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A WhatsApp chatbot for restaurants answers menu, allergen and opening-hours questions at any hour and points guests to booking and ordering. What it does and how to set it up.
A WhatsApp chatbot for restaurants answers the questions guests send all day: opening hours, the menu, allergens, vegan or halal options, parking, and how to book a table or order takeaway. It replies straight away in the channel guests already use, points them to your reservation or ordering page, and passes group bookings and anything unusual to your team.
Restaurants miss messages during the dinner rush and after closing, and some of those messages were bookings waiting to happen. A WhatsApp chatbot helps close that gap. Here's what it can do and how to set it up.
What a restaurant WhatsApp chatbot does
- Answers "do you have a table tonight?" by sending guests to your reservation page, so they can book while they're still keen.
- Collects the details for large-party and event enquiries, like name, phone and email, and passes them to your team.
- Answers menu, allergen, vegan, halal and opening-hours questions from your own menu and information.
- Sends guests to your takeaway or delivery ordering page.
- Hands the conversation to a person when a guest asks for one, has a complaint, or needs something the bot can't answer.
- Replies in each guest's own language automatically, or in one fixed language you choose: English, Dutch, German, French or Spanish.
Why WhatsApp specifically for restaurants
Guests don't want to call during your busiest hours, and they won't download an app for one booking. WhatsApp is already on their phone. A chatbot there answers their question and shows them how to book while your staff are all on the floor.
There's more on this on our restaurant solutions page. The same agent can also answer on your website and Instagram.
How to set it up
- Connect your number to the WhatsApp Business Platform. The regular WhatsApp Business app doesn't support this kind of automation.
- Add your menu, allergen information, opening hours, location, policies and FAQs, from your website, PDFs or written FAQs.
- Include your reservation and ordering links in that information, and decide which conversations go to your team, such as group bookings or complaints.
- Go live: share your WhatsApp number and add a click-to-chat link on your website and Google Business Profile.
With SimplyBoost, connecting WhatsApp is a guided sign-up with Meta, and your menu and pages are processed in the background. Read more about our WhatsApp AI chatbot or follow the setup guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can a WhatsApp chatbot take restaurant reservations?
It can help guests get to a booking. SimplyBoost's agent answers their questions and sends them to your reservation page, and for group or special requests it collects their details and alerts your team. It doesn't check live table availability in your reservation system.
Will it handle allergen and menu questions accurately?
It answers from the menu and allergen information you give it, and it doesn't guess when something isn't covered. Keep that information current, and for serious allergies always have a member of staff confirm. You can add "allergy" as a handover keyword so those conversations reach your team.
Does it work for takeaway and delivery too?
It can answer questions about your takeaway and delivery options and send guests to your ordering page. SimplyBoost doesn't take food orders in the chat, so orders go through your existing ordering system.
The short version
A WhatsApp chatbot helps a restaurant answer guests at any hour without tying up staff, so fewer questions and booking requests go unanswered. Try it free for 7 days.