How to set up WhatsApp Business for your restaurant in under an hour

Restaurant customers are already using WhatsApp every day. Many of them would rather send a message to book a table or ask about your menu than click through a third-party app, create an account, and pay a booking fee. The question is whether your restaurant is set up to receive and handle those messages effectively.

This guide will walk you through setting up WhatsApp Business for a restaurant in under an hour — from your profile to your first table reservation workflow.

Step 1: Download WhatsApp Business and create your profile (10 minutes)

WhatsApp Business is a free app available on Android and iOS. Download it and register with your restaurant's phone number. Then fill in your business profile completely:

• Business name — use your actual restaurant name, exactly as customers know it
• Category — select "Restaurant" or "Food & Beverage"
• Description — two to three sentences about your cuisine, your location, and what makes you special
• Address — add your full address with the neighbourhood or landmark
• Hours — your actual opening and closing times, including whether you are open on Sundays
• Website — your Instagram page URL works if you do not have a website
• Email — your restaurant email so customers have another contact option

Step 2: Set up your Catalogue with your menu (20 minutes)

WhatsApp Business has a Catalogue feature that lets you list your dishes with photos, names, and prices. This is not as powerful as a full menu app, but it gives customers browsing your WhatsApp profile a quick look at what you offer.

Add your top 10–15 dishes with photos and prices. Focus on your bestsellers, signature dishes, and anything you want to promote. You can add a PDF menu to the catalogue too if you prefer to share the full menu as a file.

Step 3: Set up Quick Replies for your most common requests (15 minutes)

Set up these Quick Replies to handle the questions you get dozens of times a day:

• /menu — send your full menu PDF or a link to your menu page
• /table — your reservation process: "To book a table, please share your preferred date, time, and number of guests"
• /hours — opening hours for dine-in, takeaway, and delivery
• /location — address with a Google Maps link and parking details
• /delivery — delivery radius, minimum order, and estimated time
• /confirm — reservation confirmation template with date, time, party size, and your deposit or cancellation policy

Step 4: Set your Away and Greeting messages (5 minutes)

Your Greeting Message goes to anyone who messages your restaurant for the first time. Set it to something warm and useful: "Hello! Welcome to [Restaurant Name]. We would love to help you with a table reservation, menu information, or a takeaway order. What can we do for you today?"

Your Away Message covers hours when the kitchen is closed. Set the schedule to match your closing times so customers who message at 3 AM know when to expect a reply: "Hi! We are currently closed. We open at [time]. We will get back to you then — or book your table for tonight by sending your preferred time and party size."

Step 5: Handle your first table reservation over WhatsApp

When a customer messages asking about a table, use your /table Quick Reply to ask for the key details: date, time, party size, and any dietary requirements. Once confirmed, send a /confirm message with all the details.

For busy weekends or special occasions, ask for a small deposit via a Razorpay payment link. This protects you against no-shows and makes the booking feel more official — customers who have paid a deposit almost never cancel without notice.

Managing Instagram DMs alongside WhatsApp

If your restaurant is active on Instagram (and most are), you will also get reservation enquiries via DMs. The challenge is that Instagram DMs and WhatsApp are completely separate apps with separate notification systems.

Many restaurant owners end up checking WhatsApp properly and missing Instagram DMs — or vice versa. The cleanest solution is a unified inbox that shows both channels in one place, so whoever is front-of-house at a given time can see everything without switching apps.