Order delayed: WhatsApp templates for restaurants
Updated October 20, 2026
An "order delayed" WhatsApp message is a utility template when it only updates the customer about their late order: a sorry, a new time and, if you like, the reason. It costs about US$0.0034 per message to a US number (Meta's rate card effective October 1, 2026). The trap is the apology credit. Meta lists "delivery delay with account credit" as a marketing example, so a delay message that adds "$5 off your next order" becomes marketing: it costs about 7 times more in the US and Canada rate band, and Meta does not deliver it to US numbers at all. Say sorry in the template; give any credit another way.
In short
- Category: Utility, as long as there is no credit, coupon or offer in it.
- Menuthere has no automatic delay message. You send it yourself from the WhatsApp inbox: a normal reply if the customer wrote in the last 24 hours, the Template button if not.
- Give the new time, not just "sorry". The time is what stops the follow-up call.
- In the US, WhatsApp can send order updates but not promotions; use email for offers.
Three order delayed wordings
{{new_time}} and {{delay_reason}} are typed by you when you send it. Keep the reason short and factual: "the kitchen is busier than usual tonight", "the driver is stuck in traffic".
1. New time
Header: Your order is running late
Hi {{customer_name}}, sorry, your order #{{order_id}} from {{store_name}} is running late. The new expected time is {{new_time}}. Thank you for your patience.2. With a reason
Hi {{customer_name}}, a quick update on order #{{order_id}}: {{delay_reason}}. It should now reach you by {{new_time}}. Reply to this message if you need to change the order.3. Driver delayed
Your driver for order #{{order_id}} is delayed by traffic, {{customer_name}}. New arrival time: about {{new_time}}. Tap Track order to follow the driver live.
Button: Track orderThe template to submit to Meta
Wording 2 (with a reason), ready to paste. When you send it from the inbox you fill each value by hand:
Name: order_delayed_reason
Category: Utility
Language: en_US
Body:
Hi {{1}}, a quick update on order #{{2}}: {{3}}. It should now reach you by {{4}}. Reply to this message if you need to change the order.
Body examples:
{{1}} = Maria
{{2}} = 1042
{{3}} = the kitchen is busier than usual tonight
{{4}} = 7:15 PMApology, credit or coupon: what each does to the category
| What the delay message contains | Category | Delivered to US numbers? | Rate to a US number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sorry + new time | Utility | Yes | US$0.0034 |
| Sorry + reason + new time + "reply to change your order" | Utility | Yes | US$0.0034 |
| Sorry + new time + "we've added a $5 credit to your next order" | Marketing (Meta's own example) | No | Not delivered |
| Sorry + discount code for next time | Marketing | No | Not delivered |
If you want to make it up to the customer, refund the delivery fee from your payment gateway, or tell them about a credit in a normal reply after they write back (a reply reopens the 24-hour window).
What it costs per send
| Customer's number | Utility rate per message | Per 100 sends |
|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada | US$0.0034 | US$0.34 |
| United Kingdom | US$0.022 | US$2.20 |
| India | US$0.0014 | US$0.14 |
| Brazil | US$0.0068 | US$0.68 |
| United Arab Emirates | US$0.0157 | US$1.57 |
Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026, read on October 20, 2026. Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business account; Menuthere adds no markup. Check any other country in the WhatsApp cost calculator.
How to send it from Menuthere
- Open Sales channel → WhatsApp → Inbox and the customer's chat.
- Look at the header. "5h left in 24h window" means you can type a normal reply. "24h window closed — template only" means you must use a template.
- If the window is closed, press Template, pick your approved delay template and fill in the order number and new time.
- Change the order's status as normal; the customer's order page updates by itself.
Worked example: a Friday rush at a Los Angeles taquería
The kitchen falls behind on a Friday night: 25 of 140 orders will be at least 20 minutes late. 15 of those customers ordered by sending "Hola" on WhatsApp in the last hour; 10 ordered on the website.
| Customers | How you reach them | Messages | Meta fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrote on WhatsApp tonight | Normal reply in the inbox | 15 | 15 × US$0.0034 = US$0.051 |
| Website only | Approved delay template | 10 | 10 × US$0.0034 = US$0.034 |
| All late orders, utility wording | 25 | US$0.085 | |
| Same 10 website customers, template with a $5 credit | Marketing template | 10 | Not delivered to US numbers: those 10 hear nothing |
The credit version fails exactly the customers who most need the message. Related: how to give a delivery time estimate on WhatsApp and how to stop missing WhatsApp orders at busy times.
FAQs
Is an order delay message a utility or marketing template on WhatsApp?
Utility, when it only apologizes and gives the new time or the reason. Meta lists a delivery delay message with an account credit as a marketing example, so adding a credit or coupon makes it marketing.
Does Menuthere send a delay message automatically?
No. You send it from the WhatsApp inbox. Type a normal reply if the customer wrote in the last 24 hours, or press Template to send an approved template if the window has closed.
Can I offer a discount in a WhatsApp delay message to US customers?
Not in a template. A delay template with a credit or coupon is marketing, and Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers. Offer it in a normal reply once the customer writes back, or refund the fee.
How much does a WhatsApp delay message cost?
About US$0.0034 to a US or Canadian number and US$0.022 to a UK number as a utility message, on Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026.
Sources (6)
- Meta categorization page, MARKETING › Retargeting example "delivery delay with account credit" (accessed 20 Oct 2026).
- Meta for Developers, Template categorization (utility = non-promotional and specific to or requested by the user; mixed content = marketing; examples by category; utility submitted but judged marketing is approved as marketing since April 9, 2025): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization (accessed 20 Oct 2026; the page shows no date)
- Meta for Developers, Template components (text header 60 characters and 1 parameter; body 1,024; footer 60; up to 10 buttons; URL buttons up to 2, label 25, one variable appended to the end of the URL): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/components (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Template review (rejection reasons: mismatched braces, non-sequential parameters, too many parameters for the length, template starts or ends with a parameter, duplicates; decisions can take up to 24 hours): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-review (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (per delivered message, by category and the recipient's country calling code; utility in the customer service window billed as regular from October 1, 2026; 1,000 free service messages per business number per month): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Per-user marketing template message limits ("WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing template messages to WhatsApp users with United States phone numbers", defined as +1 with a US area code): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits (accessed 20 Oct 2026)