Decide what you want before opening the app
Is it a particular dish, a night off cooking or food to share? Start there. Ordering while browsing every offer can turn one meal into several. Check the delivery fee and minimum spend as well as the menu price; adding food you do not want to qualify for an offer may cost more.
Useful changes by type of meal
- Pizza: choose the pizza you want, then decide whether you actually need extra sides. Share a larger pizza if that fits the group; keep leftovers safely rather than feeling obliged to finish it.
- Indian: compare grilled options, vegetable dishes and your favourite curry. Order rice and bread for the people eating rather than automatically adding both to every meal.
- Chinese: consider a vegetable side and a main you enjoy. Ask for sauces separately if available. Dish names alone cannot tell you their calories or salt content.
- Fish and chips or burgers: choose the size you want before the meal deal chooses it for you. Add a drink because you want one, rather than because it is the default.
Use information where it exists
Compare published nutrition information when a restaurant provides it, but do not invent a precise calorie count from a photograph. An allergy is a separate safety issue: contact the restaurant about ingredients and cross-contamination, even if you have ordered the dish before. A menu marked healthy does not establish that it is safe for your allergy.
Keep it an ordinary part of the week
A takeaway does not require compensation the next morning. If cost or frequency is becoming a problem, choose one practical change: keep an easy freezer dinner available, agree a takeaway night, or stop ordering extra food just to meet a discount. Keep the change specific enough that you can tell whether it helped.