WhatsApp review request templates for restaurants
Updated October 20, 2026
A WhatsApp review request is a utility template only when it asks about one specific order or visit. Meta's rule is that feedback requests need "specificity of the order or interaction", and that a general survey "will not be approved as utility". Its own utility examples include a delivered-order survey and an in-store visit survey. As utility it costs about US$0.0034 per message to a US number (Meta's rate card effective October 1, 2026). Add a reward ("review us and get 10% off") and it carries promotional content, which makes it marketing. In Menuthere you can often skip the extra message entirely: the order flows can carry {{review_url}}, a link that opens the review for that order without signing in.
In short
- Category: Utility if it names the order or visit; marketing if it's a general survey or offers a reward.
- Cheapest option: put
{{review_url}}into the Order completed message you already send. No extra message, no extra fee. - In Menuthere: the customer rates the order 1 to 5 stars, can add a comment and up to 5 photos, and can review each order once. Reviews land in Customers → Reviews.
- In the US, WhatsApp can send order updates but not promotions; use email for offers.
Three review request wordings
{{order_id}}, {{customer_name}} and {{store_name}} come from Menuthere's order flows. The Rate your order button opens menuthere.com/review/ plus that order's id.
1. About the order
Hi {{customer_name}}, how was your order #{{order_id}} from {{store_name}}? Tap Rate your order to tell us. It takes under a minute.
Button: Rate your order2. After a visit
Thank you for visiting {{store_name}} on {{visit_date}}, {{customer_name}}. How was your meal? Tap below to rate your visit.
Button: Rate your visit3. Google review
Hi {{customer_name}}, thank you for your order #{{order_id}}. If you have a moment, you can review {{store_name}} on Google with the button below.
Button: Review us on GoogleThe template to submit to Meta
Wording 1 (about the order), ready to paste:
Name: review_request_order
Category: Utility
Language: en_US
Body:
Hi {{1}}, how was your order #{{2}} from {{3}}? Tap Rate your order to tell us. It takes under a minute.
Body examples:
{{1}} = Maria
{{2}} = 1042
{{3}} = Luna Taqueria
Button (visit website): Rate your order → https://menuthere.com/review/{{1}} (example: https://menuthere.com/review/8f3c2a71)Specific, general or rewarded: what Meta does with each
| Request | Category | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "How was your order #1042?" with a link to rate that order | Utility | Names one order: Meta's delivered-order survey example |
| "Thanks for visiting on Friday, how was your meal?" | Utility | Names one visit: Meta's in-store visit survey example |
| "Review us on Google" after order #1042 | Utility or marketing: Meta decides | It names the order but asks for something outside it. If it is approved as marketing, US numbers won't receive it |
| "Tell us what you think of our restaurant" | Marketing | A general survey "will not be approved as utility" |
| "Leave a review and get 10% off" | Marketing | Promotional content in a feedback request |
What it costs per send
| Customer's number | Utility rate per message | Per 1,000 sends |
|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada | US$0.0034 | US$3.40 |
| United Kingdom | US$0.022 | US$22.00 |
| India | US$0.0014 | US$1.40 |
| Brazil | US$0.0068 | US$6.80 |
| United Arab Emirates | US$0.0157 | US$15.70 |
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.
What the customer sees after tapping the link
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Link | {{review_url}}, the review for that order; no sign-in needed |
| Rating | 1 to 5 stars |
| Comment | Optional, 5 to 250 characters |
| Photos | Up to 5 |
| Limit | One review per order |
| Where you read it | Customers → Reviews: average out of 5, a bar per star, filters, and the order behind each review |
The same Rate your order button also appears on the customer's order page once the order is completed. You can switch the whole thing off with Ask customers for reviews in Customers → Reviews.
Worked example: 500 completed orders a month
A restaurant wants a review request on every completed order. Two ways to do it:
| Option | Extra messages | US numbers | UK numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| A separate review template, sent later | 500 | 500 × US$0.0034 = US$1.70 | 500 × US$0.022 = US$11.00 |
{{review_url}} added to the Order completed message already sent | 0 | US$0 extra | US$0 extra |
The second option keeps the request inside a message that is already about that order, so it stays utility and costs nothing more. Use a separate template only when you want to ask a few hours later, after the meal. Related: can I ask for feedback with a utility message and how do I ask for Google reviews on WhatsApp.
FAQs
Is a WhatsApp review request a utility or marketing message?
Utility when it asks about one specific order or visit. Meta says a general survey will not be approved as utility, and a request with a reward carries promotional content, which makes it marketing.
Can I offer a discount for a review on WhatsApp?
Not in a utility template. A reward is promotional content, so Meta files the template as marketing, which costs more and is not delivered to US numbers.
How do I add a review link to my WhatsApp order messages in Menuthere?
Add the review_url value to an order flow message, such as Order completed. It opens the review for that order without signing in, so no extra message is needed.
How much does a WhatsApp review request cost?
About US$0.0034 to a US or Canadian number and US$0.022 to a UK number as a utility template, on Meta's USD rate card effective October 1, 2026. A link added to a message you already send costs nothing extra.
Sources (6)
- Meta categorization page: "Specificity of the order or interaction to which these relate is necessary"; a general survey "will not be approved as utility"; utility examples "Delivery/order feedback survey" and "In-store visit survey" (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)