WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: which should a restaurant use?

WhatsApp (often called "normal" or personal WhatsApp) is for chatting with friends and family. WhatsApp Business is a separate free app from Meta, built for small businesses. It adds a business profile, a menu catalogue, automatic greeting and away messages, quick replies, chat labels and paid marketing tools. For a restaurant or takeaway, WhatsApp Business is the right choice. Use it on a separate business number.

Below: the full difference, what customers see, whether you can use both on one phone, how to switch, and when a busy takeaway needs the WhatsApp Business API instead.

Already on WhatsApp Business? Send customers a menu link instead of typing orders.

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What is WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business is a free app for Android and iPhone, made by Meta for small businesses. It works like normal WhatsApp: same chats, calls, photos and voice notes. On top, it gives you business tools. Your account shows as a business account, with your address, opening hours and menu on your profile.

Meta describes the app as free to download and use, for businesses that talk to customers from a single device. Bigger businesses use the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API), which is a different product. More on that below.

What does "business account" mean on WhatsApp? When customers open your chat or profile, they see that you're a business. They see your category (for example "Restaurant"), description, address, hours and website. Some businesses also have a verified badge, which is a paid extra through Meta Verified.

WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: the key differences

The short version: same chats, more business tools. None of those tools cost money unless you choose a paid extra. See is the WhatsApp Business app free?

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Which should a restaurant or takeaway use?

Use WhatsApp Business. Here's why it matters for a food business.

1. Customers trust a business profile. Your hours, address and menu are there before anyone asks.
2. Fewer "are you open?" messages. The away message answers after hours. The greeting message sends your menu link to new customers.
3. Faster replies at the rush. Quick replies turn "Do you deliver to LS6?" into a two-tap answer.
4. Orders stay organised. Labels show which chats are new, paid or ready.
5. Staff can help. Link the counter tablet and the manager's laptop to the same number.
6. You can market properly. Broadcast lists and click-to-WhatsApp ads are built for businesses.

When is personal WhatsApp fine? Almost never for a business that takes orders. If you sell a few cakes from home to friends, personal WhatsApp works. But once strangers message you for orders, switch. Read can I use my personal WhatsApp number for my restaurant?

Can I use WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business on the same number?

No, not at the same time. Meta says WhatsApp Messenger and the WhatsApp Business app are two different apps, and one phone number can only be active on one of them. You can move a number between them.

But many owners run both apps on one phone, each with its own number. For example:

• your personal mobile number on normal WhatsApp, and
• a second SIM, eSIM or landline on WhatsApp Business.

Most modern phones support dual SIM or eSIM. A UK landline can also work for WhatsApp Business if it can receive a verification call. See can I use a landline number on WhatsApp Business?

Our advice: give the business its own number. Then you can hand the phone to a manager, switch it off on your day off, and keep customers out of your personal chats.

Can I use WhatsApp Business for personal use?

You can chat with friends from WhatsApp Business, and it works the same way. But there are downsides:

• Everyone sees your business profile, not a personal one.
• Your away and greeting messages go to friends too.
• You agree to the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service when you use the app. The app is built for businesses talking to customers.

So keep personal chats on normal WhatsApp, on your own number.

How to switch from WhatsApp to WhatsApp Business

If your restaurant already uses a number on normal WhatsApp, you can move it to WhatsApp Business. Meta's built-in move brings your chats and media across.

1. Back up your chats first (Google Drive on Android, iCloud on iPhone). See how to back up WhatsApp Business chats.
2. Update WhatsApp and download WhatsApp Business from Google Play or the App Store.
3. Open WhatsApp Business and agree to the terms.
4. Choose the number. The app usually finds the number you use on WhatsApp. Pick it to move it across.
5. Allow access to your chat history, so your old chats come with you.
6. Enter the six-digit code sent by SMS (or take the voice call).
7. Set up your business profile: name, category, address, hours, description.

The exact screens vary by phone and app version. Keep the app open and the phone on until the move finishes. Then follow our WhatsApp Business setup guide to add your menu, auto-replies and QR code.

Can I switch back?

Yes, you can move a number from WhatsApp Business back to normal WhatsApp. But business-only data doesn't move back, such as your catalogue items and collections. Plan the switch once and stick with it.

WhatsApp Business app vs the WhatsApp Business API

There's a third option, and busy takeaways often need it. The WhatsApp Business API (also called the WhatsApp Business Platform) isn't an app on your phone. It connects your number to software.

On Menuthere Pro (US$39 a month), the API runs on your own number. Customers send "Hi", tap Order Now, and order from your menu. Updates go back to WhatsApp automatically, with 0% commission on orders. Meta bills its message fees directly to your own WhatsApp account, and Menuthere adds no markup. See the WhatsApp ordering system for UK takeaways, WhatsApp Business API in the UK and app vs API.

Common mistakes when choosing

• Running the business on the owner's personal number. It's hard to hand over, and customers message you at midnight.
• Switching numbers often. Customers save your number. Changing it breaks your broadcast lists and printed QR codes.
• Leaving the business profile empty. You lose the main benefit of WhatsApp Business.
• Using the app when you've outgrown it. If staff fight over one phone on Friday night, it's time for the API. See WhatsApp Business multiple users.

Make WhatsApp take orders, not just chats. add the link to your greeting message, and see the full.

Create your free ordering pageWhatsApp Business for restaurants guide