Restaurants and food
WhatsApp for restaurants, so no booking waits on the counter phone
Table bookings, takeaway orders, late-running guests and feedback all arrive on WhatsApp. Risponse puts every branch number in one shared inbox, so whoever is on shift can reply, and each reply shows who sent it.
A day of messages
Menus at ten, a rush at one, and a party enquiry by teatime
Every service brings the same kinds of message. Here is what each one looks like with a shared inbox.
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10:05
Menu and opening hours
Before Someone stops prep to type out the timings and look for the menu photo again.
Now A keyword reply sends your hours and the menu file as soon as a guest asks. When the menu changes, update the rule once.
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13:10
The lunch rush
Before One phone at the counter, so messages wait while the person holding it serves tables.
Now Everyone on the lunch shift replies from one shared inbox. A round robin rule gives each new chat to the next person in line.
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16:30
A party of fourteen
Before The request is forwarded to the manager’s own phone, and the guest waits while two people work it out.
Now A private note brings in the manager, who reads the whole chat and replies from the restaurant’s number. The guest never sees the note.
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20:45
The wrong branch
Before Each branch has its own phone, so a guest who writes to the wrong one is asked to call the other branch.
Now Every branch number sits in one inbox, and each chat shows the number it came to. Add the mall branch’s label, and their team sees the chat.
Guest journey
From the first table request to the next visit, all in chat
Guests book, order takeaway, run late and tell you how it went, all on WhatsApp. Choose a step to see a short chat and what your team does next.
A table request gets a reply even in the middle of service
A guest asks for a table on Saturday. Whoever is on shift replies from the shared inbox with a booking link for the evening’s slots, and notes the party size and time beside the chat. A reminder for the morning of the visit is scheduled at the same time.
- Details beside the chat. Party size, date and needs sit in custom properties, so the next person on shift sees them without scrolling back.
- Booking links. Send a link with the evening’s slots from the actions menu beside the message box. The guest picks a time from it.
- A reminder for the day. Schedule the reminder while the chat is open, for the morning of the booking.
Takeaway orders taken in the chat, with a note for the kitchen
A regular orders lunch to pick up. The takeaway desk answers from its own number in the same inbox, sends a payment link from the message box, and leaves a private note for the kitchen lead with the order and the pickup time.
- A line for takeaway. Keep a separate takeaway number and work it in the same inbox as table bookings. The reply box shows which number you answer from.
- Quick replies. Type /menu or /specials, and the saved text appears in the message box, ready to edit and send.
- Notes for the kitchen. Mention the kitchen lead in a private note with the order and pickup time. The guest never sees it.
When a guest is running late, the floor team knows at once
The reminder goes out on the morning of the booking, even if nobody is at the phone. When the guest writes that they are running late, the host replies and mentions the floor manager in a private note, so the table is held.
- Reminders on time. A message scheduled at booking goes out on the day, even when nobody is online.
- Notes for the floor. Mention the floor manager in a private note, and they get a notice. The guest never sees it.
- Every reply marked. Each message sent from Risponse shows who wrote it, so two people do not answer the same guest.
Feedback the morning after, and every complaint with an owner
The next morning, a scheduled thank-you asks how the meal was. Happy guests can join a Regulars list for menu news, if they agree. A complaint gets an emoji reaction from the team, which opens a ticket for the manager with a due date.
- One reaction, one ticket. React with the emoji your team agreed on, and the message becomes a ticket for the manager.
- A list of regulars. Save guests who agree to hear from you as a list, and send them new menu news in one bulk message.
- Complaints in a sheet. Copy ticket events to a Google Sheet and chart complaints by day.
After closing time
Guests keep writing after the kitchen closes
Guests ask about tomorrow’s table long after you close. Split the day into lunch and dinner shifts, and hand the closed hours to the AI agent.
- Lunch and dinner shifts. Set working hours by weekday, with more than one shift a day, and assign chats in turn only to people who are on shift and online.
- The AI agent covers the closed hours. Add your menu, timings and FAQs to the knowledge base, and limit the AI agent to the hours you choose.
- Missing orders reach a manager. If a message about a missing order gets no reply in time, a workflow assigns the ticket and emails the duty manager.
Use cases
How restaurants and cafés use a shared WhatsApp inbox
Start with the job that takes your team the most time. Each card links to the guide behind it.
- Table booking requests
- Booking reminders on the day
- Menu and timings by keyword reply
- Takeaway orders and payment links
- Notes for the kitchen and floor
- Every branch number in one inbox
- Lunch and dinner shifts
- After-hours replies
- Complaints as tickets
- Feedback the next day
- Menu news for regular guests
- Party and catering enquiries
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Party, event and catering enquiries
Send a form for the date, headcount and menu choices from the message box. Note the details in custom properties beside the chat, and set a task with a reminder for the manager’s call back.
In-chat actions -
Menu news for regular guests
Save a list of guests who asked to hear from you and send one message about a new menu or a festival dinner, with each name filled in by a variable. Replies come back to the shared inbox.
Saved chat lists -
Guest numbers hidden from changing staff
Staff in restaurants often change. With number masking on, members see the guest’s name and the whole chat but not the phone number, and only the chats shared with them by label.
Number masking -
Guests who write in another language
Turn on AI translation to read a message in your own language and reply in the guest’s. Machine translation can get details wrong, so check dates and times before you send.
Translate messages with AI -
See which hours need more hands
Workspace metrics show messages in and out and how fast the team first responds, for any period. Spot the hours when replies slow down and plan your shifts around them.
Workspace metrics
Integrations
Complaints, catering leads and daily counts in the tools your team already uses
Risponse connects to the tools below. Each line says what it does for a restaurant.
- Data Copy new chats and ticket updates into a sheet, so a manager can count new chats and open complaints by day. Google Sheets setup guide
- Automation When a complaint ticket is created, a Zap can post a note in the team chat app your managers use. Zapier setup guide
- Helpdesk Complaint tickets opened in Risponse can also show up in Zoho Desk, where a guest relations team works. Zoho Desk setup guide
- CRM Link a catering or event enquiry to a HubSpot contact, and new messages are logged on it. HubSpot setup guide
Zoho and Zoho Desk are trademarks of Zoho Corporation Private Limited and/or its affiliates. Google Sheets, Zapier and HubSpot are trademarks of their owners. Risponse is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.
Apps restaurants use
Payments, deliveries and your POS menu, reached with your own account
These apps are not built into Risponse. Each offers an MCP server or an API: connect it with your own account, and the Risponse AI agent can look things up while it answers a guest.
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Check payment links
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The AI agent can check whether the payment link for a takeaway order or a party advance has been paid.
- MCP connector
- Custom tool (API)
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The AI agent can check an order or payment link status, once you sign in with your Paytm merchant account.
- MCP connector
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Track local deliveries
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A custom tool can look up your delivery orders and, for active ones, where the courier is. Borzo turns on production access after you test and ask.
- Custom tool (API)
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Answer from your POS menu
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A custom tool can fetch your menu from Restroworks, so the AI agent answers from the menu in your POS. Their account team sets up production access.
- Custom tool (API)
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You choose which lookups or actions the AI agent may use. Start with lookups, which only read. Borzo and Restroworks turn on production access only after you ask, and a developer usually sets up a custom tool.
- MCP connector The AI agent uses the app’s MCP server, signed in with your account, and only the lookups and actions you turn on. How it works : MCP connector
- Custom tool (API) The AI agent calls a web API with a key or token you add, for example to check a status. How it works : Custom tool (API)
Razorpay, Paytm, Borzo and Restroworks are trademarks of their owners. Risponse is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.
Set-up guides
Set it up for your restaurant
FAQ
WhatsApp for restaurants and food: your questions answered
Still unsure? Email us and a person from our team will reply.
How do restaurants use WhatsApp for table bookings?
Guests message to ask for a table, change a time or say they are running late. In Risponse the whole team replies from one shared inbox, keeps party size and time in custom properties beside the chat, and schedules a reminder for the day of the booking. Whoever is on the next shift can pick up where the last person stopped.
Scheduled and recurring messagesCan a restaurant take takeaway orders on WhatsApp?
Yes. A guest writes the order in the chat, and your team replies from the shared inbox. Quick replies send the menu or today’s specials in a few keystrokes, a private note tells the kitchen what to prepare, and a payment link can go out from the message box. Risponse has no built-in link to a POS, so your team still enters the order there.
Quick repliesCan WhatsApp send an automatic reply when my restaurant is closed?
Yes. An after-hours rule replies when a message arrives outside the times you set and says when the team is back. You can also add your menu, timings and FAQs to the AI agent’s knowledge base and limit the agent to the hours you choose. It then answers common questions while you are closed and leaves a note for the team when a guest needs a person.
Automated repliesHow can several restaurant branches share one WhatsApp inbox?
Connect each branch’s number to Risponse. Chats from every number appear in one list, each marked with the number it came to, and the reply box shows which number your answer goes from. Give each branch team its own label, so staff see only their branch’s chats while admins see all of them.
Multi-number inboxHow should a restaurant handle complaints that come in on WhatsApp?
Turn the complaint into a ticket with an owner and a due date, either from the message menu or by reacting with the emoji your team agreed on. Later messages about the same problem can join the open ticket. Ticket metrics show what is still open and how long fixes take, and a workflow can email a manager if nobody replies in time.
Create a ticket with an emojiCan I send menu updates to regular guests on WhatsApp?
Yes, to guests who agreed to hear from you. Save them as a list and send one bulk message, with each name filled in by a variable, now or at a set time. Replies come back to the shared inbox. Go gently: WhatsApp can restrict numbers that many people block or report, so add a clear way to opt out, such as “Reply STOP”.
Best practices