How to send a WhatsApp broadcast to customers (2026 guide for restaurants)

A WhatsApp broadcast sends one message to many customers at once. Each person gets it as a private chat from you, and replies come back only to you. In the free WhatsApp Business app, you make a broadcast list of up to 256 contacts. Only people who have saved your number receive it. To reach more people, use paid business broadcasts or the WhatsApp Business API.

This guide shows all three ways, step by step, with UK costs in pounds and message ideas for a takeaway, café or restaurant.

Want offers that link straight to your menu? then put the link in every broadcast.

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What is a WhatsApp broadcast?

A broadcast is a one-to-many message. It is not a group.

• In a group, everyone sees everyone's messages and phone numbers.
• In a broadcast, each customer gets a normal one-to-one message. They can't see who else got it. If they reply, only you see it.

That makes broadcasts the right tool for offers, new menus and "we're open" updates. Customers' numbers stay private, and replies turn into normal order chats. If you're unsure, read channels, groups or broadcasts: which should a restaurant use?

Three types of WhatsApp broadcast

How to create a WhatsApp broadcast list (free)

You need the WhatsApp Business app on your main phone. If you haven't set it up yet, follow our WhatsApp Business setup guide first.

On Android

1. Open the Chats tab.
2. Tap More options (⋮) > Broadcast lists.
3. Tap the new list button.
4. Search for or tick the customers you want to add.
5. Tap the tick to create the list.

On iPhone

1. Open Chats.
2. Find Broadcast lists (some versions call it Lists) and start a new list.
3. Choose your contacts and create the list.

Tip: Name the list after a group of customers, such as "Regulars", "Office lunch orders" or "Curry club". Then edit the name from Broadcast list info.

How to send a broadcast message on WhatsApp

1. Open the broadcast list from your Chats tab.
2. Type your message. Add a photo of the dish if you like.
3. Add your menu or order link, so customers can order in one tap.
4. Press Send.

Each customer receives it as a normal message from your business. When someone replies, the reply appears in their own chat with you, not in the list.

You can't send broadcasts from WhatsApp Web, the desktop app or a linked device. Broadcast lists only work on your main phone. See can I send a broadcast from my laptop?

To edit or delete a list

• Open the list > More options > Broadcast list info.
• Tap Edit recipients to add or remove people.
• Tap Delete broadcast list to remove it. Customers keep the messages they already received.

Why some customers don't get your broadcast

This is the most common problem. A broadcast list only reaches people who have saved your number in their phone's contacts. If they haven't, the message silently doesn't arrive.

How to fix it:

• Ask customers to save your number. Put "Save us as a contact to get our offers" on receipts, bags and table cards.
• Share a contact card in your greeting message, so saving takes one tap.
• Use a QR code or chat link on your window and menus. Make one with the free WhatsApp link generator. Scanning starts a chat, but it doesn't save your number, so still ask.
• Switch to business broadcasts or the API if you need to reach people who won't save your number.

Still missing people? Read why is my WhatsApp broadcast not delivered?

WhatsApp broadcast limits

Can I send a broadcast to more than 256 people? Yes. Make several lists of up to 256 and send to each. That gets slow past a few hundred customers, and anyone who hasn't saved your number still misses out. Business broadcasts and the API don't have the 256 cap.

Monthly broadcast limit. WhatsApp has started limiting how many broadcast messages some accounts can send each month, and it points businesses to the paid tools in the WhatsApp Business app. If a limit applies to your account, the app shows it.

Business broadcasts: the paid option inside the app

Business broadcasts (Meta's old name was "marketing messages") let you send from the WhatsApp Business app to contacts who haven't saved your number. Meta says they're available in limited countries. If you have them, you'll find them under Tools > Business broadcasts. If you don't see that option, they haven't reached your account yet.

What you get:

• Pick an audience from your contacts, saved lists or imported customers.
• Add a photo and one action button: view catalogue, quick reply, call you, or visit a website (for example your ordering page).
• Send now or schedule for a date and time. Your phone must be online at that time.
• See results: how many people read and replied.
• Duplicate a past broadcast to reuse it.

Things to know:

• You pay for each message delivered within five days. Meta holds the full amount when you send and credits back any that don't arrive.
• Meta reviews business broadcasts before they go out. Processing can take from seconds up to three hours.
• Prices are set by the recipient's country. Meta's help page lists a GBP rate card. On that card, a marketing message to a UK (+44) number costs £0.0458 (rates effective 1 July 2026). Meta's business broadcasts pricing page links this same rate card, and the app shows the total cost, estimated tax and estimated total before you pay.
• Message packs let you prepay for credits that don't expire. Meta says packs are iPhone-only for now and can't be refunded.
• Some Meta Verified and Meta One plans include free broadcast credits. On Meta Verified, broadcasts come with the Business Plus plan and above.

Example: 400 customers × £0.0458 = £18.32 for one offer, plus any tax the app shows before you pay.

Broadcasting with the WhatsApp Business API

The API is how bigger takeaways send offers at scale. You send pre-approved marketing templates to customers who have opted in. There's no 256 cap, and nobody needs to save your number.

How it works:

1. Customers opt in. For example, a tick box at checkout: "Send me offers on WhatsApp."
2. You write a template (text, image, buttons). Meta approves it, usually quickly.
3. You pick an audience, such as all your past customers or a list you upload.
4. You send or schedule from your provider's dashboard.
5. Replies land in a shared inbox, so any member of staff can answer.

Limits: Meta caps how many different customers you can message in 24 hours outside an open chat. New businesses start at 250. Completing Meta's scaling steps (business verification is part of this) lifts it to 2,000. It then rises automatically to 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. More detail: how many customers can I message a day on the API?

Cost: Meta charges £0.0458 per marketing message delivered to a UK number (Meta GBP rate card, effective 1 July 2026). There's no free allowance for marketing. Your provider adds its own fee. See WhatsApp Business API pricing in the UK.

On Menuthere: broadcasts run on the WhatsApp Business API from your own number, as part of Pro (US$39 a month, billed in US dollars). Every offer can link to your ordering page, so a "2-for-1 tonight" message turns into an order in two taps. Meta bills its message fees directly to your own WhatsApp account, and Menuthere adds no markup. Menuthere is an official Meta Tech Provider.

Which broadcast method should your restaurant use?

10 WhatsApp broadcast ideas for UK restaurants and takeaways

Keep each message short: one offer, one link, one reason to act now. Here are ideas with sample wording.

1. Quiet-night offer. "Tuesday treat 🍕 2-for-1 on all large pizzas until 9pm. Order here: [link]"
2. New dish launch. "New on the menu: lamb rogan josh, slow-cooked for 6 hours. Try it this week: [link]"
3. Match night. "England kick off at 8. Order by 7:15 and your food lands at half-time. [link]"
4. Weather. "Raining in Bristol? Stay in. Free delivery over £20 tonight. [link]"
5. Seasonal menu. "Our Christmas menu is live. Book office parties early: [link]"
6. Calendar dates. Pancake Day, Mother's Day, Easter, Eid, Bonfire Night, Halloween, Black Friday.
7. Back after a break. "We're back from holiday and the tandoor is hot. Open from 5pm."
8. We miss you. For customers who haven't ordered in 60 days: "It's been a while! Here's 10% off your next order: CODE10."
9. Pre-orders. "Friday fish and chips: pre-order for 12:30 and skip the queue. [link]"
10. Review ask (after an order, not as a bulk blast). "Thanks for ordering! Got 30 seconds for a Google review? [link]"

For timing and frequency, read what to actually send in a restaurant WhatsApp broadcast and how often a restaurant can send offers.

Timing tips

• Send 60–90 minutes before your rush, for example 4:30–5:30pm for a takeaway.
• Once a week is plenty for most food businesses. More, and people block or report you.
• Segment. Lunch offers to office customers. Family deals to weekend orderers.
• Always include a link to order, not "reply to order". Typed orders are slow and error-prone.

UK rules: consent and opt-outs

Broadcasting offers is direct marketing. In the UK, that means UK GDPR and PECR apply.

• Get permission first. Ask customers clearly, for example with an opt-in box at checkout or a reply "YES to get offers". See how to get a customer's permission before sending offers.
• Say who you are and make opting out easy: "Reply STOP to stop offers." Then honour it.
• Never buy lists or add numbers scraped from elsewhere.
• Keep order updates and offers separate. Order updates are service messages. Offers are marketing.

WhatsApp's own rules say the same: businesses need the right consents and must respect opt-out requests. Broadcasting to people who didn't ask can get your number restricted or banned. Read can I send bulk messages from the normal WhatsApp app? and our UK GDPR and PECR guide for WhatsApp marketing. The ICO's soft opt-in lets you market similar products to existing customers who were given a clear chance to opt out when you took their details and in every message.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What a month of broadcasts costs (worked example)

A takeaway with 1,200 opted-in customers sends two offers a month.

Say one offer brings 40 orders at £20 (an illustration, not a promise). That's £800 of commission-free sales. Work out your own numbers with the WhatsApp cost calculator.

Broadcast checklist

• Customers opted in, and you can show when and how
• Your number is saved by list customers (for free lists)
• One clear offer, with an end time
• A link to your menu or ordering page
• "Reply STOP to opt out" line
• Sent 60–90 minutes before your rush
• Staff ready to answer replies
• Results noted: replies, orders, opt-outs

Turn every broadcast into orders, not chats. When you're ready to send offers from your own number at scale, see.

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