Last Updated on November 4, 2026
Domino’s scores highest of the ten UK pub, café and takeaway brands compared, at 5.6 out of 10 on the Whito leaderboard.
Opinion and analysis. Whito read every brand below by hand on 22 October 2026, using publicly visible activity only, against fixed anchors and the same ten UK searches. Each channel is scored 0 to 10, set out under How we scored, so a score describes what we could see on the day, not the quality of the food or drink. Brands cannot pay to appear or to change a score. Where a figure is not published, we say so.
Food and drink brands are famous, so it is easy to assume their marketing is strong everywhere. On our fixed anchors it is not. Every brand here scores 3 or less on reviews, and none of the ten appeared in any of 10 UK searches.
Domino’s scores 5.6, ahead of Costa Coffee on 5.3 and GAIL’s on 4.7. Domino’s lets you order online, runs about 5,000 Google ads and 74 Meta ads, and has an app. The brands that took search were delivery platforms, news sites and guides, not the chains.
JD Wetherspoon scores lowest at 3.3. It links no social profiles, no Google or Meta ads were found, and its Trustpilot profile shows 2.1 from 2,518 reviews.
What can your business learn?
Who’s leading? Domino’s, with 5.6 out of 10 across seven channels.
Why are they leading? Its highest-scoring channels are Website (10/10) and Paid (10/10).
Where’s the opportunity? SEO is the weakest channel on this board. The ten brands average 2.0 out of 10 on it, and 10 of them score 3 or less.
What can you copy? Three of the lessons further down this page:
- Get on the platforms that rank
- Reply to reviews wherever they land
- Let people order online
Read all four lessons · Scores measure visible marketing, not sales, profit or market share.
The leaderboard
| Rank | Brand | Social | Website | SEO | Paid | Reviews | Brand | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domino’s | 6 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5.6 |
| 2 | Costa Coffee | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 5.3 |
| 3 | Gail’s | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4.7 |
| 4 | Greene King | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4.3 |
| 4 | Pret A Manger | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4.3 |
| 6 | Caffè Nero | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4.1 |
| 6 | Papa’s Fish and Chips | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.1 |
| 8 | Black Sheep Coffee | 2 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3.9 |
| 9 | German Doner Kebab | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3.7 |
| 10 | JD Wetherspoon | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
Average is the simple mean of the seven channel scores, rounded to one decimal place. Brands on the same average share a rank and are listed A to Z. All ten brands read 22 October 2026. Meta Ad Library counts were read on 23 October 2026, after the library was unavailable on 22 October.
Company verdicts
Domino’s, 5.6
Domino’s scores 5.6, the highest of the ten. Its website scores 10 for online ordering, email 6 for its app and login, and social 6 for five platforms. Paid scores 10 on about 5,000 Google ads, the most on the board by far, and 74 Meta ads. Reviews score 3: its Trustpilot profile shows 1.8 from 6,465 reviews with no replies. dominos.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Costa Coffee, 5.3
Costa Coffee scores 5.3, second on the board. Email scores 7 for its Costa Club rewards scheme, the highest here, and its website 7 for prices on the homepage. Social scores 6 for five platforms. Paid scores 8 on 3 Google ads and 33 Meta ads. Reviews score 3, from 2.5 on 3,943 Trustpilot reviews with no replies, and costa.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Gail’s, 4.7
GAIL’s scores 4.7, third on the board. Its website scores 10 for online ordering with prices, for click and collect and London delivery, and email 6 for a newsletter, loyalty scheme and login. Social scores 4, with Instagram and TikTok linked. No Google ads were found for gails.com (or the old gailsbread.co.uk) and its page ran 1 Meta ad, so paid scores 4, and its Trustpilot profile shows 2.4 from 1,052 reviews with no replies, so reviews score 3. It appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Greene King, 4.3
Greene King scores 4.3, level fourth with Pret A Manger. Paid scores 10 on about 600 Google ads and at least 15 Meta ads from its Greene King Pubs page, and social 6 for four platforms. Its website scores 6 for a pub finder with booking. Email scores 0, and reviews 2, from 2.7 on 838 Trustpilot reviews with no replies. greeneking.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Pret A Manger, 4.3
Pret A Manger scores 4.3, level fourth with Greene King. Email scores 6 for its Club Pret subscription, and its website 7 for online ordering. No Google ads were found for pret.co.uk, but its page ran at least 15 Meta ads, so paid scores 6. The Trustpilot profile at pret.co.uk is titled ‘Pret A Manger USA’ and shows 2.4 from 95 reviews, so reviews score 1. pret.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Caffè Nero, 4.1
Caffè Nero scores 4.1, level sixth with Papa’s Fish and Chips. Email scores 6 for its app and loyalty scheme, and its website 6 for menus and a shop without prices on the homepage. No Google ads were found and its page ran 5 Meta ads, so paid scores 4. Reviews score 3, from 2.5 on 1,043 Trustpilot reviews with no replies, and caffenero.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Papa’s Fish and Chips, 4.1
Papa’s Fish and Chips scores 4.1, level sixth with Caffè Nero. Its website scores 10 for online ordering with prices, and email 6 for a loyalty scheme. Reviews score 1, from 3.2 on 84 Trustpilot reviews with no replies. No Google or Meta ads were found, and papasfishandchips.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
Black Sheep Coffee, 3.9
Black Sheep Coffee scores 3.9. Its website scores 9 for an online coffee shop with prices, and email 6 for a newsletter, rewards and login. Social scores 2, with only Instagram linked. Its Trustpilot profile has just 2 reviews, so reviews score 0, no Google ads and 1 Meta ad were found, so paid scores 4, and it appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
German Doner Kebab, 3.7
German Doner Kebab scores 3.7, ninth on the board. Social scores 6 for four platforms, and its website 7 for an order route and menu without prices. Its Trustpilot profile shows 3.0 from 1,314 reviews with no replies (reviews 3), no Google ads were found for gdk.com and no Meta ads from a GDK UK page, and it appeared in none of 10 UK searches. The old germandoner.com domain is now for sale; the brand trades from gdk.com.
JD Wetherspoon, 3.3
JD Wetherspoon scores 3.3, the lowest of the ten. It links no social profiles and no Google or Meta ads were found, so social scores 0 and paid 2. Email scores 6 for its order-to-table app. Its Trustpilot profile shows 2.1 from 2,518 reviews with no replies, so reviews score 3. jdwetherspoon.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches, though news articles about pub deals named it.
What the channels show
Trustpilot is not where diners review
Every brand here rates 3.4 or below on Trustpilot, and none replies to its latest 20 reviews. Diners leave most reviews on Google and delivery apps, so Trustpilot collects complaints. It still matters, because it is what a search for a brand’s reviews often shows.
Search belongs to platforms and publishers
None of the ten appeared in any of 10 UK searches. ‘Takeaway near me’ went to Just Eat and Uber Eats, the price searches to news sites, and the city café searches to Time Out, OpenTable and local guides.
Ordering online is common
Domino’s, GAIL’s and Papa’s score 10 for online ordering with prices, and Black Sheep Coffee 9 for an online shop. The pub groups and Caffè Nero score 6.
Loyalty schemes carry email
Costa Club, Club Pret, the Wetherspoon app, the Domino’s app and the Caffè Nero app give these brands a way back to the customer. Only Greene King showed no email capture at all.
Key lessons for any pub, café or takeaway
Get on the platforms that rank
Search for food went to delivery apps, OpenTable and local guides. Make sure your listings there are complete and current.
Reply to reviews wherever they land
None of the ten replies to recent Trustpilot reviews. A short reply on Google or Trustpilot shows the next customer that someone reads them.
Let people order online
The brands with online ordering and prices score 9 or 10 on website.
Give regulars a reason to sign up
A simple stamp card in an app or by email does what Costa Club and Club Pret do at scale.
Steal this playbook
Five moves from this leaderboard, ranked by return on effort.
- Complete your listings on the platforms that rank. None of the ten brands appeared in our searches; platforms and guides did.
- Reply to every review. None of the ten replies to its latest 20 Trustpilot reviews.
- Put your menu and prices online. The brands that do score 9 or 10 on website.
- Run a simple loyalty scheme. Costa’s scores 7 on email, the highest here.
- Link your social accounts from your site. JD Wetherspoon links none and scores 0.
The evidence behind the scores
One line per channel, as read on the date shown for each brand. Review figures change daily; these are the numbers on the day we looked.
Domino’s
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 6: Links to Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, five platforms in all.
- Website 10: Online ordering for delivery and collection with deals, priced through the order flow.
- Email 6: The Domino’s app plus a customer login.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned dominos.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain dominos.co.uk: about 5,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Domino’s Pizza page, read 23 October 2026: 74.
- Reviews 3: Trustpilot 1.8 from 6,465 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 2: Same name everywhere; no clear positioning line beyond ‘Order pizza near you’, and no named people found; three recent news mentions not checked.
Costa Coffee
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 6: Links to Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, five platforms in all.
- Website 7: Menus and offers with prices shown (a breakfast deal from £7.74); no online ordering on the homepage.
- Email 7: The Costa Club rewards scheme; no newsletter seen on the homepage.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned costa.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 8: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain costa.co.uk: 3 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Costa Coffee page, read 23 October 2026: 33.
- Reviews 3: Trustpilot 2.5 from 3,943 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘The Nation’s Favourite Coffee Shop’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
Gail’s
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to Instagram and TikTok, two platforms in all, read to the foot of the page.
- Website 10: Online ordering for click and collect and London delivery, with prices shown (items at £4.00 to £5.40).
- Email 6: A newsletter sign-up, a loyalty scheme and a customer login; no app download links seen.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned gails.com in the top ten.
- Paid 4: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain gails.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the GAIL’s page, read 23 October 2026: 1.
- Reviews 3: Trustpilot 2.4 from 1,052 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘We bake fresh, handmade bread, pastries and sandwiches every day’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
Greene King
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 6: Links to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, four platforms in all.
- Website 6: A pub finder with booking and ordering routes; no prices on the homepage.
- Email 0: No newsletter, account or app seen on the homepage.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned greeneking.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain greeneking.co.uk: about 600 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Greene King Pubs page, read 23 October 2026: at least 15 (trade, tenancy and careers pages not counted).
- Reviews 2: Trustpilot 2.7 from 838 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘the country’s leading pub retailer and brewer’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
Pret A Manger
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to Facebook and Instagram, two platforms in all.
- Website 7: Menus, online ordering and delivery routes; no prices on the homepage.
- Email 6: The Club Pret subscription and a sign-up.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned pret.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 6: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain pret.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Pret A Manger page, read 23 October 2026: at least 15.
- Reviews 1: Trustpilot 2.4 from 95 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Freshly made sandwiches, hot food, and great coffee’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
Caffè Nero
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, three platforms in all.
- Website 6: Menus, a shop and seasonal drinks; no prices on the homepage.
- Email 6: The Caffè Nero app and loyalty scheme.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned caffenero.com in the top ten.
- Paid 4: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain caffenero.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Caffè Nero page, read 23 October 2026: 5.
- Reviews 3: Trustpilot 2.5 from 1,043 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Premium award winning Italian coffee, a warm and welcoming atmosphere’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
Papa’s Fish and Chips
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to Facebook, X and Instagram, three platforms in all.
- Website 10: Online ordering for click and collect with prices shown (from £7.99 to £24.99).
- Email 6: A loyalty and rewards scheme; no newsletter seen.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned papasfishandchips.com in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain papasfishandchips.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for Papa’s Fish and Chips.
- Reviews 1: Trustpilot 3.2 from 84 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Britain’s Best Fish and Chips’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
Black Sheep Coffee
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 2: Links to Instagram only.
- Website 9: An online shop with prices (£9.53 and £10.59 shown) and checkout for coffee to buy; café orders are not taken on the homepage.
- Email 6: A newsletter sign-up, a rewards scheme and a customer login.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned blacksheepcoffee.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 4: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain blacksheepcoffee.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Black Sheep Coffee page, read 23 October 2026: 1.
- Reviews 0: Trustpilot 3.4 from 2 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Serving the Finest Specialty Grade Coffee’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
German Doner Kebab
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 6: Links to Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok, four platforms in all.
- Website 7: A menu, an ‘Order now’ route and franchise information; no prices on the homepage.
- Email 2: A newsletter sign-up; no app or loyalty scheme seen on the homepage.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned gdk.com in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain gdk.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads from a GDK UK page (a German Doner Kebab Ireland page is not counted).
- Reviews 3: Trustpilot 3.0 from 1,314 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘The Kebab of the future’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
JD Wetherspoon
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 0: No social media links found on the homepage, read to the foot of the page.
- Website 6: A pub finder, menus, hotels and a description of the Wetherspoon app for ordering to the table; no prices on the homepage.
- Email 6: The Wetherspoon app, which lets customers order food and drink to their table.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned jdwetherspoon.com in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain jdwetherspoon.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for JD Wetherspoon.
- Reviews 3: Trustpilot 2.1 from 2,518 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Award-Winning Pubs & Hotels Across The UK & Ireland’); no named people confirmed; three recent news mentions not checked.
How we scored
Who is on the board. Ten UK pub, café and takeaway brands a customer is likely to meet: Gail’s (bakery café chain), German Doner Kebab (kebab chain), JD Wetherspoon (pub chain), Papa’s Fish and Chips (fish and chip restaurants), Black Sheep Coffee (coffee chain), Domino’s (pizza delivery), Costa Coffee (coffee chain), Caffè Nero (coffee chain), Greene King (pub group and brewer) and Pret A Manger (sandwich and coffee chain). Chosen for relevance and size, not marketing strength.
This board was first published with scores relative to the other brands on it. On 22 October 2026 it was rescored on Whito’s fixed anchors and expanded to ten brands, so scores are not comparable with the earlier edition.
When we looked. All ten brands were read on 22 October 2026, with the ten searches below run once on that date. Meta Ad Library counts were read on 23 October 2026, after the library was unavailable on 22 October.
- Social: which platforms the brand links to from its own site, and whether we could see recent posting and video.
- Website: 2 for a brochure page, 4 with a contact route on mobile, 6 with a page per service and a one-step enquiry, 8 with prices or ranges and registration numbers shown, 10 with online booking or an instant priced quote.
- Email: visible capture only, as we did not subscribe test inboxes for this edition. 2 for a bare newsletter form, up to 10 for a loyalty or app ecosystem with personal offers.
- SEO: ten UK searches for this trade, run through a standard web search API on 22 October 2026 (not personalised, no location set beyond the town in the query); we counted how many returned the brand’s own site in the top ten results. 0 of 10 scores 2, 1 to 2 scores 4, 3 to 4 scores 6, 5 to 6 scores 8, 7 or more scores 10, plus 1 for a substantial advice library. The searches: takeaway near me; how much is a pint UK; price of a coffee UK; coffee shop chains UK; pub food deals UK; cafe London; cafe Manchester; cafe Birmingham; cafe Leeds; cafe Bristol.
- Paid: the Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days, by domain) and the Meta Ad Library (UK, active ads whose text names the brand, counted by the advertiser page). 2 for nothing found in either, 4 for active in one with fewer than 10 ads, 6 for active in both or 10+ in one, 8 for active in both with 10+ in at least one, 10 for 50+ Google ads and 10+ Meta ads. Paid describes visible activity, not quality. A low paid score is not a fault.
- Reviews: a fixed formula. Rating (4.7+ scores 4, 4.5 to 4.69 scores 3, 4.0 to 4.49 scores 2, 3.5 to 3.99 scores 1) plus volume (10,000+ scores 4, 1,000+ scores 3, 100+ scores 2, 20+ scores 1) plus replies to the latest 20 reviews (half or more scores 2, some scores 1).
- Brand: five checks worth 2 each: the same name and logo everywhere, one clear positioning line, a distinctive asset used for years, three or more independent press mentions in 90 days, and named people or expertise on the site.
These anchors are fixed for this edition, so the ten scores can be read against each other. Boards published before October 2026 used scores relative to the other brands on the board, so compare across boards with care.
Common questions
Which pub, café or takeaway brand scores highest on the Whito leaderboard?
Domino’s scores highest at 5.6 out of 10, ahead of Costa Coffee on 5.3 and GAIL’s on 4.7. Domino’s takes orders online, has an app and ran about 5,000 Google ads in 30 days and 74 Meta ads.
Which brand scores lowest, and why?
JD Wetherspoon scores 3.3. It links no social profiles, no Google or Meta ads were found, and it holds 2.1 from 2,518 Trustpilot reviews. Its order-to-table app earns it 6 on email.
Why are the review scores so low?
Every brand here holds 3.4 or less on Trustpilot and none replies to its latest 20 reviews. Diners mostly review on Google and delivery apps, so Trustpilot tends to collect complaints, but it is still what many customers see.
What can a small pub, café or takeaway copy from these brands?
Put your menu and prices online with ordering, run a simple loyalty scheme, keep your delivery and booking platform listings complete, and reply to reviews wherever they appear.
Which of these brands advertise most?
Domino’s ran about 5,000 Google ads in 30 days and 74 Meta ads, and Greene King about 600 Google ads. Costa Coffee and Pret A Manger rely on Meta, with 33 and at least 15 active ads. Papa’s Fish and Chips, German Doner Kebab and JD Wetherspoon showed no ads in either. Google was read on 22 October and Meta on 23 October 2026, after the library was unavailable on 22 October.
Corrections and right of reply
If your business is scored here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the source, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Scores are never changed for payment or because a business has claimed a Whito listing. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.
Related: all UK marketing leaderboards · Hospitality on Whito
If your business is named here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk and we will check it and correct it. If you want to respond, send us a statement and we will publish it alongside. Full detail: Corrections, right of reply and removals.
