Everything about Take-away totally explained
Take-out (in
North American English),
carry-out (in
U.S. and
Scottish English),
(External Link
) parcel (in
Indian English),
take-away (in
Australian and
British English), or
tapau (in
Malaysian English and
Singlish), is
food purchased at a
restaurant but eaten elsewhere. The restaurant may or may not provide
table service. In the United States and
Canada, food ordered this way (especially in fast food) is ordered
to go, and in the
United Kingdom it's sometimes ordered
to eat out, as opposed to
eating in.
Take-out food is often
fast food, but not always so. Whereas fast food carries the connotation of a standardized product from a globalized chain or franchise, take-away outlets are often small businesses serving traditional food, which can be of high quality. Examples include the neighbourhood
fish and chip shops in the
UK,
Australia or
New Zealand; the
sandwiches sold by
delis in the
U.S.; and the wide range of
sausage-based snacks (and increasingly
kebabs) sold from
stalls in
German cities.
Food that's delivered by a restaurant to a customer (often called
delivery) is also sometimes called take-out; although it might be more properly labeled bring-in, it never is. The establishment that sells take-out exclusively (not providing table service) is called a take-out restaurant, take-out joint or a take-away.
There is no clear line between
street food and take-out.
Crêpe stands in France, for example, may be as permanently situated as a kiosk or newsstand, and some take-out windows (coffee and ice cream for example) clearly expect that the purchaser will begin consuming the food immediately on the street. In general, there's an expectation for take-out (as opposed to street food) that the consumer will have to sit and lay out the food packages for consumption.
Certain types of food that are normally served in
sit-down restaurants are commonly available as take-out.
Pizza is one example. While certain pizzeria chains specialize in take-out (or delivery) to such an extent that they actually have no facilities for dining on-site (just a kitchen), most have tables and waitstaff. Even these establishments, however, offer the option of ordering by phone (or, increasingly, by Internet) and taking the food home (or to whatever other location is desired). In such circumstances, the food and the procedure is commonly called carry-out. Another
U.S. classic take-out food is
Western-styled Chinese food. Ordering Chinese take-out has reached near ritual status in certain segments of the US population, as well as the
United Kingdom, especially
college students. In the past few decades as immigrants from more and more Asian countries emigrate to the US, more and more types of cuisine are being treated in a similar manner:
Japanese,
Thai,
Korean,
Vietnamese, etc. In the UK,
Indian food is also a popular form of take-away as well as
Kebabs from the Middle East.
Some businesses have taken a cue from the ever increasing popularity in take-out, and have created franchises to deliver food from restaurants not normally associated with take-out or delivery. In some areas it's also possible to place orders for take-out over the Internet.
If it's possible to choose, the choice is between "to take out"/"to take away" and "to eat in" in the UK and Australia; or "to go" and "for here"/"to stay"/"dine in" in the USA. Most of these terms are used interchangeably in Canada.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Take-away'.
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