How to start a food delivery business from home in the Philippines (2026)

To start a food delivery business from home in the Philippines: register the business name with the DTI, get your barangay clearance and mayor's permit, register with the BIR, price your menu from real ingredient costs, set up a simple ordering page with GCash or QR Ph payment, and decide how you'll deliver. Start small, with a short menu and fixed order cut-offs, and grow from regulars.

Step 1: Pick a menu you can make well, every time

• Start with 3 to 8 items you can cook consistently and that travel well.
• Choose dishes that can be prepped ahead, so a rush of orders doesn't break your kitchen.
• Test packaging: does it arrive hot, intact and not soggy after 30 minutes?

Step 2: Permits and registration to ask about

1. 1DTI business name registration (for a sole proprietor), done online.
2. 2Barangay clearance from your barangay hall.
3. 3Mayor's or business permit from your city or municipality, which may require a sanitary permit and health certificates for food handlers.
4. 4BIR registration so you can issue invoices and file returns. See BIR rules for POS systems.
5. 5FDA: if you sell packaged or processed food (bottled sauces, baked goods for resale), check with the FDA whether you need a License to Operate or product registration.

Step 3: Price for profit, not just to sell out

List every ingredient in a dish with its cost, add packaging, then aim for food cost around 30 to 35 percent of your selling price. Don't forget gas, electricity, delivery and your own time. Our food cost guide walks through the maths.

Step 4: Take orders without drowning in messages

• Use an ordering page or online shop instead of taking every order in chat. Customers pick items, quantity, pickup or delivery and time.
• Set order cut-offs (for example, orders by 10am for lunch) so you can prep.
• Keep a customer list: name, number, favourite order. Regulars are your whole business at the start.

Step 5: Get paid before you cook

Ask for payment when the order is placed, especially for big orders. Use a business account, not your personal GCash, and avoid relying on screenshots: payments that are matched to the order automatically save you checking every transfer by hand. Read how to accept QR Ph payments.

Step 6: Decide how you'll deliver

• Pickup: cheapest; great for neighbours and offices nearby.
• Booked couriers: pay per trip, good for occasional far orders.
• Your own rider: a family member or part-timer on set delivery windows, once orders cluster nearby. See commission-free delivery with your own riders.
• Delivery apps: more reach, but a large share of each order goes to the app. Good for discovery, expensive as your main channel.

Where Wemu fits

Wemu gives you a free online shop for orders with pickup times, delivery areas and fees, and in the Philippines customers can pay by QR Ph, GCash, ShopeePay or card through HitPay, so the order is marked paid without screenshots. When you add a rider, they deliver from the Wemu Team app and customers see who's coming. Recipes count your ingredients down as you sell, and the POS works on your phone when you start doing pop-ups.

Keep reading

• How to start a milk tea business in the Philippines
• GCash for small business: the setup guide
• 13th month pay computation, when you hire

Frequently asked questions