Replace phone orders with WhatsApp: let callers order in a chat instead of waiting on hold
Updated October 20, 2026
To replace phone orders with WhatsApp, give callers a faster lane: your WhatsApp number on the phone greeting, your Google listing and every bag, so they send "Hi", get an Order now link and order from your menu without waiting for someone to pick up. The order arrives in your dashboard with every item, add-on, address and payment already filled in, and the updates go back to the same chat. Your phone line stays free for the customers who still want to call. With Menuthere it starts free, and on Pro (US$39 a month) your own WhatsApp number answers "Hi" automatically.
In short
- One phone line serves one caller at a time. A WhatsApp chat doesn't need a free staff member to start.
- The customer types the order, not your staff. Sizes, add-ons, notes and the delivery pin come from your menu, so nothing is misheard.
- Two ways in: on every plan, customers order from your link and can send the order to your WhatsApp; on Pro, your number replies to "Hi" with an Order now link by itself.
- Cheap to run. Replies to customers who message you are inside Meta's 1,000 free service messages a month per number. An order update costs US$0.0034 to a US number.
- Keep the phone. About a third of US adults use WhatsApp (Pew, 2026), so the phone stays for everyone else.
Phone order or WhatsApp order: what changes
| Phone order | WhatsApp order with Menuthere | |
|---|---|---|
| How many at once | One caller per line; the rest hear a busy tone or ring out | Any number of customers can message and order at the same time |
| Who writes the order | Your staff, while listening | The customer, from your menu with photos, sizes and add-ons |
| Address | Spelled out over the phone | Typed, with a map pin when the customer shares their location |
| Sold-out dishes | Staff remember, or don't | Switched off in one tap, so customers can't pick them |
| Payment | Cash, or card read out loud | Card online through your gateway (from Lite), or cash |
| Confirmation | "About 30 minutes" | A message at each step: placed, accepted, ready, on the way, completed (Pro) |
| Reordering | The customer explains "the usual" | A Reorder button on the completed message (Pro) |
Two ways to move callers to WhatsApp
On every plan: your order link and "Send Order to WhatsApp"
Share your Menuthere ordering link where callers find you. The customer orders on your menu, and after placing the order they see a green Send Order to WhatsApp button. It opens a chat with your number with the order ID, items, total and delivery details already written. The order is in your dashboard and partner app whether or not they press send. Make the link and a printable code with the free WhatsApp link generator and WhatsApp QR code generator.
On Pro: your number answers "Hi" by itself
Connect your own WhatsApp Business number and switch on a Welcome flow. When someone writes "Hi", your number replies with an Order now button. The link opens your menu already signed in with their WhatsApp number, so there's no code to type. Each link works for 23 hours and only for the person it was sent to. As the order moves, the customer gets updates in the same chat, including a Track Order button when it leaves. See the WhatsApp Business API for restaurants.
Scripts that move callers to WhatsApp
Use your own words, but keep the number and the word "Hi" in every one.
| Where | What to say |
|---|---|
| Phone greeting or hold message | "Thanks for calling Rosa's Kitchen. The fastest way to order is WhatsApp: send Hi to 555-0142 and you'll get our menu link straight away. To order by phone, please hold." |
| Voicemail | "Sorry we missed you. Send Hi on WhatsApp to 555-0142 and you can order right now, even while we're busy." |
| Staff, at a busy moment | "Happy to take it. If you'd rather not wait, message Hi to this same number on WhatsApp and order from the menu." |
| Receipt, bag sticker or box | "Order again on WhatsApp: scan, send Hi, tap Order now." |
The example name and number are made up. If your WhatsApp number is the same as your phone number, say "this same number". Customers don't have to save your number to message you: see can customers order on WhatsApp without saving my number?
Where to put your WhatsApp number
- Your Google listing. Add your ordering link as the order button. See how to add an order online button to Google.
- Every bag and box. A QR code on takeout packaging brings the next order straight to you: see reorder QR codes for takeout packaging.
- The counter, the window and table tents. Print a code with the WhatsApp QR code generator.
- Your website, Instagram bio and menus. The same link everywhere, so every route ends in one order list.
A worked example: one Friday rush
These are example figures for a takeout restaurant; time your own calls for a week to get yours.
| Before | After moving half the callers to WhatsApp | |
|---|---|---|
| Calls, Friday 6 to 9 PM | 60 | 30 |
| Staff time on the phone, at 3 minutes a call | 180 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Orders typed by staff | 60 | 30 (the other 30 typed by customers) |
| WhatsApp messages (Pro, US numbers) | 0 | 30 "Hi" replies (free tier) + 90 order updates × US$0.0034 = US$0.31 |
The 90 minutes back is one person off the phone for an hour and a half on your busiest night. Work out your own message costs with the WhatsApp cost calculator.
What it costs to run
- Menuthere: the order link and Send Order to WhatsApp work on the Free plan (50 orders a month). Lite (US$17) adds unlimited orders and card payments; Pro (US$39) adds your own WhatsApp number, the bot and order updates.
- Meta, per message (Pro): replies to customers who wrote to you count as service messages, and each number gets 1,000 free a month. Budget each order update at the utility price: US$0.0034 to US and Canadian numbers, £0.0159 to UK numbers, INR 0.115 to Indian numbers. Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business account; Menuthere adds no markup.
- US numbers: Meta doesn't deliver marketing templates to US numbers. In the US, WhatsApp can send order updates but not promotions; use email for offers. See marketing to US numbers.
Regulars who order "the usual"
On Pro, the completed message carries a Reorder button. You can also build a keyword flow, for example on "usual", that replies with the customer's last order and a one-tap reorder link, using the flow variables for the reorder items and link. Customers who write while you're closed can get a "We're open again" message when you open.
Who should keep calling
- Customers who don't use WhatsApp. About a third of US adults use it, 56% of Hispanic adults and 44% of urban adults (Pew Research Center, 2026). Keep the phone line and the website link for everyone else, and see WhatsApp ordering in the USA.
- Big or unusual orders. Catering, allergies that need a conversation, and anything off the menu are often quicker by phone.
- Callers who want a person. The aim is a shorter queue, not a closed line.
What Menuthere doesn't do
- It doesn't answer calls, detect missed calls or send text messages (SMS). Callers move to WhatsApp because your greeting, voicemail and staff tell them to.
- It doesn't take the order inside the chat. The customer taps the link and orders on your web menu.
- No AI replies. Your flows answer with the messages and buttons you set.
- On the Free plan, the customer presses send. The WhatsApp message only reaches you if they send it; the order is in your dashboard either way.
Set it up
- Create your ordering page. Sign up free, import your menu from a photo or PDF, and add your WhatsApp number in Store details.
- Make your link and QR code. Copy your ordering link, or make a WhatsApp link and a printable QR code with Menuthere's free tools.
- Connect your WhatsApp number on Pro. Open Sales channel, WhatsApp, press Connect WhatsApp and sign in with Facebook. You can link the number you already use on the WhatsApp Business app.
- Switch on the Welcome flow and order updates. In Flows, turn on a Welcome flow with an Order now button, then the order updates you want, such as accepted, dispatched and completed.
- Change your phone greeting and voicemail. Record a greeting that tells callers to send Hi on WhatsApp, and brief your staff on the one-line script.
- Put the code everywhere. Add the link to your Google listing, and the QR code to bags, boxes, the counter and table tents.
then put your number on the phone greeting tonight. Questions?
More: all Menuthere integrations · free WhatsApp ordering system · WhatsApp order tracking · WhatsApp vs SMS for restaurants · the hidden cost of 100 phone orders a day · missed calls are orders you already won · plans
FAQs
How do I take restaurant orders on WhatsApp instead of the phone?
Share your WhatsApp number on your phone greeting, Google listing and packaging. Customers send Hi, get a link to your menu and order there, and the order arrives in your dashboard with every detail filled in.
Do I have to stop taking phone orders?
No. Keep the phone for customers who don't use WhatsApp or want to talk to someone. WhatsApp gives everyone else a lane that doesn't need a free staff member.
Can my WhatsApp reply automatically when someone writes Hi?
Yes, on Menuthere Pro. Your own WhatsApp number answers Hi with an Order now button that opens your menu already signed in. On the Free plan there are no automatic replies.
What does it cost to take orders on WhatsApp?
The Free plan's order link costs nothing. On Pro, replies to customers who message you fall inside Meta's 1,000 free service messages a month per number, and each order update costs about US$0.0034 to a US number.
Can Menuthere answer my phone or text customers who called?
No. Menuthere doesn't answer calls, detect missed calls or send SMS. Your greeting, voicemail and staff point callers to WhatsApp.
Do customers order inside the WhatsApp chat?
They start in the chat and tap the Order now link, then order on your web menu with photos, sizes and add-ons. Updates come back in the same chat.
Will US customers use WhatsApp to order?
Some will. About a third of US adults use WhatsApp, and 56% of Hispanic adults do. Keep the phone and your website link for the rest, and use email for offers, because Meta doesn't deliver marketing messages to US numbers.
Sources (5)
- Menuthere Docs, Get orders on your WhatsApp (Free plan); Connect your WhatsApp number; Order updates to customers; Order link taps; Build a flow; Flow triggers (variables {{reorder_items}}, {{reorder_link}}); "We're open again" messages; What WhatsApp messages cost: menuthere.com/docs/whatsapp/… (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing updates ("a free tier of 1,000 service messages per month"): developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/updates-to-pricing/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform rate card effective 1 October 2026 (North America utility US$0.0034; UK £0.0159; India INR 0.115), as transcribed in menuthere.com/en/whatsapp-cost-calculator (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Per-user marketing template message limits ("WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing template messages to WhatsApp users with United States phone numbers"): developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Pew Research Center, Americans' Use of Social Media in 2026 (fact sheet, 19 Oct 2026; WhatsApp 33% of US adults in the 2026 trend row; Hispanic 56%; urban 44%): pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)