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- Restaurants use WhatsApp for five things: menu and ordering, table reservations, order status, review requests and offers; the first four are utility (Rs 0.115) and only offers are marketing
- A menu-and-order flow with a WhatsApp Flow form and a payment link takes a day to build and removes the phone from the ordering process
- Reservations, reminders and review requests run on utility templates from appointment stages
- Six ready templates, the rules, a cost example and a 30-day rollout
A restaurant's WhatsApp does five jobs: shows the menu and takes orders, takes table reservations, tells customers where their order is, asks for a review, and sends the weekend offer. The first four are utility messages (Rs 0.115 each in India, and free inside the 24-hour window a customer opens by messaging you); only the offer is marketing. Built as flows and templates in VGraple CRM, the whole set runs from a QR code on the table tent and the bill, takes about a day to set up, and removes the phone from ordering and reservations for direct customers. This playbook gives each flow, six templates that pass review, the rules, a cost example and a 30-day rollout.
The five jobs and how each runs
| Job | Trigger | What runs | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu and ordering | QR scan, "menu", "order" | Menu as list, catalog or PDF; WhatsApp Flow form for items; payment link; confirmation | Utility (and free in-window) |
| Table reservation | "table", "book" | Date, time, guests; confirmation; reminder on the day | Utility |
| Order status | Order stage changes | "Preparing", "Out for delivery", "Ready for pickup" | Utility |
| Review request | 2 hours after order or visit | Rating buttons; Google link on positive; manager on negative | Utility |
| Weekend offer, festival menu | Scheduled broadcast to opted-in diners | Marketing template with opt-out | Marketing |
Menu and ordering flow
- Trigger: any first message, or keywords menu, order.
- Send the menu: a list message for up to ten categories, a catalog message if your Meta catalog is connected, or the menu PDF for long menus.
- Collect the order: a WhatsApp Flow form (items, quantities, notes, delivery or pickup, address) or reply buttons for a short menu.
- Confirm the total and send a payment link (Stripe, or Cashfree when live); on payment, the order is created and a utility confirmation goes out with the expected time.
- Stage changes (preparing, out for delivery, ready) send utility updates; the kitchen or desk sees the order in the inbox with the contact's history.
- Unpaid orders after 15 minutes get one utility reminder, then the conversation goes to a person.
Direct WhatsApp orders carry no aggregator commission, which for a restaurant doing Rs 3 lakh a month through aggregators is the entire business case.
Reservations
A "table" keyword opens a flow: date (buttons for today, tomorrow, pick a date), time slot, number of guests, name; the appointment is created with stage "Scheduled"; a utility confirmation goes out; a reminder fires at a set number of hours before; a no-show moves the stage and, optionally, sends a "we missed you" utility message. Reschedule requests are replies that land with a person. Appointments handle the stages and reminders.
Review requests
Two hours after "Delivered" or after a reservation's time slot: "Thanks for dining with us today, {{1}}. How was it?" with buttons Great, Okay, Not good. Great sends the Google review link; Okay asks what could be better; Not good assigns a manager immediately. Reply rates on this message run 20 to 35 percent, and the negative replies reach a manager before they reach Google.
Six templates that pass review
- rest_order_confirmed (utility): "Hi {{1}}, order {{2}} at {{3}} is confirmed: {{4}}. Expected {{5}}. Reply if anything changes."
- rest_order_ready (utility): "Your order {{1}} at {{2}} is ready for pickup."
- rest_out_for_delivery (utility): "Order {{1}} is on its way and should reach you by {{2}}."
- rest_table_confirmed (utility): "Hi {{1}}, your table for {{2}} at {{3}} is confirmed for {{4}}. Reply to change it."
- rest_review_request (utility): "Thanks for dining with us today, {{1}}. How was it? Tap a button below."
- rest_weekend_special (marketing): "Hi {{1}}, this weekend at {{2}}: {{3}}. Reply MENU to see it or STOP to opt out."
Consent and the QR code
The QR code on the table tent, the bill and the packaging opens a chat with a prefilled message ("Hi, I'd like to see the menu"). That first message is the opt-in for service messages and opens a free 24-hour window. For offers, add a step: "Reply YES to get our weekend specials on WhatsApp." Record it on the contact; only YES contacts receive marketing. QR code generator.
What it costs: a 60-cover restaurant
Month: 900 direct orders (confirmations and status updates, 2,700 utility messages, Rs 311), 400 reservations (confirmation and reminder, 800 utility, Rs 92), 1,300 review requests (Rs 150), two weekend offers to 2,000 opted-in diners (Rs 3,452). Meta total about Rs 4,000; VGraple CRM plan from Rs 0 (Free) to Rs 1,499 (Starter) depending on conversation volume. Aggregator commission avoided on 900 direct orders at Rs 400 average: Rs 72,000 to Rs 90,000.
30-day rollout
Week 1. Connect the number (coexistence if the owner's phone must stay), print QR codes for tables and bills, submit the six templates, build the menu flow and test it with staff.
Week 2. Turn on ordering for direct customers; reservations flow live; review request on delivered orders.
Week 3. Collect marketing consent through the YES step; first weekend offer to consenting diners; quiet hours set.
Week 4. Review: orders by channel, reply rate on reviews, offer read and reply rates, blocks (should be near zero). Add the AI chatbot for menu questions if volume justifies it.
Mistakes
- Sending the weekend offer as "utility".
- Messaging the aggregator's customers; they did not opt in with you.
- No human path in the ordering flow for allergies and special requests.
- Late-night broadcasts; set quiet hours.
- Forgetting the review step, which is the cheapest marketing a restaurant has.
What VGraple CRM does here
Flow builder with WhatsApp Flow forms and catalog messages, payment links in chat, appointments with stages and reminders, automation rules on order and appointment events, broadcasts with delivery protection, quiet hours, consent handling and the shared inbox for the desk and kitchen are on every plan including Free. The restaurants solution page has the full setup and templates.