WhatsApp Restaurant Reservations and Food Orders
Guests message restaurants on WhatsApp to book a table, add two more people, ask if the kitchen can do gluten-free, or check where their takeaway is. AeroChat answers those messages from your own systems. It books tables in Eat App or ResDiary, and answers menu, sold-out and order questions from Toast, inside the same chat.
What happens today
Reservation messages arrive during service, when nobody can look at a phone. A host checks them between seatings, opens the reservation system, finds a table and replies an hour later. By then the guest has booked somewhere else.
Takeaway and delivery questions come in at the same time. “Is my order on the way?” and “do you still have the laksa?” pull staff away from the pass.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- The guest asks for a table. AeroChat asks for the date, time and party size, and any dietary needs or occasion.
- It reads availability from your reservation system and offers the time they asked for or the nearest free times.
- It creates the reservation with the guest’s name, phone number, party size and notes, then confirms it in the chat.
- For changes, it finds the reservation by phone number, or asks for the booking reference when no number is available, and updates the party size or time.
- For food questions, it reads your menu and today’s sold-out items from Toast, and checks an order’s status when a guest asks where it is.
- Groups above your limit, private dining and complaints go to the manager on duty, with the details already collected. For large groups it can send an Airwallex payment link for the deposit (Growth and above).
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a guest asks to book a table or change a booking, follow these steps.
- Ask for the date, time, number of guests and any dietary needs or special occasion.
- Check availability in our reservation system. If the time they asked for is full, offer the two nearest free times.
- Create the reservation with their name, phone number, party size and notes. If there is no phone number, ask for their email.
- Confirm the booking with the date, time, party size and our address. Tell them we hold tables for 15 minutes (example).
- To change a booking, find it by phone number or booking reference and update it.
- For groups of more than 10 (example), send the deposit link for S$20 per person (example) and hand the conversation to the events manager.
When a guest asks about the menu, a dish or their takeaway order, answer from Toast. If a dish is sold out today, say so and suggest one alternative. If a guest complains about food or service, hand the conversation to the manager on duty. Reply in the customer’s language.
Change the table hold time, group size and deposit amount to your own before you paste it.
Connect the systems behind it
- Eat App: checks availability, creates the reservation and makes changes when the guest asks.
- ResDiary: reads your tables and availability and writes the booking into your diary.
- Toast: reads your menu, today’s stock and order status, so guests are told what the kitchen is selling right now.
Deposits for large groups use Airwallex payment links, sent inside the chat.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
A guest’s message to book is free. AeroChat’s replies inside the 24-hour window are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and charged per message after that. A booking confirmed in two or three replies keeps the count down, which now saves money. Guests who tap a click-to-WhatsApp ad get a free window of up to 7 days. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
The same reservation workflow runs on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (direct messages and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, the chat on your website and email, with the same reservation and Toast connections. Guests who find you on Instagram can book in that same chat.
Who uses it
See how it works for restaurants and caterers, including table reservations and large group handover.
Read more: WhatsApp chatbots for restaurants and food delivery.
Questions
Can guests book a restaurant table on WhatsApp?
Yes. AeroChat checks availability in your reservation system, books the table and confirms it in the chat. Your host stand sees the booking in the same system it already uses.
Can it take food orders on WhatsApp too?
It answers menu and sold-out questions from Toast and checks the status of an existing order. To take an order in the chat, it collects the items, sends an Airwallex payment link and passes the order to your team.
What does a WhatsApp reservation cost to handle?
The guest’s message is free. Replies within 24 hours of the guest’s last message are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number, then charged per message at Meta’s rate for that country.
Which AeroChat plan do I need?
Workflows via Skills are on every plan, Free included. Starter has 500 AI responses and 3 seats. Growth has 2,000 AI responses and 10 seats, and adds payment links for deposits and broadcasts. Advanced has 5,000 AI responses and 25 seats.
Answer booking messages during service
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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.
Related: booking deposits on WhatsApp and ordering in chat.