Industry
WhatsApp API for restaurants: direct orders, table bookings and regulars
Take direct orders from a WhatsApp menu, confirm table bookings against real capacity, update customers when food is ready and bring regulars back with opted-in offers.
By Broadchat teamPublished 8 min read
The problems WhatsApp solves for restaurants, cafes and cloud kitchens
Aggregator commissions eat the margin on regulars
Customers who already know your restaurant still order through delivery apps out of habit. You pay the commission on people you could have served directly if ordering from you were as easy.
Phone orders go wrong at peak time
During the Friday dinner rush, phone orders are noted on paper, items get missed and addresses misheard. The customer calls back to complain, tying up the line further.
Reservations double-book or no-show
Table bookings come by phone, Instagram DMs and walk-in requests to the manager. Without a shared view of capacity, the restaurant overbooks on Saturdays and has empty tables when guests forget.
Regulars drift away quietly
There is no record of who ordered what and when, so the restaurant cannot tell its loyal customers about a new menu or a festival thali before they find another place.
How restaurants use WhatsApp
The WhatsApp API for restaurants turns your number into a direct ordering line and a reservation desk: customers browse a menu catalogue, place orders with payment in the same chat, book tables against real capacity and get updates when food is ready. Regulars who opted in hear about weekend specials and festival menus. It suits restaurants, cafes, bakeries and cloud kitchens with steady repeat customers. If you take ten orders a day and answer them yourself, the free WhatsApp Business app may be enough; see Business app vs API.
Direct WhatsApp orders do not replace aggregators for discovery; they give your existing customers a cheaper channel to come back to you. For the basics, read what the WhatsApp Business API is.
Message templates to get approved first
Business-initiated messages need an approved message template. Replies inside a customer's 24-hour window, such as menu browsing after they message you, are service messages.
| Template name | Category | Sample |
|---|---|---|
order_received_payment | Utility | Hi {{1}}, we received order {{2}} for ₹{{3}}. Estimated delivery {{4}}. Sample: Ankit, SRK-1182, 742, 8:15 pm |
order_out_for_delivery | Utility | Hi {{1}}, order {{2}} is out for delivery with {{3}}. Sample: Ankit, SRK-1182, Ravi |
table_booking_confirmed | Utility | Hi {{1}}, your table for {{2}} on {{3}} is confirmed. Sample: Pooja, 4 guests, 18 Oct 8:00 pm |
table_booking_reminder | Utility | Hi {{1}}, see you today at {{2}}. Reply CANCEL if your plans change. Sample: Pooja, 8:00 pm |
meal_feedback_request | Utility | Hi {{1}}, how was your meal on {{2}}? Sample: Ankit, 17 Oct |
weekend_special_offer | Marketing | Hi {{1}}, our {{2}} is back this weekend. Reply MENU to order. Sample: Sourav, Durga Puja bhog thali |
Keep the feedback request free of discount codes; once it says "rate us and get 10% off", it is marketing.
Chatbot flow outline
- Match Keyword on menu, order, book or hi, plus a New Message fallback.
- Working Hours checks kitchen hours; when closed, the bot shares opening time and offers a reservation instead.
- Ask Question with reply buttons: Order food, Book a table, Talk to us.
- Order food: Send Message of type Catalog or Multi product; the customer sends the cart, and the When New Order Received trigger sends the confirmation with a Payment message.
- When Payment Transaction Complete tags the order paid and notifies the kitchen; When Payment Transaction Fail offers cash on delivery or a retry.
- Book a table: Ask Question for date and number of guests, then the Native Calendar app (via Add Automation App) lists free slots and creates the booking.
- Anything about allergies, large party orders or complaints goes to Assign to Agent.
Broadchat features to use
- Ecommerce → Products and Ecommerce → Store Front: your menu as a catalogue with photos, prices and categories.
- Ecommerce → Orders: every WhatsApp order with items, address and notes, and status changes that trigger updates.
- Payments → Payment Gateways: Razorpay or PayU WhatsApp payments, or PhonePe payment links.
- Automations → Calendar: a Table booking event type with weekly availability, slot interval and bookings per slot; the bookings list doubles as the host's reservation sheet.
- Channels → All Channels: download the number's QR code for tables and bills.
- CRM → Segment and CRM → Bulk Campaign: Repeat campaigns every Friday to opted-in regulars, segmented by order history tags.
- CRM → Live Chat: staff handle special requests from the same inbox, on desktop or the mobile app.
Illustrative ROI
Illustrative only. A cloud kitchen moves 300 orders a month from an aggregator to direct WhatsApp ordering, at an average order value of ₹600. If the aggregator commission on those orders would have been 25%, that is ₹45,000 a month kept, before payment gateway fees, your own delivery cost, Meta's charges for confirmations and updates (utility templates are charged, and service replies beyond the first 1,000 per number per month are charged too) and the platform subscription. Our WhatsApp API pricing explainer explains the message charges. Your own delivery cost decides whether the move pays off, so work it out per order first.
Getting started
Connect your number with the setup guide, load the menu, then build the ordering bot with how to build a chatbot. The order status notifications use case and feedback surveys use case cover the follow-up messages in more detail. Agencies that manage marketing for several outlets can offer this under their own brand through the partner program.
Use cases with example messages
Ordering from a WhatsApp menu
A customer types "menu", the chatbot sends your catalogue by category, the customer adds dishes to the cart and sends the order, which appears in your orders list with the items, address and notes.
Reply inside the 24-hour window
Business: Here is today's menu from Spice Route Kitchen. Tap a category to see dishes and prices, then add them to your cart. [Starters] [Mains] [Breads and rice] [Desserts]
Example message Order confirmation with payment
When the order arrives, a confirmation goes back with the total and a payment request, or COD noted for cash orders.
utility template
Business: Hi {{1}}, we have received order {{2}} for ₹{{3}}. Estimated delivery: {{4}}. Pay now using the button below, or pay the rider in cash. Sample: Ankit, SRK-1182, 742, 8:15 pm
Example message Order-ready and out-for-delivery updates
Kitchen staff change the order status and the customer gets a short update, so nobody calls to ask where the food is.
utility template
Business: Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is out for delivery with {{3}} ({{4}}). It should reach you in about 25 minutes. Sample: Ankit, SRK-1182, Ravi, +91 98xxxxxx21
Example message Table reservations against real capacity
The chatbot asks date, time and number of guests and books a slot from your calendar, where each time slot allows only as many bookings as you have tables.
utility template
Business: Hi {{1}}, your table for {{2}} at {{3}} on {{4}} is confirmed. Reply CHANGE to modify or CANCEL to free the table for others. Sample: Pooja, 4 guests, The Courtyard Cafe Koramangala, 18 Oct 2026 8:00 pm
Example message Weekend specials and festival menus
Opted-in regulars receive a short marketing template on Friday afternoon or before a festival, segmented by whether they usually order veg or non-veg, or dine in or order home.
marketing template
Business: Hi {{1}}, our Durga Puja bhog thali is back this weekend, ₹{{2}} for one. Reply MENU to order or BOOK to reserve a table. Reply STOP to opt out. Sample: Sourav, 349
Example message Feedback after the meal
An hour after delivery or the next morning after a dine-in, ask for a quick rating with three buttons, and route low ratings to the manager.
utility template
Business: Hi {{1}}, how was your meal from Spice Route Kitchen on {{2}}? [Loved it] [It was okay] [Not happy] Sample: Ankit, 17 Oct
Example message
A rollout playbook
Put your menu in the catalogue
Add dishes with photos, prices and veg or non-veg markers as products. Keep it to what you can actually deliver well; a shorter menu converts better in chat.
Collect numbers at the counter and on the bill
Print a QR code for your WhatsApp number on bills, tables and delivery bags with "Order direct on WhatsApp". Customers who start the chat give you the opt-in for order updates.
Set up capacity-based reservations
Create a Table booking event type with your service hours, a 30-minute slot interval and bookings per slot equal to the tables available for that time.
Make payment one tap
Connect a payment gateway so the confirmation carries a payment request. Prepaid orders reduce cancelled cash orders at the door.
Send offers sparingly
One weekend or festival message a week at most, to customers who opted in to offers. Watch blocks after every send and stop if they rise.
Compliance notes
- Show allergen and ingredient information honestly in product descriptions and answer allergy questions through a person, not a guess from the bot; your FSSAI licence and labelling obligations still apply.
- Mark items veg or non-veg correctly in the catalogue. A wrong marker is a serious trust issue for many Indian customers.
- Order updates do not give consent for marketing. Ask separately, for example with a "Send me weekend specials" button, and honour STOP replies.
- Do not ask for card numbers in chat; use payment requests from your gateway or a UPI payment link.
- Selling alcohol through WhatsApp is restricted by WhatsApp's Commerce Policy and by state law; keep it out of the catalogue and campaigns.
Sources
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Commerce Policy — WhatsApp, checked 12 October 2026
- Payments API in India — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Can customers order food directly on WhatsApp?
Yes. Customers browse your menu as a WhatsApp catalogue, add dishes to a cart and send the order in the chat. The order appears in your orders list, and you can send a payment request or accept cash on delivery.
How do we stop overbooking tables?
Set bookings per slot in the Native Calendar to the number of tables you have for each time slot. The chatbot only offers slots with space left, and cancellations free the slot again.
Can we send our weekend menu to all past customers?
Only to customers who agreed to receive offers. Order updates are not consent for marketing. Ask with a separate opt-in, send no more than about once a week and watch blocks after each campaign.
Do we still need Zomato or Swiggy?
Aggregators help new customers discover you. WhatsApp ordering works best for regulars who already know you, so most restaurants run both and nudge repeat customers to order direct.
Can the kitchen see orders without opening WhatsApp?
Orders appear in the Ecommerce orders list in the panel, and status changes there send the customer updates. Many kitchens keep that page open on a tablet during service.