WhatsApp ordering for restaurants in Mexico
Updated October 19, 2026
When a customer writes "¿me mandas el menú?" on WhatsApp, Menuthere answers with an order button. The customer writes to your own number, taps Order Now, orders from your menu in pesos and pays by card into your own Stripe account, or in cash when the food arrives. Meta's MXN card prices each order update to a Mexican number at MX$0.1565 from October 1, 2026; Menuthere's updates are utility templates, so each is billed. In the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026, 83% of Mexican respondents used WhatsApp in the past week.
In short
- Your own number on the official WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta bills your WhatsApp account directly; Menuthere adds no markup.
- Card payments through Stripe (Lite and up) at Stripe's standard 3.6% + MX$3.00. No commission from Menuthere.
- Cash on delivery and pay at pickup on every plan.
- WhatsApp ordering is part of Pro, US$39 a month.
WhatsApp in Mexico
| Network | Past week, any purpose | For news |
|---|---|---|
| 83% | 35% | |
| 75% | 57% | |
| YouTube | 71% | 34% |
| TikTok | 54% | 27% |
| 50% | 18% |
Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2026, Mexico (online survey by YouGov, published June 2026).
Facebook leads for news, but WhatsApp is the network the most people use, full stop. Post your dishes on Facebook; take the order on WhatsApp.
What Meta charges for messages to Mexican numbers
Meta's peso card launched on January 1, 2026. The current file reads "Cost per message in MXN on the WhatsApp Business Platform, effective October 1, 2026".
| Category | MXN card | USD card |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing (promos, broadcasts) | MX$0.7298 | US$0.0397 |
| Utility (order updates as templates) | MX$0.1565 | US$0.0085 |
| Service (replies in the 24-hour window) | MX$0.1565 | US$0.0085 |
- Order updates are utility templates and always billed. Only the reply to "Hola" or "Hi" is a service message; the first 1,000 of those a month are free per business number.
- Tourists pay their own country's rate. An update to a US or Canadian number uses Meta's North America row; see can tourists order on WhatsApp.
- Check other countries in the WhatsApp cost calculator.
Paying for WhatsApp orders in Mexico
WhatsApp's own payments. WhatsApp's Help Center lists Mexico among the four countries where people can pay registered businesses in the app. Meta's public developer guides for business payments cover only India and Brazil, and Menuthere doesn't use in-chat payments. So the payment happens on your Menuthere checkout.
Through your own Stripe account (Lite and up):
| Method | Stripe Mexico | Good for food orders? |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic cards | 3.6% + MX$3.00 | Yes, confirmed at once |
| Apple Pay, Google Pay | Card pricing | Yes, though they may not show in WhatsApp's in-app browser |
| OXXO cash vouchers | See Stripe's pricing page | No: confirmation is delayed, so the food would wait |
Menuthere's checkout shows the methods switched on in your Stripe account. Leave OXXO off for hot food.
On every plan: cash on delivery and pay at pickup, at no fee.
Uber Eats, Rappi and DiDi Food
All three add 16% IVA to their fees. From our commission pages:
| App | Commission |
|---|---|
| Uber Eats | 25% Lite, 27% Plus, 29% Premium; 1 to 3 points more for Uber One members; Lite and Plus include a marketing spend of 5% or 4% of sales |
| Rappi | Not published; about 25% when Rappi delivers, by public reports |
| DiDi Food | Not published; about 30% when DiDi delivers, about 18% if you deliver |
Comparing platforms: Rappi alternatives, DiDi Food alternatives.
Worked example: a Guadalajara taquería, 400 WhatsApp orders a month
Assume 400 orders at MX$250 (MX$100,000 a month), Mexican numbers, MXN billing, the "Hola" reply plus four updates per order (placed, accepted, dispatched with tracking, completed), all paid by card.
| Item | Working | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| "Hola" replies (service) | 400, inside the 1,000 free | MX$0 |
| Order updates (utility) | 400 × 4 = 1,600 × MX$0.1565 | MX$250.40 |
| Stripe card fees | 3.6% × MX$100,000 + 400 × MX$3.00 | MX$4,800 |
| Menuthere Pro | US$39 |
On Uber Eats Plus instead: 27% = MX$27,000, plus 16% IVA on the fee (MX$4,320) = MX$31,320.
Cash orders cut the Stripe line to zero. Most of your WhatsApp channel's cost is card processing, not messages.
Set it up for Mexico
- Create your free ordering page, set pesos, and write the menu in Spanish. The menu language button (Lite and up) can also show it in English for visitors.
- Upgrade to Pro (7-day free trial; a card is needed to start, nothing is charged until it ends).
- Connect your number with Facebook sign-in. Then add a First message flow so "Hola" and "Buenas" get the Order Now button too, not only "Hi".
- Connect Stripe, switch on cards, and leave OXXO off.
- Make a pre-filled "Hola, quiero ordenar" link with the WhatsApp link generator.
Step-by-step: how to take orders on WhatsApp. In Spanish: pedidos por WhatsApp.
FAQs
How much does WhatsApp Business cost per message in Mexico?
On Meta's MXN card effective October 1, 2026, a message to a Mexican number costs MX$0.7298 for marketing and MX$0.1565 for utility or service. Menuthere's order updates are utility templates and always billed; only the reply to Hola or Hi counts toward the 1,000 free service messages a month.
Can customers pay inside WhatsApp in Mexico?
WhatsApp's Help Center lists Mexico as a country where people can pay registered businesses in the app. Menuthere doesn't use in-chat payments; customers pay by card on your Menuthere checkout or in cash on delivery.
Should I accept OXXO payments for food orders?
Not for hot food. OXXO is a cash voucher that Stripe confirms with a delay, so the kitchen would have to wait. Use cards, cash on delivery or pay at pickup instead.
Is WhatsApp ordering cheaper than Uber Eats in Mexico?
For repeat customers, yes. On MX$100,000 a month, Uber Eats Plus costs MX$31,320 with IVA. The same orders on WhatsApp cost about MX$250.40 in Meta fees, Stripe's card fees and the US$39 Pro plan.
Can I reply in Spanish?
Yes. You can edit the wording of every flow in Spanish, and set a flow to answer any first message, such as Hola, with the Order Now button. Meta's template languages include Spanish (Mexico).
Sources (7)
- Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2026: Mexico, published June 2026: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026/mexico (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (MXN card launched January 1, 2026; rates effective October 1, 2026): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- WhatsApp Help Center, Learn more about participating countries: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1293279751500598 (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Supported template languages: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/supported-languages (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Stripe, Mexico pricing: https://stripe.com/mx/pricing (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Stripe Docs, OXXO payments: https://docs.stripe.com/payments/oxxo (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere commission pages for Uber Eats, Rappi and DiDi Food Mexico (accessed 19 Oct 2026)