WhatsApp chatbot for restaurants
Most US guests call or text a restaurant, but visitors from abroad, Spanish-speaking guests and people who tap a click-to-WhatsApp ad may message on WhatsApp instead, asking if there is a table at eight, whether the patio is open or if the kitchen can do gluten free. A WhatsApp agent answers them from your menu and booking rules while the host stays on the floor.
How do restaurants use WhatsApp with an AI agent?
Restaurants connect their WhatsApp number to an agent that replies to guests in seconds: it checks table requests against the rules you set, sends the current menu, answers allergen and parking questions from your own notes, and passes special requests, complaints or anything it is unsure about to a manager with the thread attached. It runs on the official WhatsApp Business API, not the free app.
Worked example
Friday at 6:30pm, during the first seating
Picture a 70-seat bistro on a Friday. The host is seating walk-ins and the phone keeps ringing. These are example messages from one half hour; your own mix will differ:
| Example message | What the agent does |
|---|---|
| "Table for 4 at 8:15?" | Checks the booking rules or calendar, offers 8:00 or 8:45, and holds the guest's choice |
| "Is the lamb dish nut free?" | Answers from the allergen sheet you uploaded and adds that the kitchen confirms on the night |
| "Can we bring a birthday cake?" | Quotes your cake policy and fee, and notes it on the booking for staff |
| "Our food last week was cold" | Does not offer anything; apologizes and sends the thread to the manager |
The host only touches the last one, and the manager decides what to do about it.
Setup checklist
Before guests start messaging
- Move to the WhatsApp Business API. It needs Meta business verification, which usually takes 24 to 48 hours.
- Upload the menu, allergen sheet and house rules: corkage, cake fee, dress code, deposit policy, dog-friendly areas.
- Decide how bookings land: through Calendly, a Google Sheet, or a webhook or Zapier into your reservation system.
- Write templates for messages you start, such as "your table is ready" or a next-day thank-you. Meta must approve them.
- Collect opt-in before sending anything promotional, and give guests a simple way to stop.
- Keep texting open for everyone else. SMS is the default text channel for US guests, and the same agent can answer texts from the same menu and booking rules.
Replies to a guest within 24 hours of their last message need no template and are free. Templates you send are billed by Meta, and Botcadence does not mark those fees up.
Boundaries
What stays with your staff
Allergies are the big one. The agent can share what your sheet says, but it should always tell guests with severe allergies to speak to the team, and never promise a dish is safe. Complaints, refunds and comps belong to a manager. Payments are not taken in chat; if you need a deposit, send a link to the system you already use.
See restaurant AI take a reservation request
Book a demo to map reservations, catering leads or after-hours calls onto Botcadence.
Common Questions
Restaurant WhatsApp questions
Yes. The agent reads the times you allow, for example from a Google Sheet, Calendly or a webhook into your reservation tool, and confirms in the thread. If it cannot see live tables it collects party size, date and time and a manager confirms.
Only to guests who opted in, and only with Meta-approved templates. Keep marketing light on WhatsApp: use it for confirmations, waitlist updates and the occasional event announcement to people who asked for them.
It quotes the allergen information you uploaded and always adds that the kitchen confirms on the day. For severe allergies it tells the guest to speak to staff and flags the booking so the server sees it.
No. Staff work from a shared inbox in the browser, so whoever is on shift can pick up handed-off threads from a tablet at the host stand or a laptop in the office.
Start with the calls you miss during service
Start with reservation requests or catering leads, then add menu FAQs and large-party confirmations once the first workflow runs smoothly.
- Reader-first workflows
- Human handoff when needed
- Grounded in your content