WhatsApp order tracking for restaurants
Updated October 20, 2026
WhatsApp order tracking on Menuthere is six automatic messages from your own WhatsApp number, plus a live tracking page that needs no app. When an order is placed, accepted, ready, dispatched, completed or cancelled, the customer gets a WhatsApp message. The Order dispatched message names the rider and carries a Track Order button that opens a web page with the rider on a live map and a Call button. Meta bills each message to your own WhatsApp account at its published rate, about US$0.0034 per update to a US number (rate card effective October 1, 2026), and Menuthere adds no markup. The tracking page itself is a web page, so opening it costs nothing.
In short
- Six order flows, each switched on separately: placed, accepted, food ready, dispatched, completed, cancelled. They start switched off.
- Three of them carry a button: View Order (placed), Track Order (dispatched), Reorder (completed).
- The tracking page shows status, the rider's name, an arrival estimate, a live map and a Call button. No app, no login.
- WhatsApp automation is part of Pro, US$39 a month. The tracking page works on every plan; the live map of your own riders needs Pro.
- In the US, Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers. WhatsApp can send these order updates, not promotions; use email for offers.
What does the customer receive on WhatsApp?
Each flow fires when the order reaches that status in your dashboard. The wording below is Menuthere's default; you can rewrite every message, in any language.
| Flow | Sent when | What the message says (default) | Button |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order placed | The order is placed (an online-paid order only once payment completes) | "Order Received!", the order number, the items and the full bill | View Order (the tracking page) |
| Order accepted | You accept the order | "Order Accepted!" with the order number: "We're getting started" | None |
| Order food ready | You mark the food ready | "Your Order is Ready!" with the items | None |
| Order dispatched | The order goes out | "Order Dispatched!", "is on the way", then the rider's name and phone number when a rider is assigned | Track Order |
| Order completed | The order is completed | "Order Completed!", the order number and total | Reorder |
| Order cancelled | The order is cancelled | "Order Cancelled" and a line asking the customer to get in touch if it wasn't expected | None |
Two details that matter in practice:
- The Track Order button follows the carrier. For your own rider it opens your Menuthere order page. For an order handed to a courier that gives a tracking link, it opens that courier's page instead.
- Reorder is one tap. Tapping it sends "Reorder", and the reorder flow answers with the customer's last order, its total and a link that reloads it into checkout.
What does the tracking page show?
The Track Order and View Order buttons open the same page, the order's own status page on your store. It updates without a refresh.
| Part of the page | What the customer sees |
|---|---|
| Status | A colored banner (Pending, Accepted, Food Ready, On the way, Completed…) and a timeline with times |
| Rider (your own) | "On the way", the rider's name, an arrival estimate such as "Arriving in ~12 mins" and a Call button |
| Live map | The rider, the delivery address and your store. A Live tag shows how many seconds ago the position updated; the page checks for a new position about every 3 seconds |
| Before the rider shares a location | "Waiting for rider's location" |
| Bill | Order summary, bill details and delivery details |
| Actions | Cancel order while the order is still Pending; Rate your order after it is completed |
The rider's position comes from the Menuthere Delivery App, which your riders install from the App Store or Google Play. See the rider app and can customers track my own rider live without an app.
How much does each WhatsApp update cost?
Meta prices a message by the country of the customer's number, not your restaurant's. Since October 1, 2026, utility messages (order updates) are charged even inside the 24-hour customer service window. The reply to a customer's "Hi" is a service message, and each business number gets 1,000 service messages a month free.
| Customer's number | Meta utility rate per update (USD card, from Oct 1, 2026) | 3 updates per order | All 6 updates per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada (North America) | US$0.0034 | US$0.0102 | US$0.0204 |
| Mexico | US$0.0085 | US$0.0255 | US$0.051 |
| Brazil | US$0.0068 | US$0.0204 | US$0.0408 |
| United Kingdom | US$0.022 | US$0.066 | US$0.132 |
| United Arab Emirates | US$0.0157 | US$0.0471 | US$0.0942 |
| India | US$0.0014 | US$0.0042 | US$0.0084 |
Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026, read on October 20, 2026. Some markets also have a local-currency card. Check any country in the WhatsApp cost calculator.
Menuthere doesn't add anything to these prices: Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business account.
Worked example: a Houston taquería with 600 delivery orders a month
Assume 600 delivery orders a month, all to US numbers, own riders, and the customer starts most orders by sending "Hola" or "Hi".
| Line | Working | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Replies to "Hi" (service) | 600, inside the 1,000 free service messages | US$0 |
| Order updates, lean set: accepted, dispatched (with Track Order), completed | 1,800 × US$0.0034 | US$6.12 |
| Order updates, all six flows | 3,600 × US$0.0034 | US$12.24 |
| Tracking page views | Web page, not a message | US$0 |
| Menuthere Pro | Flat, no per-order or per-message fee | US$39 |
The lean set costs US$45.12 a month all in; all six flows cost US$51.24. The same 1,800 updates sent to UK numbers would cost US$39.60 in Meta fees, which is why UK restaurants usually keep to two or three updates.
What about customers who never messaged you?
WhatsApp only delivers a plain message to a customer who has written to your number in the last 24 hours. A customer who started with "Hi" is inside that window. A customer who ordered on your website and never wrote to you is not, so a plain update to them is not delivered.
The ready-made order flows send plain messages. For website-only customers, add a Condition on window_open and a Send template step with an approved utility template, so they still get the update. A template is always billed. Keep the wording about the order only: anything promotional and Meta can recategorize it as marketing. See how to word an order confirmation so it stays a utility message.
Which updates should you switch on?
| Your situation | Switch on | Why |
|---|---|---|
| US delivery restaurant | Accepted, dispatched, completed | Cheap at US$0.0034 each; dispatched carries Track Order, completed carries Reorder |
| UK restaurant | Dispatched and completed | At US$0.022 each, the tracking page covers the rest for free |
| Pickup-heavy café | Accepted and food ready | The customer needs to know when to come |
| Every store | Cancelled | A silent cancellation costs you more than one message |
Set it up
- Create your free ordering page and add your menu (photo or PDF import).
- Start Pro (7-day trial; a card is needed to start and nothing is charged until it ends).
- Connect your WhatsApp number with Facebook sign-in. You can keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number.
- In Sales channel → WhatsApp → Flows, switch on the order flows you want, and edit the wording.
- Add your riders in Delivery boy settings and have them install the Menuthere Delivery App. Assign a rider on the order: that marks it dispatched and sends Track Order.
Full walk-through from the first "Hi": WhatsApp ordering with your own delivery. If your customers are in the US, read WhatsApp vs SMS for restaurants and WhatsApp ordering in the USA.
What it doesn't do
- No SMS. Menuthere sends order updates on WhatsApp only. A customer without WhatsApp still has the tracking page, which opens from the order confirmation screen and from My Orders.
- No separate "rider is nearby" message. The customer follows the rider on the live map instead.
- Riders are assigned by hand, from the order screen, with online riders listed first.
- The order is placed on your store, not inside the chat. WhatsApp carries the conversation and the updates around it.
FAQs
Can customers track their order on WhatsApp?
Yes. On Pro, your WhatsApp number sends an update when the order is placed, accepted, ready, dispatched, completed or cancelled. The dispatched message names the rider and has a Track Order button that opens a live map of the rider, with no app.
How many WhatsApp messages does Menuthere send per order?
Up to six, one per order status, and only for the flows you switch on. They start switched off. Most US restaurants switch on three: accepted, dispatched and completed.
How much does a WhatsApp order update cost in the US?
About US$0.0034 per message to a US or Canadian number on Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026. Meta bills your own WhatsApp account and Menuthere adds no markup. Three updates per order cost about one cent.
Does the customer need an app to track the rider?
No. The Track Order button opens a web page with the rider's name, an arrival estimate, a live map and a Call button. Your riders use the Menuthere Delivery App on iPhone or Android.
Can I send WhatsApp offers to customers in the US?
No. Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers, so WhatsApp can send order updates there but not promotions. Use email for offers.
What if a customer ordered on my website and never messaged me?
A plain WhatsApp message only reaches customers who wrote to you in the last 24 hours. Add an approved utility template to the order flows for those customers; templates are always billed.
Sources (3)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (October 1, 2026 changes: utility in the customer service window now "regular" pricing; 1,000 free service messages per number per month; USD rate card "effective October 1, 2026" linked from the page): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Marketing template per-user limits ("WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing template messages to WhatsApp users with United States phone numbers"): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Template categorization: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization (accessed 20 Oct 2026)