WhatsApp ordering for restaurants in Qatar

A Qatar restaurant can take orders on its own WhatsApp number with no delivery-app commission. With Menuthere, the customer sends "Hi", taps Order Now, orders from your menu in Qatari riyals and gets each update in the same chat. You pay your plan and Meta's message fees — nothing to Menuthere per message. On Meta's rate card effective October 1, 2026, each order update to a Qatari (+974) number costs US$0.012, one of the lowest rates in the Gulf.

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What Meta charges for WhatsApp messages in Qatar

Meta charges per delivered message, priced by category and by the country of the customer's number. Qatar is billed in US dollars (Meta publishes no Qatari riyal card). On the card effective October 1, 2026:

• Order updates are utility templates and are always billed from October 1, 2026, even inside the 24-hour window.
• Only service messages have a free tier: 1,000 a month per business number, which covers the reply to "Hi".
• Qatar's utility rate is low, so a full five-update flow still costs little — see the example below.
• Prices can change only on January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1. Check live figures in our WhatsApp cost calculator.

How a WhatsApp order works with Menuthere

1. The customer sends "Hi" to your number, from your Instagram bio, Google listing or a sticker on the bag.
2. Your number replies with an Order Now button. The link signs them in automatically.
3. They order from your web menu: photos, sizes, add-ons, prices in QAR, delivery or pickup.
4. Updates arrive in the same chat: order placed, accepted, ready, dispatched with a Track Order button, and completed.

The reply to "Hi" is a service message; each update is a utility template. New orders ring on the partner app until someone accepts them. For the full setup route, see how to get the WhatsApp Business API (the connect flow is the same across the Gulf).

Paying for WhatsApp orders in Qatar

Stripe doesn't open accounts in Qatar, so there's no online card checkout through Menuthere yet, and WhatsApp's own in-chat payments aren't available here either. Customers pay:

• Cash or card on delivery, taken by your rider.
• Pay at pickup at the counter.
• Your own payment link, if you use a local gateway.

If you use a Qatari gateway such as Dibsy, SkipCash or a bank gateway, add it to the request list in Settings → Payments & tax; requests decide which we add next. Never ask for card numbers inside the chat — WhatsApp's policies forbid it.

Delivery apps and WhatsApp: what each costs

Most Qatar restaurants keep the apps for new customers and move their regulars to WhatsApp. Here's what the apps charge, from our commission pages:

Worked example: a Doha kitchen with 400 WhatsApp orders a month

Say 400 regulars a month order on WhatsApp at an average of QAR 70 (QAR 28,000 in sales), all to Qatari numbers, your account on the USD card, a full flow (the "Hi" reply plus five updates).

A lean flow (three updates) halves the update cost to about US$14.40. Either way, your whole WhatsApp message bill is a small fraction of app commission on the same QAR 28,000 — see the talabat Qatar page for the rate.

Local checklist for Qatar restaurants

• Prices in QAR. Qatar has no VAT on food at the time of writing, so menu prices are the final price.
• Arabic names on your best sellers (every plan); the whole-menu language button is on Lite and up.
• Welcome and update messages written in the language your customers use.
• A payment method added in Meta's billing, or service replies stop once the free 1,000 are used.
• Order link printed as a QR sticker with the WhatsApp QR code maker, and a pre-filled "Hi" link with the WhatsApp link generator.

More context: our Qatar online ordering system.

How to start

1. Create your free ordering page and import your menu from a photo or PDF.
2. Upgrade to Pro (7-day free trial; a card is needed to start, and nothing is charged until it ends).
3. Connect your number with Facebook sign-in under Sales channel → WhatsApp, then switch on the Welcome and order-update flows.
4. Send yourself a test "Hi" from another phone.