WhatsApp ordering for pizzerias: keep the toppings out of the chat
Updated October 20, 2026
WhatsApp ordering for a pizzeria works best when the chat sends the menu and the menu takes the order. A customer messages "hi" to your pizzeria's WhatsApp and gets an Order Now button that opens your menu, already signed in. They build the pizza there, half-and-half included, and pay. The order rings in your kitchen, complete. Then WhatsApp does the part it's good at: "accepted", "on the way" with a Track Order button for the driver on a live map, and a Reorder button after it arrives. With Menuthere you pay 0% commission. Replies and updates from your own number are on the Pro plan (US$39 a month), which also includes your own drivers with live tracking. Meta charges per message on your own WhatsApp Business account.
In short
- Toppings belong on the menu, not in the chat. WhatsApp's catalog has no size or add-on option, so half-and-half and build-your-own go through the menu link.
- Four delivery messages: placed, accepted, on the way (with a Track Order button and the driver's details) and completed (with a Reorder button).
- Your own drivers, tracked live. Assign a driver in one tap; the customer follows them on a map from the Track Order link.
- Friday rush: the bot answers every "hi" at once, orders ring until accepted, and tickets can print themselves.
- US customers: updates work, promotions don't. Meta doesn't deliver marketing messages to +1 numbers.
Why typed pizza orders go wrong
Read back a typical WhatsApp pizza order: "1 large half pepperoni half veggie no olives extra cheese, garlic knots, coke. Same address as last time." Somebody has to turn that into a ticket. Was the extra cheese on both halves? Which "last time"? Is it a large 14" or the 18" family size? Each question is another message, and each guess is a remake.
| What goes wrong in a typed order | What the menu link does instead |
|---|---|
| Size not stated, or "large" means different things | Sizes are a required pick, each with its own price |
| Half-and-half written in a sentence | A required "Second half" group (the usual set-up) prints both halves on the ticket |
| "Extra cheese" with no price agreed | Each topping carries its price, and doubles show as "Cheese ×2" |
| Total worked out by hand | The bill is calculated, with your delivery fee and sales tax |
| "Same address as last time" | Saved addresses, picked on a map |
WhatsApp's own catalog can't fix this. Its item fields are a title, photos, price, sale price, description, link and product code, with no size or add-on option (see can the WhatsApp catalog show sizes and add-ons?). So for pizza, send the menu link. For how to set up sizes, crusts and the "Second half" group, see pizza online ordering, which covers the menu in detail.
The delivery order, message by message
These are Menuthere's ready-made order flows, as a delivery customer sees them. They start switched off; you choose which to turn on and can edit the wording.
| Status | The customer gets | Pizzeria tip |
|---|---|---|
| Order placed | "Order Received!" with the items, the bill and a View Order button. An online order counts once payment is complete. | Keep it on: it confirms toppings in writing |
| Accepted | "Order Accepted!" with the order number | Optional on a quiet night |
| Food ready | "Your Order is Ready!" | Turn it off for delivery-only nights, or keep it for pickup |
| Dispatched | "Order Dispatched!" with the driver's details when known and a Track Order button | The message customers value most |
| Completed | A thank-you with the total and a Reorder button | Next Friday's order starts here |
| Cancelled | A short note that it was cancelled | Always on |
The Track Order button opens the customer's order page. When one of your own drivers carries the order, that page shows On the way, the driver's name, an arrival estimate, a live map that refreshes about every 3 seconds, and a Call button. More on this in WhatsApp order tracking.
Your own drivers, without a per-delivery fee
On Pro, each driver uses the Menuthere rider app (iOS and Android). When a pizza is ready, you assign a driver to the order in one tap from the order screen. Menuthere doesn't assign drivers automatically, plan routes or bundle several orders into one trip; your dispatcher decides. The order moves to Dispatched, the driver gets the job, and the customer gets the Order Dispatched message with the tracking link.
Menuthere charges nothing per delivery or per driver. Your costs are your drivers' pay and their mileage. Whether that beats a courier depends on how many deliveries each driver makes an hour; run your numbers in the own delivery cost calculator, and see in-house delivery for restaurants. Outside India you can also connect your own Uber Direct account for overflow nights, with the customer paying Uber's live fee at checkout. For the WhatsApp side of running your own drivers, read WhatsApp ordering with your own delivery.
Friday, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, on WhatsApp
- Every "hi" gets an answer in seconds. The welcome reply with the Order Now button goes out without anyone at the counter touching the phone.
- Orders ring until accepted on the partner app (Android, iPhone or the Windows counter app). Auto-accept after 30 seconds to 2 minutes catches the ones nobody grabs.
- Tickets print themselves when you pair auto-accept with automatic printing.
- Out of pepperoni? Switch off the topping or the pizza in one tap. It can't be ordered until you switch it back on.
- Too busy to take more? Close ordering with the Open/Closed button. Customers who message while you're closed can go on the We're open again waiting list and get one message when you reopen.
- Game day. On Lite, customers pre-order for a set slot days ahead, and orders due within the hour sit at the top of the Prebookings list.
What WhatsApp costs per pizza order
Meta charges per message, by category and the country code of the customer's number. Menuthere adds nothing; the charges go on your own WhatsApp Business account.
What matters for a pizzeria is who wrote first:
| How the order started | WhatsApp window | How Meta counts your updates |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messaged "hi" and ordered from the link | Open for 24 hours from their last message | Normal messages, counted as service: 1,000 free per number a month, then charged |
| Customer ordered on your website or a flyer QR, never wrote | Closed | Only an approved utility template gets through, charged per message |
| Customer came from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad | Free entry point window, which "may remain open for up to 7 days" | Not charged in any category while it's open |
A plain order update can't reach a customer whose window is closed. To reach website customers on WhatsApp, the flow needs a Send template step for when the window is closed. Their order page updates either way.
Worked US example (illustrative): 600 delivery orders a month. 300 come from website customers who never wrote to you; sending them three utility updates each (placed, dispatched, completed) at about US$0.0034 is 900 × $0.0034 = about $3.06 a month. The other 300 start in WhatsApp, so their four updates are service messages: 1,200 a month, of which 1,000 are free. Compare that with a 25% delivery-app commission on 600 orders at $30, which is $4,500. Check DoorDash's US rates and model your own messages in the WhatsApp cost calculator.
In the US: Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US (+1) numbers. WhatsApp can send order updates (utility, about US$0.0034 each) but not "two-for-Tuesday" promotions; use email for offers. See WhatsApp ordering in the USA. Outside the US, a deal broadcast goes to customers who haven't replied STOP; big lists are spread over several days to stay within Meta's sending limits.
Set it up in an afternoon
- Build the pizza menu first. Sizes, crust and sauce as required choices, toppings with a limit, and a "Second half" group. Import a photo or PDF of your menu to start.
- Connect your WhatsApp number (Pro). One Facebook sign-in; you can keep the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app.
- Switch on the flows: Order placed, Dispatched, Completed and Cancelled at least.
- Add your drivers to the rider app and do a test delivery round the block.
- Put the number on every box. A sticker with a scannable WhatsApp QR code turns a one-off delivery-app customer into a direct one.
- Test on a slow night, with a half-and-half pizza for delivery.
Plans for a pizzeria
| You want | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A pizza menu with sizes and toppings; customers send finished orders to your WhatsApp in one tap | Free (50 orders a month) | US$0 |
| Unlimited orders, card payment to your own Stripe, delivery fee by distance or zone, pre-orders, coupons | Lite | US$17 a month |
| Your WhatsApp number answering, delivery messages with tracking, your own drivers in the rider app, loyalty | Pro | US$39 a month |
| Your own pizza app in the stores | Branded App | US$99 a month, see the pizza ordering app |
Lite and Pro start with a 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start and nothing is charged until it ends. Free needs no card. See the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can customers order pizza on WhatsApp?
Yes. Customers message your pizzeria's WhatsApp number and get a button that opens your menu, signed in. They choose the size, crust and toppings there and pay. On every plan, customers can also send a finished order to your WhatsApp in one tap.
How do half-and-half pizzas work on WhatsApp orders?
The customer builds them on your menu, not in the chat. Most pizzerias add a required "Second half" group with the same toppings, so the kitchen ticket shows both halves. There's no picture builder for halves.
Can the WhatsApp catalog show pizza sizes and toppings?
No. WhatsApp's catalog lists an item's title, photos, price, description and link, with no size or add-on option. That's why pizzerias send the menu link instead.
Can customers track the delivery driver from WhatsApp?
Yes, on Pro. The dispatched message has a Track Order button. With your own driver on the rider app, the order page shows the driver's name, an arrival estimate, a live map and a Call button.
Does Menuthere assign drivers automatically?
No. You assign a driver to each order in one tap. Menuthere doesn't plan routes or batch several deliveries into one trip.
How much do WhatsApp order updates cost a pizzeria?
Meta charges per message on your own WhatsApp Business account. Updates to a customer who wrote to you in the last 24 hours count as service messages, with 1,000 free a month per number. Updates to anyone else need a utility template, about US$0.0034 each for a US number.
Can I send pizza deals to customers on WhatsApp?
Outside the US, yes, as a broadcast of an approved marketing message to customers who haven't opted out. In the US, Meta doesn't deliver marketing messages, so use email for deals.
Sources (5)
- Meta for Developers, "Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform" (per message; 1,000 free service messages per number per month; free entry point window "may remain open for up to 7 days" with no charge for any category while open): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Marketing template per-user limits (US numbers not delivered): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits (accessed 20 Oct 2026, Wave 1)
- Menuthere live guide "Can the WhatsApp catalog show sizes and add-ons?" (WhatsApp catalog fields: title, photos, price, sale price, description, link, product code; cites WhatsApp Help Center): /en/guides/whatsapp-ordering/can-the-whatsapp-catalog-show-sizes-and-add-ons
- Menuthere Docs: Order updates to customers; Customers track the rider live (name, estimate, live map, Call; position checked about every 3 seconds); Assign a rider to an order; Your own delivery riders; Uber Direct; New order alerts and ringing; Accept orders automatically; Print KOT and bills automatically; Mark a dish out of stock; Open or close your store; Scheduled orders (Prebookings); Broadcasts — menuthere.com/docs/… (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- DoorDash US Plus 25% delivery commission (Wave 1 refresh): /en/delivery-app-commission/doordash-usa