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Restaurants · WhatsApp marketing

Put the menu, the table booking and the repeat order on the app your guests already open.

WhatsApp marketing for a restaurant means using one business number to take table bookings, send menus, receive direct orders and invite guests who agreed to hear from you. GullySales sets up the account, the catalogue, the replies and the rules for who may be messaged.

Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Realistic editorial illustration of restaurants at work in India

What WhatsApp marketing means

WhatsApp marketing is sending updates, offers and reminders to customers on the app most Indian buyers already check daily. GullySales sets up business WhatsApp, writes the message templates and keeps the list consented and current.

Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Rules for this trade differ by state and professional body, and they change. We describe restrictions in general terms, so check the current position with your own council or adviser before you publish anything.

For restaurants

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “The organiser wants a menu and a price in the chat”

    A person planning a dinner for a group will not read a long website. They want a picture of the set menu, the per-head rate and a yes on the cake, all in the thread they are already using.

  • “A personal number is not a business account”

    Orders and enquiries on a staff member's own phone vanish when the phone changes hands. A business number with a catalogue, quick replies and labels belongs to the restaurant and stays when staff move on.

  • “Broadcasting to everyone makes the list stop listening”

    A regular who gets the same message as a stranger soon blocks the number. Messages sorted by guest type and sent only to people who agreed keep the channel useful.

  • “Direct orders need a reason as well as a number”

    A card in the delivery bag with a WhatsApp number does nothing alone. The guest needs a clear gain, such as the full menu, a faster reply or a dish not on the app.

What we do

What we deliver for restaurants.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. A business account set up the way a restaurant uses it

    Name, address, hours, menu link and a greeting, on a business number with more than one staff member able to answer.

    Result: Guests reach a restaurant account and not a private phone.

  2. A catalogue of your menu and set menus

    Dishes and party packages with photographs and prices, kept in step with the printed menu and updated when it changes.

    Result: What a guest sees in chat matches the table.

  3. Quick replies for the usual questions

    Saved answers for timings, parking, vegetarian options, cake policy and booking steps, written so a busy server can send one in a tap.

    Result: The common questions are answered the same way every time.

  4. An opt-in and a rule for who gets what

    Consent wording at the bill, lists by guest type, and a plain way to stop messages, with the platform's current rules for business messages checked before any broadcast.

    Result: Only people who said yes receive offers.

  5. A direct ordering route for repeat guests

    A short flow for takeaway and delivery orders taken in chat, with payment and pickup details set out clearly.

    Result: Regulars can order without going through an app.

  6. Labels that mark the stage of each chat

    Tags such as new enquiry, quote sent, confirmed and thanked, so nothing is left half-answered.

    Result: You can open the account and see where each booking stands.

How the result is measured

  • Messages delivered
  • Reply rate
  • Enquiries from WhatsApp

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

What to capture or send

Messages and moments a restaurant plans on WhatsApp.

Opt-in at the table or on the form
A line asking permission, with the date and outlet recorded. It separates guests who agreed from those who only left a number.
Set menu sheet for parties
A saved reply with the party menus and the booking terms. It answers the organiser's first question in the chat.
Table booking confirmation
A message with the date, time and headcount. It records the booking so the captain and the owner see the same plan.
Repeat order message for regulars
A chat with their usual order and a reply to confirm. It gives a regular a direct route and avoids the app's commission.
Label for each chat stage
Enquiry, quoted, booked, past guest. It shows the owner where each chat stands without reading all of them.

Who it is for

This is written for these restaurants.

  • Family restaurants and multi-cuisine dining
  • South Indian vegetarian restaurants and darshinis
  • Biryani, kebab and non-vegetarian specialists
  • Regional cuisine restaurants
  • Casual dining and bar restaurants
  • Quick service restaurants and food courts
  • Cloud kitchens and delivery-only brands
  • Office canteens and food service operators
  • Multi-outlet restaurant groups

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • The restaurant's number is also the owner's personal phone, so a business setup would not be reachable in practice.
  • You hold customer numbers from delivery apps without their permission, so a broadcast would reach people who never agreed.

How it works

How the whatsapp marketing work runs

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

  1. 1

    Read the chats you already have

    We read how customers write to you, which questions repeat and where a chat goes quiet. The repeated questions decide what gets automated first.

  2. 2

    Sort the list and the permission

    Contacts who asked to hear from you are separated from numbers that only sit in a phone book. We agree the wording new contacts will see before they say yes.

  3. 3

    Choose the app or the API

    One phone and a small team can stay on the ordinary app. Several people on one number, templates or a CRM link need the API through a provider, which is its own piece of setup work.

  4. 4

    Write the replies and the plan

    The greeting, away message, saved replies and handover rule are written in your words and approved by you. The message plan and its templates follow.

  5. 5

    Connect the record and test

    Each link carries its source line and each chat lands in the CRM. We test on real phones, including a customer who asks for a person.

  6. 6

    Read the unanswered questions

    A question the first reply could not answer becomes a new saved reply or a fixed handover. Stop requests are watched too, with the number's quality rating where the API is used, since both show a message plan that has gone too far.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

This work sits inside sales process design, at stage 0, foundation. The audit comes before it, and sales management keeps it running.

  1. Step 1

    Sales audit

    Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.

    Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.

  2. Step 2 · you are here

    Sales process design

    One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.

    Start here if every salesperson sells differently.

  3. Step 3

    Sales management

    A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

    Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Do we need the WhatsApp Business API?
Not for a single outlet. The standard business app covers catalogue, quick replies and labels. A group sending bulk messages or connecting billing software may need the API through an approved provider.
Can we message customers from the delivery apps?
Check the platform's current rules first. The safe route is to ask guests at your own tables and on your own bills for permission, and to message only those who agree.
What do we say in a first message?
Say who you are, what the guest asked for and what you can do for them. Keep it short and give one next step, such as the menu or a date to confirm.
Can the restaurant use WhatsApp to take table bookings?
Yes, if someone reads the chat during service and writes each booking into the register. A chat with no matching entry produces double bookings. Check the platform's current rules for business messages, and confirm each booking in writing.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
Your brief, and a conversation. After that, access to whatever this work touches, such as your website, your accounts or your enquiry record, and time with the people who handle your enquiries.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

Your next practical step

Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.