Founding and development

Takeaway.com was created by Jitse Groen in 2000 after he had a difficult time ordering food online from local restaurants. Initially, Groen wanted to deliver all kinds of consumer goods; however, he noticed that food deliveries were subject to the most demand, and decided to make this the company's primary focus.^[9][10][11]

In 2002, co-founder Ruben Eilander left Takeaway because the business was growing too slowly. According to Groen, in these early years, he was relying on his student loans to keep himself financially afloat. Thanks to broadband internet becoming mainstream around 2003, the business started growing, and Groen left his studies to focus on the company.^[9][10]

The company benefited from an investment of €13 million (US$16.7 million) from Prime Ventures—a venture capital and growth equity firm—in 2012.^[12] It began accepting Bitcoin in November 2013^[13][14] and benefited from another investment of €74 million (US$98.31 million) in a series B-round led by Macquarie Capital and Prime Ventures in 2014.^[15] It also launched a new logo in all of the countries where it operated.^[16] It then raised €328 million (US$363.06 million) from an IPO, valuing the company at €993 million (US$1.1 billion), in 2016.^[17] In August that year, it stopped doing business in the UK, selling its customer portfolio to rival Just Eat.^[18]

On 23 October 2013, Takeaway.com announced the acquisition of Vietnammm.com, then one of Vietnam’s online food-ordering platforms founded in 2011 with service in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.^[19][20]

In 2017, in Belgium, local provider, Pizza.be, was rebranded Takeaway.com.^[21] In 2018, the company increased the commission it charged for using the platform from 12% to 13%.^[22] In the same year, Takeaway.com acquired Israeli food delivery company 10bis (Hebrew: תן ביס) for €135 million (US$149.43 million),^[23] as well as local Bulgarian startup BGmenu.com, including its Romanian subsidiary Oliviera.ro;^[24] and in 2019 it acquired Lieferheld, Pizza.de, and Foodora from Delivery Hero in Germany.^[25]

Takeaway.com agreed on 1 February 2019 to sell its interest in Takeaway.com Asia (Vietnammm.com) to Woowa Brothers,^[26] with completion on 15 February 2019.^[27]

In July 2019, Takeaway.com announced proposals to take over Just Eat.^[28] In January 2020, 80.4% of Just Eat shareholders approved Takeaway.com's acquisition deal.^[29] Although Just Eat became a subsidiary of Takeaway.com on 3 February 2020, the British Competition and Markets Authority ordered on the following day that no integration should take place and that the brands should be kept separate until their investigation is completed.^[30] On 23 April 2020, the Competition and Markets Authority announced that it was unconditionally approving Just Eat's merger with Takeaway.com.^[31]

In June 2020, the company announced that it would acquire, in an all-stock transaction, US-based Grubhub—valuing the deal at $7.3 billion.^[32]

The company was reported to be in talks with Prosus to sell its 33% stake, inherited from Just Eat, in Brazilian food delivery company iFood, which operated in Brazil and Colombia, in July 2020.^[33][34] It completed the sale of its stake in iFood to Prosus for €1.8 billion in August 2022.^[35][36][11]

The firm became the sponsors of the UEFA men's club and women's competitions on 22 March 2021, after being awarded the first-ever sponsorship contract for the UEFA Euro 2020.^[37]

In July 2021, the company announced it would acquire Slovak market leader Bistro.sk; the acquisition was completed in October.^[38][39] The company withdrew from operations in Norway and Portugal in April 2022,^[40][41][42] and discontinued its operations in Romania in June 2022.^[43][44]

In April 2022, following investor pressure, the company announced it was considering a full or partial sale of Grubhub.^[45][46][47] It confirmed the sale of Grubhub to restaurant chain Wonder Group Inc for $650m in November 2024.^[48]

2024–present: Sale of Grubhub and acquisition by Prosus

In November 2024, the company announced it would delist its shares from the London Stock Exchange, citing low liquidity and the administrative burden, leaving Euronext Amsterdam as its sole trading venue prior to its acquisition.^[49] In the same month, the company confirmed the sale of its US subsidiary Grubhub to Wonder Group Inc. for $650 million, accepting a significant loss compared to the $7.3 billion acquisition price in 2021.^[50]

In February 2025, the investment group Prosus announced a bid to acquire Just Eat Takeaway for €4.1 billion. Prosus, which already held stakes in contemporaries like Delivery Hero and Swiggy, stated the move was to consolidate its position in the food delivery sector. The transaction was completed in October 2025, ending Just Eat Takeaway's time as an independent public company.^[51]

Following the takeover, the company announced a major leadership transition. Founder Jitse Groen, who had led the company since its inception in 2000, announced he would step down as CEO effective 1 January 2026. He is to be succeeded by Roberto Gandolfo, a former executive at iFood and Prosus Europe. Additionally, Prosus CEO Fabricio Bloisi was appointed as the new chair of the supervisory board.^[52]

In August 2026, the company announced its intention to cease operations in Bulgaria, with effect from 15 September 2026.^[53]