WhatsApp menu card for Indian restaurants
Updated October 20, 2026
A WhatsApp menu card is only useful if customers can order from it, not just look at it. Most Indian restaurants send a menu as an image or PDF, then type out every order from the reply chat — slow, error-prone, and no bill. With Menuthere, your customer sends "Hi", taps Order Now, picks dishes from a menu in rupees with veg and non-veg marks, and pays by UPI, card or netbanking, or in cash at the door. This guide shows how to build that menu card, and how to make a printable version too.
In short
- An orderable menu beats a menu image. The total is worked out, GST is on the bill, and the order lands clean, not as free text.
- Rupees, veg marks and your languages. Prices in ₹, the green and red veg/non-veg marks, and dish names in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and more.
- UPI at checkout. Customers pay by UPI, card or netbanking through your own gateway, or cash at the door.
- One link does the work. A pre-filled "Hi" link on Instagram, and a QR sticker on every parcel.
Menu image vs orderable menu card
| A menu image or PDF | A Menuthere WhatsApp menu card | |
|---|---|---|
| How customers order | Type their order into the chat | Tap Order Now and pick dishes |
| Total | You add it up by hand | Worked out automatically, with GST |
| Payment | Ask separately, chase UPI | UPI, card, netbanking or cash, built in |
| Mistakes | Common — wrong item, wrong qty | Picked from your live menu |
| Out-of-stock | Customer finds out after ordering | Hide the dish; it disappears from the menu |
| Record | A scroll of chat messages | A clean order in your dashboard |
How to set up your WhatsApp menu card
- Build the menu in Menuthere. Add dishes with photos, descriptions and prices in rupees. Group them into sections (starters, biryani, breads, desserts).
- Add the veg and non-veg marks. Mark each dish so the green-dot and red-dot symbols Indian diners expect show on the menu.
- Add a second dish name in your language (every plan): type ചിക്കൻ ബിരിയാണി under "Chicken biryani", or the Hindi or Tamil name. On Lite and up, customers can switch the whole menu to Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi or Gujarati.
- Turn on GST and your FSSAI number. Set 5% GST with your GSTIN so bills split into CGST and SGST, and switch on your 14-digit FSSAI number for the bill.
- Connect payment. UPI, cards and netbanking through your own Razorpay or Easebuzz account on Lite, or Cashfree on Pro. Cash on delivery and pay at pickup work on every plan.
- Connect WhatsApp (Pro) so customers get the order updates, and edit the reply to "Hi" into your language.
- Share the link. Make a pre-filled "Hi" link, put it in your Instagram bio and status, and print a WhatsApp QR sticker for every parcel and table.
Designing a menu card that reads well
Whether it's the on-screen menu or a printed card, the same rules apply:
- Group by course, and keep sections short — diners scan, they don't read.
- One clear price per dish, in ₹, aligned to the right.
- Veg and non-veg marks on every item; call out Jain or spicy where relevant.
- Photos for your bestsellers, not every dish — a few strong images sell more than a wall of them.
- Your language first if most customers read it; a second name in English underneath.
Start from an Indian layout in the menu template maker, which has a rupee-priced, veg-marked preset you can fill in and print.
Keep a printable card too
Not every customer scans. Alongside the orderable menu card, keep a one-page printable version — the same dishes, prices and veg marks — for the counter, the table and the delivery bag. The menu template prints to a clean A4 card you can hand over or stick on the wall, with your WhatsApp QR in the corner so a printed card still leads back to ordering.
Next steps
- Set up ordering on your number: WhatsApp ordering in India.
- Add a scannable table menu: QR code menu India.
- Run the whole thing: India online ordering system.
FAQs
What is a WhatsApp menu card?
It's a menu your customers open and order from inside a WhatsApp chat. With Menuthere, they send "Hi", tap Order Now, pick dishes from a menu in rupees with veg marks, and pay by UPI, card or cash — instead of typing their order as a message.
How is it better than sending a menu image or PDF?
An image or PDF can only be read; the customer still types their order, you add up the total by hand, and there's no bill. An orderable menu card works out the total with GST, lets customers pay, hides out-of-stock dishes, and drops a clean order into your dashboard.
Can I show dish names in Hindi, Malayalam or Tamil?
Yes. Add a second dish name in your language on every plan. On Lite and up, customers can switch the whole menu into Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi or Gujarati.
How do customers pay from a WhatsApp menu card?
By UPI, card or netbanking through your own Razorpay or Easebuzz account on Lite, or Cashfree on Pro. Cash on delivery and pay at pickup work on every plan, and on Pro your rider can show a UPI QR at the door.
Can I still print a menu card?
Yes. Keep a printable one-page version from the menu template maker — the same dishes, ₹ prices and veg marks — for the counter, table and delivery bag, with your WhatsApp QR in the corner.
Sources (3)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (India INR rates for order-update and promotional messages): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
- FSSAI, Order on printing the FSSAI licence/registration number on receipts and bills (14-digit number; enforcement from 1 January 2022): https://fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2021/10/6156936ac80bbOrder_License_Number_Print_01_10_2021.pdf (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
- GST Council, decisions of the 23rd meeting (10 November 2017): stand-alone restaurants at 5% GST without input tax credit: https://www.gstcouncil.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-02/gst-services-23rd_gst-council.pdf (accessed 21 Oct 2026)