If you are wondering how to take orders on WhatsApp, the honest answer is that there are three ways, and the right one depends on how many orders you handle a day. You can take orders manually in the free WhatsApp Business app, you can let customers pick from a catalog and send you a cart, or you can run an ordering bot on the WhatsApp Business API that collects the order, address and payment for you.
This guide walks through all three, in the order most restaurants adopt them. It covers the profile setup, the menu, the order conversation itself, payment, getting the order to the kitchen, and how to tell customers that your number takes orders. Everything here applies whether you run a 20-seat dhaba in Indore or a cloud kitchen in Bengaluru.
The three ways to take orders on WhatsApp
Most restaurants start with the first option and move to the third once the phone becomes a bottleneck. Here is how they compare.
| Method | What the customer does | What you do | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual chat (WhatsApp Business app) | Types the order as a message | Read, confirm, write it down, ask for address and payment | Under 20 to 30 orders a day, one phone |
| Catalog and cart (WhatsApp Business app) | Browses your catalog, adds items, sends a cart | Receive the cart message, then confirm, price delivery and collect payment by hand | Small fixed menus, low volume |
| Ordering bot (WhatsApp Business API) | Taps through menu, variants, address, payment inside the chat | Accept the order in a dashboard, print the KOT, update status | Any restaurant that wants orders to arrive complete and paid |
The difference between the first two and the third is who does the work. In the first two, your staff turns a conversation into an order. In the third, the customer completes the order and your staff only accepts it. For a wider view of what an ordering system should include, read the complete guide to WhatsApp ordering systems.
Step 1: Set up your WhatsApp Business profile properly
Before a single order arrives, make sure the number customers message looks like a business and answers like one. Download the WhatsApp Business app (it is separate from the normal WhatsApp app) and register your restaurant's number on it. If the number is currently on personal WhatsApp, the app will offer to move it across.
Fill in every field in the business profile. Customers check these before they order.
- Business name: the name on your signboard, spelled the same way as on Google.
- Category: Restaurant, Cafe, or Food and Beverage.
- Address and hours: include the days you are closed. A customer who messages at 11 pm should know you open at 11 am.
- Description: one line about what you serve and how to order, for example "North Indian thalis and biryani. Send 'menu' to order for delivery within 5 km."
- Website or link: your menu link or store page.
Then set up the three automations the app gives you for free: a greeting message for first-time contacts, an away message for closed hours, and quick replies for the answers you type ten times a day. The greeting message examples for restaurants post has ready-to-use text for each type of food business.
Step 2: Put your menu where customers can see it
The single biggest cause of slow WhatsApp order taking is the customer asking "what do you have?" and your staff typing the menu out, or sending a photo that is unreadable on a phone. Fix this once.
Option A: A clean menu image or PDF
Export your menu as a PDF or a tall image with large text, and save it as a quick reply so staff can send it with two taps. Keep prices current. An old PDF with last year's prices creates arguments at delivery time.
Option B: The WhatsApp Business catalog
The catalog lives inside your business profile. Each item has a photo, name, price and description, and customers can add items to a cart and send it to you as a single message. Setup takes an hour for a 40-item menu. The step-by-step catalog setup guide covers it, including collections for starters, mains and combos.
Option C: A link to an online menu or store page
A web menu link works on any phone and can show variants (half or full), add-ons (extra raita, extra cheese) and out-of-stock items, none of which the catalog handles well. If the menu page also lets the customer place the order, you have moved to the third method.
Step 3: Design the order conversation
A manual WhatsApp order needs five pieces of information. Write them down and train every person who touches the phone to collect all five before saying "confirmed".
- Items and quantities, including variants (half or full, spicy or mild).
- Delivery, pickup or dine-in, and if delivery, the full address with a landmark.
- Time: now, or a specific slot.
- Payment method: UPI, card link, or cash on delivery.
- Phone number for the rider, if it differs from the WhatsApp number.
The best manual flows ask these in a fixed order using quick replies. For example, a quick reply named "/addr" that sends: "Please share your full delivery address with a landmark, or send your location pin." Another named "/confirm" that sends a template you fill in: "Confirming your order: 2 x Chicken Biryani (full), 1 x Raita. Total ₹560 plus ₹30 delivery = ₹590. Delivery in about 40 minutes. Reply YES to confirm."
That final confirmation message matters more than anything else in the chat. It is your record of what was agreed, and it stops the "I ordered mutton, not chicken" dispute at the door.
Handling the common detours
Customers will ask for things that are not on the menu, ask for a discount, or go silent halfway. Decide the answers in advance. A short line like "We can do less spice on any dish, but we cannot swap rice for roti in combos" saves ten minutes of back and forth. If a customer stops replying after sending items, one follow-up after 10 minutes is enough; after that, let it go.
Step 4: Collect payment without chasing screenshots
Payment is where manual WhatsApp ordering loses the most time. Staff send a UPI ID, wait for a screenshot, check the bank app, and sometimes get a doctored screenshot. You have three cleaner options.
- UPI payment link or QR: send a payment link generated from your bank or payment app for the exact amount. The payment shows up in your account with a reference you can check.
- Payment gateway link: a Razorpay or similar link accepts UPI, cards and wallets, and you get a confirmation on your dashboard rather than a screenshot.
- Cash on delivery: fine for repeat customers and small amounts. Set a limit, for example COD only below ₹800, and say so in the confirmation message.
The post on whether customers can pay on WhatsApp goes through UPI links, WhatsApp Pay and gateway links in detail, with the fees each one carries.
Step 5: Get the order from chat to kitchen
Once the order is confirmed and paid, it has to reach the kitchen in a form the cook can use. The weak link in most restaurants is a staff member reading a chat aloud or copying it into a notebook.
At low volume, a printed KOT (kitchen order ticket) works. Copy the confirmed order into your billing software or a thermal printer app and print the slip. At higher volume, this double entry is where orders get missed, especially during the 8 pm rush when five chats are open at once. Naming conventions and labels help for a while; the real fix is to stop using the phone as the order book.
Whatever you use, send the customer a status message at two points: when the food is being prepared and when it has left for delivery. These two messages cut "where is my order" calls more than anything else you can do.
Step 6: Tell customers you take orders on WhatsApp
A WhatsApp number nobody knows about takes no orders. Put the number, or better a link that opens a chat with a pre-filled message, in every place a customer already sees you.
- Instagram bio and Facebook page: a wa.me link with "Hi, I want to order" pre-filled. See how to create a WhatsApp order link.
- Google Business Profile: add the number and a "Chat" action so people searching "biryani near me" can message you.
- Packaging and bills: a sticker or printed line, "Order direct on WhatsApp: 98xxx xxxxx. No app, no commission, same prices."
- Table tents and the counter: a QR code that opens the chat.
- Aggregator inserts: within the rules of each platform, a thank-you card in the bag with your WhatsApp number builds your direct list over time.
Repeat customers are the point. The first order might come from Zomato or Swiggy, where commission is commonly 18 to 30 percent of the order value. The second, third and tenth orders can come to you on WhatsApp at no commission.
When manual WhatsApp order taking stops working
Manual order taking works until it does not, and the breaking point is predictable. You will notice it when:
- Two staff need the same phone at the same time.
- Orders are confirmed in chat but never reach the kitchen, or reach it wrong.
- You cannot say how many orders came through WhatsApp last month, or who your top 20 customers are.
- Collecting payment takes longer than cooking the food.
- You want to send an offer to 500 customers and the app caps broadcast lists at 256 contacts.
At that point you move the number to the WhatsApp Business API and put an ordering bot on it. The customer taps through the menu, picks variants, shares the address, sees the delivery charge for their zone and pays, all inside the chat. The order lands in a dashboard, prints a KOT and updates its status with one tap. You keep the same number. Tezzu is one way to do this: the API connection goes through Meta's embedded signup, setup takes about 30 minutes, and you get a free store page at tezzu.in/store/your-name alongside the bot, at a flat ₹10 per order with no commission. The 15-minute setup walkthrough shows exactly what that looks like.
Ready to set it up properly?
The setup playbook takes you from a bare WhatsApp number to a working menu, delivery zones and payments, in the order that avoids rework.
Read the setup playbookFrequently asked questions
Can I take orders on WhatsApp with my personal number?
You can, but it is a poor idea beyond the first few weeks. A personal number has no business profile, no catalog, no greeting or away messages and no quick replies, and your personal chats mix with customer chats. Move the number to the WhatsApp Business app, or buy a separate SIM for the restaurant so staff can use it without seeing your personal messages.
How do I take orders on WhatsApp Business without typing everything?
Use quick replies for the messages you send repeatedly: the menu, the address request, the payment request and the confirmation template. Set up a catalog so customers send you a cart instead of free text. If you still find yourself typing a lot, that is the signal to move to an ordering bot on the API, which collects items, address and payment without staff involvement.
Is WhatsApp order taking free?
The WhatsApp Business app is free, and so are greetings, away messages, quick replies and the catalog. Costs start when you move to the WhatsApp Business API: Meta charges per message for templated messages outside the 24-hour customer service window, and the platform that runs your bot charges a subscription, a per-order fee, or both. Payment gateway charges apply to online payments on any method.
How many orders a day can one person handle on WhatsApp manually?
It depends on how complete the messages are, but most restaurants find that one staff member handling chats manually, along with other duties, starts dropping details at around 20 to 30 orders a day, particularly when those orders cluster into a two-hour dinner window. Beyond that, either dedicate a person to the phone or automate the order collection.