WhatsApp ordering with your own delivery: from "Hi" to delivered
Updated October 20, 2026
Yes, one Menuthere Pro plan (US$39 a month) takes an order that starts with "Hi" on your WhatsApp number and finishes with your own rider at the door. The customer sends "Hi" and gets an Order Now button that opens your menu already signed in. They order and pay on your store. WhatsApp then tells them when you accept, when the food is ready and when it leaves, with the rider's name and a Track Order button to a live map. Your rider runs the Menuthere Delivery App on iPhone or Android, and marking the order delivered sends a thank-you with a Reorder button. Menuthere takes 0% commission; Meta bills each WhatsApp message to your own account at its published rate.
In short
- Ordering happens on your store, not inside the chat. WhatsApp carries the "Hi", the link and the updates.
- No typing a phone number or a one-time code: the Order Now link signs the customer in with their WhatsApp number. It is valid for 23 hours.
- Riders are yours, added with a phone number and password, assigned by hand from the order screen.
- The customer tracks without an app, on a web page with a live map and a Call button.
- In the US, Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers: WhatsApp sends these order updates, not promotions. Use email for offers.
The journey, step by step
| # | What happens | Who does it | What the customer sees | WhatsApp cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customer sends "Hi" to your number | Customer | — | — |
| 2 | Welcome flow replies with Order Now | Your WhatsApp bot | "Tap Order Now below to open the menu — you'll be signed in automatically. The link is valid for 23 hours." | Service message: inside 1,000 free a month per number |
| 3 | Customer picks dishes, enters the address, pays | Customer, on your store | Your menu, delivery fee, tax and tip lines, Stripe card checkout or cash on delivery | — |
| 4 | Order placed message | Automatic | "Order Received!", items, full bill, View Order button | Utility rate |
| 5 | Your phone rings until you accept | You, in the Menuthere partner app or dashboard | Order accepted message | Utility rate |
| 6 | Kitchen marks it ready | You | Order food ready message (optional) | Utility rate |
| 7 | You press Assign rider and pick an online rider | You | The order is marked dispatched; Order dispatched message with the rider's name, phone number and Track Order | Utility rate |
| 8 | Rider's phone shows "New Delivery Assignment" with the order number and drop address | Menuthere Delivery App | — | — |
| 9 | Rider drives; the app shares their location | Rider | Tracking page: "On the way", arrival estimate, live map, Call | Free (a web page) |
| 10 | Rider marks it delivered | Rider, in the app | The order moves to completed; Order completed message with total and Reorder | Utility rate |
| 11 | Customer taps Reorder next week | Customer | Their last order, its total and a link that reloads it into checkout | Service message |
Each order message is a flow you switch on or off. The wording is editable in any language, so "Hola" can get the same Order Now button: add a First message or keyword trigger to the welcome flow.
Worked example: a Friday dinner order in Queens
A family orders from a Bangladeshi restaurant in Queens, New York. Times are illustrative; the steps are what Menuthere does.
| Time | Step | Meta fee (US number) |
|---|---|---|
| 7:02 pm | Customer sends "Hi"; the welcome reply arrives with Order Now | US$0 (service, inside the free 1,000) |
| 7:06 pm | Order of US$48.00 placed with a card through your own Stripe account; Order Received with the bill | US$0.0034 |
| 7:07 pm | You accept on the partner app; Order Accepted | US$0.0034 |
| 7:31 pm | Assign rider; Order Dispatched with the rider's name and Track Order | US$0.0034 |
| 7:31–7:52 pm | The customer opens the tracking page four times | US$0 |
| 7:52 pm | Rider marks delivered; Order Completed with Reorder | US$0.0034 |
Messaging cost for the order: US$0.0136. Stripe's standard US card price on US$48.00 is 2.9% + 30¢ = US$1.69, paid to Stripe from your own account. Menuthere's commission is 0%; the plan is a flat US$39 a month, with no per-order, per-rider or per-message fee.
Who runs what, and who you pay
| Piece | Runs on | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp number and messages | Your WhatsApp Business account on Meta's platform, connected with Facebook sign-in | Meta, per message, at its published rate. Menuthere adds nothing |
| Bot, menu, checkout, order screen, tracking page | Menuthere | Pro, US$39 a month |
| Card payments | Your own Stripe account (Lite and above) | Stripe's fees; the money lands in your Stripe balance |
| Rider app with live location | Menuthere Delivery App, App Store and Google Play | Included in Pro, with no per-rider fee |
| Riders | Your staff | Their pay is yours to set |
What if no rider is free?
- Dispatch without a rider. When no rider is active, the rider list offers this so the order can still go out; the customer still gets the dispatched message, without rider details.
- Add a courier as well. Outside India you can connect your own Uber Direct account: customers see Uber's live delivery fee at checkout, a courier is booked when you accept, and Uber bills your Uber account. When the courier's tracking link is available, the Track Order button opens it. See using your own riders and a courier at the same time and what happens when your only rider is out.
What this flow does not do
- No checkout inside WhatsApp. The customer orders on your store page; that is where the menu, add-ons and payment live.
- No automatic rider assignment. You pick the rider; online riders are listed first.
- No SMS. A customer without WhatsApp can still order on your store and track on the order page. See WhatsApp vs SMS for restaurants.
- No promotional WhatsApp messages to US numbers, because Meta doesn't deliver them.
Set it up in an afternoon
- Create your free ordering page and import your menu from a photo or PDF.
- Set your delivery area and fee, and connect Stripe if you take cards.
- Start Pro (7-day trial; a card is needed to start, nothing is charged until it ends) and connect your WhatsApp number with Facebook sign-in.
- Switch on the order flows in Sales channel → WhatsApp → Flows.
- Add your riders in Settings → Ordering → Delivery boy settings and share the app's QR code with them.
- Make a "Hi, I want to order" link with the WhatsApp link generator for your Google profile, bags and flyers.
More detail: what the customer receives at each step, the rider app, running in-house delivery and, for US restaurants, WhatsApp ordering in the USA. For the India-focused story behind this flow, read from "Hi" to delivered, without an app.
FAQs
Can I take orders on WhatsApp and deliver them with my own riders?
Yes, on the Pro plan at US$39 a month. A customer's Hi gets an Order Now link to your menu, they order on your store, and you assign one of your riders. The rider uses the Menuthere Delivery App and the customer tracks them on a live map from WhatsApp.
Does the customer have to type their phone number or a code?
No. The Order Now link from WhatsApp signs them in with their WhatsApp number automatically. The link is valid for 23 hours; after that they send Hi again for a fresh one.
How do riders get the orders?
You press Assign rider on the order and pick a rider; online riders come first. Their phone shows a New Delivery Assignment notification with the order number and drop address. Assigning marks the order dispatched.
What does one WhatsApp order cost me in messages?
To a US number, about US$0.0034 per order update on Meta's rate card effective October 1, 2026. With placed, accepted, dispatched and completed switched on, that is US$0.0136 per order. The reply to Hi is a service message within the 1,000 free a month per number.
Can customers order without leaving WhatsApp?
No. Menuthere sends a link, and the order is placed on your store page, where your full menu, add-ons and payment are. WhatsApp handles the greeting and every update after that.
Is the rider app on iPhone?
Yes. The Menuthere Delivery App is on the App Store and Google Play, and riders sign in with the phone number and password you set.
Sources (3)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (Oct 1, 2026 changes; 1,000 free service messages per number per month; USD rate card effective October 1, 2026): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Marketing template per-user limits (US numbers): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Stripe, pricing (standard US online card price 2.9% + 30¢): https://stripe.com/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026 via search; the page geolocates, see Facts)