Restaurant Takeout Email template

Takeout and delivery are easy to forget about until a guest is hungry and deciding where to order. This template reminds your list that you offer both, shows when they can order, and sends them to one ordering button.

Goal: Drive direct online orders for pickup or delivery.
When: Send it a few hours before dinner, or midweek when guests are planning the weekend. Skip the minutes just before your own rush.
Tones: Warm, playful, polished
Includes: HTML, plain text, SMS

Juniper & Salt · Inbox

Dinner, delivered or ready to pick up · Our kitchen, at your door or ready to pick up. Order in a few taps.

Customize with your details

Preview uses a fictional restaurant, Juniper & Salt. Every detail is yours to change.

Restaurant Takeout Email subject lines

Warm

Dinner, delivered or ready to pick up
Skip the cooking tonight
Order from [Restaurant name], pickup or delivery

Preheader: Our kitchen, at your door or ready to pick up. Order in a few taps.

Playful

Stay on the couch. We'll handle dinner.
Dinner is a few taps away
Takeout from [Restaurant name], no cooking required

Preheader: Order online for pickup or delivery. Sweatpants welcome.

Polished

[Restaurant name] for takeout and delivery
Enjoy [Restaurant name] in the comfort of home
Our menu is ready for your table

Preheader: Our menu, prepared with the same care and ready for your table at home.

The takeout and delivery email copy

Words in braces are placeholders. The generator fills them in, and drops any line whose detail you leave blank. “Copy text” gives you [bracketed] placeholders to replace by hand.

Warm version

Let us do the cooking tonight

Hi {first_name}, some nights are made for staying in. When tonight is one of them, {restaurant} can come to you. Order online for pickup, or have it delivered.

Our takeout and delivery hours: {hours}

As a thank-you for ordering with us directly, enjoy {offer}.

{offer_terms}

Playful version

Dinner, minus the dishes

Hey {first_name}! Cooking tonight? We'd rather you didn't. {restaurant} is open for pickup and delivery, and ordering is just a few taps.

Order hours: {hours}

The sweetener: {offer}.

The small print: {offer_terms}

Polished version

Enjoy our kitchen at home

Dear {first_name}, {restaurant} is pleased to offer takeout and delivery. Each order is prepared in our kitchen and packed with care.

Orders are accepted {hours}

For orders placed directly with us, please accept {offer}.

Conditions: {offer_terms}

Details you can add: Hours, Offer, Offer terms.

Tips for your takeout and delivery email

Link the button straight to your online ordering page, not your homepage. Every extra click costs you orders.
Say clearly whether you offer pickup, delivery or both, plus your delivery area and any minimum order.
If you also use a third-party delivery app, be honest that menu, prices and fees may differ there. Guests notice.
Offer one small, specific reason to order direct, like a free side or free delivery above a set amount, and put the terms in the email.
Only mention how long an order takes if you can reliably keep that promise.
Send before the dinner rush, not during it, so the kitchen is not overwhelmed by your own email.

Mistakes to avoid

Sending guests to a third-party app without telling them prices may be different there.
Forgetting to say when you take orders. A guest who finds ordering closed is likely to order somewhere else.
Offering a discount that loses money once packaging and delivery fees are counted. Do the math first.

Matching SMS

{restaurant}: Dinner tonight? Order pickup or delivery online: {cta_url} Reply STOP to opt out.

Text messages need their own, explicit opt-in. An email subscription does not cover SMS.

FAQ

Restaurant Takeout Email questions

How do I promote online ordering by email?

Send one clear button to your ordering page, say whether you offer pickup, delivery or both, list your ordering hours and, if you can, add a small reason to order direct such as a free side.

Should I tell guests to order direct instead of through delivery apps?

You can say that ordering direct is a good way to support your restaurant, but be honest about differences in menu, prices, delivery area and fees. Avoid criticizing the apps by name.

How often can I send takeout promotions?

Once or twice a month is enough for most restaurants. Watch your opens and unsubscribes. If guests stop opening, send fewer.

What should a takeout email include?

A button to the ordering page, pickup and delivery details, your ordering hours, any offer with its terms, and your postal address and unsubscribe link in the footer.

New menu announcement

Introduce a new menu with a launch date, one hero dish and a short list of what's changing.

Weekly specials email

Share this week's specials with one featured dish, a short list and an end date.

Monthly newsletter

A short monthly roundup of one event, one featured dish and what's on the menu.

Part of our free kit for email marketing for restaurants.