Strategy
Curry House Ordering App: 2026 UK Guide for Independent Restaurants
Independent UK curry houses are one of the most loyal-customer-driven food categories in the country. Most have decades of repeat business, family recipes that customers will not find anywhere else, and tickets that average around £35. This guide is for the owner deciding whether running their own ordering app is worth the change, and if so, how to do it without disrupting the orders that pay the rent.
Why curry houses are an unusually strong fit
A typical UK curry house has structural advantages that generic restaurant operators do not.
- High average ticket. £30 to £45 per order is normal, often a family meal or weekend treat. 25% commission on a £40 order is £10 lost per order, every time.
- Loyal repeat customers. Most curry houses run on 70%+ repeat business. Once a customer is on your app, you keep them on your app.
- Trusted brand within the local community. Customers know your name, your chef, your family. Asking them to install your app is a small step, not a leap.
- Friday and Saturday concentration. 50%+ of weekly orders fall in two evenings. App pre-ordering takes load off the phone during the rush.
The maths on a £40 curry order
A £40 order with full sides on Uber Eats at 30% commission means £12 walks out the door. After food cost (around 28% on Indian food, much of it spices and lentils), VAT if applicable, and packaging, the take-home on that order is often £8 to £10. Half of what you would keep on your own app.
| Channel | Take per £40 order | Lost vs own app |
|---|---|---|
| Uber Eats (30%) | £28.00 | £10.60 less |
| Deliveroo (30%) | £28.00 | £10.60 less |
| Just Eat marketplace (16%) | £32.50 | £6.10 less |
| Your own Aexir app | £38.60 | baseline |
A curry house doing 30 orders per day at £40 average loses £4,000 per month to Uber Eats vs the same volume on its own app. That covers Aexir for over 10 years in a single month.
What curry house customers want from the app
- Heat-level customisation. Mild, medium, hot, extra hot per dish. Not as a free-text note but as a real option that flows to the kitchen.
- Family pack pre-builds. "Family of 4" template that pre-fills 2 curries, rice, naan, sides. Drives ticket size up and decision time down.
- Set menu builder. Pick 2 starters, 4 mains, 4 rice/naan, 2 desserts. Standard Indian set menu logic that Just Eat handles poorly.
- Sunday meal deal. Most curry houses have a Sunday family deal. The app should default to showing it on Sundays.
- Pre-order for the weekend. Customers should be able to order a Friday night family meal on Thursday afternoon, with a delivery time slot.
Switching strategy for an established curry house
The biggest risk for an established curry house is losing the Just Eat orders that have been the bread and butter for years. The strategy is gradual, not abrupt.
- Month 1: Build and launch the Aexir app. Do not change Just Eat or Uber Eats. Get the app stable and tested by family / staff.
- Month 2: Push to existing customers. Print QR-code flyers, drop them in every order (delivery and collection). Offer 10% off first app order, plus a free naan.
- Month 3: Add a loyalty programme. "1 stamp per order, 10 stamps = £15 off". Curry customers respond strongly to loyalty.
- Month 4 to 6: Track which customers are now on the app vs still on Just Eat. Most repeat orders should be on your app by month 6. Just Eat becomes new-customer discovery only.
- Month 6 onwards: Consider whether Just Eat is still pulling its weight. Some curry houses drop it; others keep it as paid acquisition.
The family-run angle: a brand asset listing platforms cannot replicate
Many of the best UK curry houses are family businesses with generations of regulars. The app is a chance to put that family identity front and centre, where listing platforms reduce you to a name and a star rating.
- Show the family on the about screen. Customers want to know who is cooking their food.
- Story behind a signature dish. "Our family chicken jalfrezi recipe, three generations old." That sells.
- Festival specials. Eid, Diwali, Pohela Boishakh. Special menus tied to community calendars. Listing platforms do not let you do this elegantly.
- Reviews tied to your customers, not anonymous Just Eat ratings. Curated, real testimonials on your own app build trust faster.
Your curry house deserves its own ordering app.
Aexir builds branded curry house apps in 30 days. £399 setup, £31/month. Keep every penny of every order.
See the curry house setupCommon questions answered.
Yes, for most established UK curry houses. With average tickets at £30 to £45 and 70%+ repeat customers, the commission savings vs listing platforms cover the Aexir £31 per month subscription on the first 1 to 2 orders of the month. Everything after that is straight margin recovery.
Yes. Most Aexir curry house clients stay on Just Eat indefinitely for new-customer discovery while running their own app for repeat orders. The two channels are complementary, not competing.
Print QR code flyers and put one in every order: delivery, collection, dine-in. Offer 10% off the first app order plus a free naan or pakora. Add a loyalty stamp programme. Most curry house regulars install within 60 days.
Yes, when there is a reason. Loyalty rewards drive most installs, exclusive set menus help, and the family-run brand identity creates trust that listing platforms do not. Aexir curry house clients average 30% to 50% of regulars installing within 90 days.
Roughly 30 days end to end with Aexir. Week 1: menu and payments. Week 2: design and content. Week 3: Apple and Google submission. Week 4: launch with a customer-facing promotion.
Build your own restaurant app.
Aexir launches branded ordering apps for UK restaurants in under 30 days. Zero commission. From £1/day.