and UK consumer law, and how to set up online table booking properly.
Keeping the customers you win
The difference between a business with a thousand strangers and a business with two hundred regulars.
- Restaurant loyalty programme for independent restaurants How points, stamps, tiers and referral rewards work, what a programme costs to run, and the maths that shows whether it is paying for itself.
- Restaurant loyalty programme ideas for independents Thirty ideas you can run this month, grouped by type of restaurant, each with how it works, an example and what it costs you at food cost.
- Restaurant marketing software for independent restaurants Email, SMS, push notifications, review requests and Google Ads for independent restaurants. What each channel costs, what Irish and UK law allows, and how to measure the return.
- Restaurant marketing ideas for independent restaurants and takeaways 42 practical ideas sorted by the job they do: new customers, repeat orders, quiet days and bigger orders. Each one comes with a cost, an effort level and a way to measure it.
- Restaurant CRM for independent restaurants and takeaways A customer database you own, with order history and marketing permission recorded properly. What to collect, how to segment it, and the email and SMS rules in Ireland and the UK.
- Restaurant gift vouchers for independent restaurants How to sell gift vouchers online, what they cost, how the VAT works in Ireland and the UK, and the expiry and balance rules your voucher terms must follow.
Behind the counter
Tills, printers, kitchens and the practical business of getting an order out the door.
- Restaurant POS system for independent restaurants What a till has to do in an independent restaurant or takeaway, what it costs in Ireland and the UK, and how to pick one without signing the wrong contract.
- Takeaway EPOS system for independent takeaways What a till has to handle in a takeaway that runs on phone calls, collection times and drivers, what it costs in Ireland and the UK, and how to test one before a Friday night.
- Kitchen display system for independent restaurants and takeaways A kitchen display system puts every order on a screen at the right station, with a timer on each ticket. What it costs, what to buy, and when paper still wins.
- Offline POS system: running your restaurant when the internet goes down What stops working in a restaurant when the broadband drops, how offline modes really differ, and the plan and tests that keep orders moving during an outage.
- Restaurant POS hardware for independent restaurants The tablets, terminals, printers and network an independent restaurant or takeaway actually needs, what they cost, and how to set them up so tickets print on a Saturday night.
- Restaurant menu management for independent restaurants One menu, kept right on your till, your website and every delivery app. How to structure it, price it per channel, record allergens under Irish and UK rules, and change it without mistakes.
- Restaurant staff management software for rotas, shifts and clock-in How to build a restaurant rota, keep labour cost in line with sales, record hours the way Irish and UK law expects, and choose software your staff will actually open.
- Restaurant delivery management software for own drivers and couriers Own drivers, marketplace couriers or on-demand couriers. What each delivery really costs, how to dispatch on a busy night, and the employment and insurance rules for drivers in Ireland and the UK.
Running the whole thing
Starting up, keeping track, and knowing which week was good and why.
- How to start a takeaway business in Ireland and the UK The steps, in order, to open a takeaway in Ireland or the UK: premises and planning, registration, food safety, allergens, licences, tax, example budgets and the first 90 days of sales.
- Restaurant management software: all-in-one or separate tools Which jobs your software has to cover, what one system and a stack of separate tools really cost over three years, and how to switch without losing a Friday.
- Restaurant management app: run the restaurant from your phone The numbers to check on your phone each day and each week, the alerts and remote controls worth having, and how to run one site or several without standing at the till.
- Restaurant analytics software for independent restaurants The numbers an owner should check each day, week and month, how to calculate them with worked examples, and what analytics software should show without a spreadsheet.
- Restaurant growth platform for independent restaurants One system that gets you found, turns those customers into direct orders, keeps the customer record in your hands, brings people back and runs the kitchen on the same data.
Ask us anything that is not here.
Send us the question and a person answers, or write to hello@eclyde.com directly. We reply whether or not you ever become a customer.