How to Design a Restaurant for Delivery and Takeout

Takeout and delivery design comes down to five setups: a large front counter, a separate delivery entrance, a takeout window, open pickup shelving, or a commissary kitchen. Which one fits depends on your size, your order volume, and whether delivery is a side stream or the main business.

Since 2014, takeout and delivery orders have grown 300% faster than dine-in, with SkipTheDishes, Uber Eats, and DoorDash driving much of that shift. In 2020 those numbers climbed further during lockdowns.

This guide covers why delivery design matters, the challenges and advantages, five ways to set up your space, and three real examples from our own projects.

Why Designing Your Restaurant For Delivery is Important

A dedicated delivery space keeps pickup orders from disrupting your dining room while making sure food goes out hot and correct. Restaurants are no longer a single experience, and stacking takeout bags by the door no longer works.

A dedicated delivery space is a permanent and modular spot where drivers and customers collect orders. Making it modular means it adapts as your business changes, through adjustable shelving or takeout consoles on wheels.

With a proper system, food does not sit cold, orders do not get mixed up, and you can absorb a larger influx of takeaway customers.

It improves the dine-in experience too. Drivers collect orders quickly without cutting through the room. Nobody enjoys a delivery courier zipping past their table mid-meal.

What are the Challenges of Designing a Restaurant for Delivery?

Three challenges come up most: choosing between multiple delivery platforms, hiring staff to manage the operation, and handling demand from two customer streams at once.

Multiple delivery options. Every platform needs its own setup. Some restaurants run multiple printers for multiple apps. Others stick to one. More apps means more exposure and a bigger upfront cost.

Additional staff. Dine-in staff could once absorb takeout orders as they came. With takeout as a major revenue branch, you need dedicated people accepting orders, fulfilling them, and handling quality control.

Managing demand. It can feel like running two businesses at once. You need systems for both crowds, plus staff training on delivery software, mix-up procedures, and peak period handling.

What are the Advantages of Designing a Restaurant for Delivery?

Dedicated delivery design brings more exposure through the apps, a better experience for dine-in guests, and a business model that keeps operating when dining rooms cannot.

More exposure. Delivery apps put your restaurant in front of thousands of local people who may never have heard of you.

Better dining experience. Designated zones mean dine-in guests eat undisturbed while drivers collect and go.

Resilient business model. If sit-down service closes, delivery still runs. That resilience holds up whatever the rules do.

5 Ways to Set Up Your Restaurant For Delivery and Takeout

The five setups are a large front counter, a separate delivery entrance, a takeout window, open pickup shelving, and a commissary kitchen. Each suits a different size and service model.

Large Front Counter

Common in grab-and-go. The main prep space doubles as the takeaway counter, serving dine-in and to-go together. Ideal for cafés and chains already handling high takeout volume. No separate staff needed, since orders are prepared together and placed in a delivery section along the counter.

Here’s an example of large front counter at Hale Coffee

Separate Delivery Entrance

Suits large sit-down restaurants. Drivers use a different entrance from diners, letting the business run on two levels. Common in Toronto restaurants like Chef On Call and Pizza Libretto.

This is Coni & Co separate delivery hallway.

Takeout Window

Best for smaller restaurants, cafés, and sandwich shops. A front-facing window that opens to serve the street, much like a drive-thru. Often needs little structural change, though it does need dedicated staff.

This is an example of a takeout window at Starter Lab.

Open Pickup Shelving

Good for smaller restaurants with high takeout volume. Modular shelving where order numbers are visible and customers self-serve. No dedicated staff needed per order.

Here’s an example of an open shelving unit at Sweetgreen.

Commissary or Ghost Kitchens

For operations where delivery is the primary revenue stream. Separate rented commercial kitchens used exclusively for takeaway. Suits food trucks, pop-up chefs, virtual restaurants, and brands expanding delivery into new regions.

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3 Examples of Real Takeaway and Delivery Designs

Three of our own projects show how these setups work in practice, across very different service models. At Sansa Interiors, we've been right there as the restaurant industry continues to adapt and evolve. More and more of our clients come to us looking to design their restaurants for takeaway. 

Mean Bao

A fully takeout model, needing a design built entirely around the on-the-go crowd. We blended a takeout window with a large front counter to streamline the process.

Chef On Call

High-end convenience and delivery dispatch. We combined a separate hallway and delivery space with a large front counter for walk-in orders, serving both the delivery business and casual dine-in.

Hale Coffee

A kiosk needing a design that fit a small footprint while serving busy shoppers. The large front counter setup wove takeout seamlessly into main operations.

As the trends and industry shift towards delivery services, there's a huge opportunity for restaurants to adapt now and start making takeaway a bigger priority. 

Article by Jude Kamal, Founder and Registered Interior Designer of Sansa Interiors.

Planning Delivery Into Your Restaurant Design?

Delivery works best when it is designed in rather than added later. Sansa Interiors designs restaurants and cafés across Toronto, Etobicoke, Mississauga, and the rest of the Greater Toronto Area.