Take-out or takeout (in North American, Philippine English), carry-out (in U.S., Scottish English), take-away (in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong and Ireland), parcel (in Indian English and Pakistani English), or tapau (in Manglish and Singlish—from the Chinese "package it" 打包 da-bao), is food purchased at a restaurant for the purpose of being 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 UK it is ordered to take away or sometimes to eat out, as opposed to eating in or dining 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 is sometimes but by no means always of high quality. Examples include neighbourhood fish and chip shops in England, Australia and New Zealand; sandwiches sold by delis in the U.S.; kebabs sold in many countries; and the wide range of sausage-based snacks sold from stalls in German cities.
