WhatsApp Business USA adoption looks small next to India or Brazil, where WhatsApp is simply how phones work, and yet it is growing in exactly the places that matter to a food business. Meta said publicly in 2024 that WhatsApp had crossed 100 million monthly users in the United States. Those users are concentrated: immigrant communities, people with family abroad, international students, cross-border traders and, increasingly, younger Americans who want one chat app that works across iOS phone and Android.
This explainer covers where WhatsApp stands in the US, who actually uses it and why, how it compares with SMS and iMessage for a business, the difference between the free app and the API, and what a restaurant, grocery store or caterer can realistically do with it today.
Where WhatsApp stands in the US today
For most of its history, WhatsApp struggled in America for two reasons. US carriers bundled unlimited texting early, so there was no cost reason to leave SMS, and iOS phone's share meant iMessage covered most group chats among friends. The result was a country where WhatsApp was something you installed to talk to your cousin in Hyderabad or your mother in Guadalajara, and then forgot about.
That has changed. Meta's own public statements put US monthly users above 100 million in 2024, and the company has run its first large American marketing campaigns for the app in recent years. WhatsApp is still well behind SMS and iMessage in total use, but among the groups described below it is the default, and those groups are a large share of the customers of independent food businesses in many cities.
Who uses WhatsApp in the US
Usage is not evenly spread. It clusters by community and by need.
- South Asian communities. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan households use WhatsApp daily for family abroad and for local groups: temple, gurdwara, mosque, cricket league, apartment complex, school parents. In Edison, Jersey City, Queens, Sugar Land, Irving, Fremont, Devon Avenue in Chicago and dozens of suburbs, a restaurant's number spreads through these groups.
- Hispanic and Latin American communities. WhatsApp is the main messaging app across Mexico, Central and South America, so families in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Phoenix and Chicago use it with relatives and with local businesses.
- Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern and Filipino communities. The same pattern: WhatsApp at home, WhatsApp here.
- International students and recent arrivals. Hundreds of thousands of students from India, China, Nigeria and elsewhere arrive each year already on WhatsApp.
- Cross-border and trades businesses. Importers, contractors, drivers and small logistics firms coordinating with partners abroad.
- Younger users. A growing share of Americans under 35 use WhatsApp for group chats because it works identically for everyone regardless of phone.
On the business side, the free WhatsApp Business app is used by small shops, salons, tutors, real estate agents, restaurants and grocery stores serving these communities. Larger companies use the WhatsApp Business API for customer service and notifications.
Why WhatsApp Business is growing in the US
- The iOS phone and Android divide. Group chats between iOS phone and Android users degrade on iMessage and SMS. WhatsApp works the same for everyone, with high-quality photos, read receipts and reactions.
- Groups and communities. WhatsApp groups are how many communities organise: neighbourhood associations, school parents, sports teams, religious congregations. A business inside those groups is one tap away.
- Meta's investment. Meta has promoted WhatsApp in the US directly and through Instagram and Facebook, including Click-to-WhatsApp ads that open a chat with a business from a social post.
- Business features arrived. Catalogues, quick replies, labels, payment links and the API made WhatsApp usable as a sales channel, not only a chat app.
- Demographics. The communities where WhatsApp is the default are growing, and their children keep using it.
WhatsApp vs SMS vs iMessage for a US restaurant
A restaurant choosing how to message customers has three realistic options. They differ on reach, cost and what you can send.
| Factor | SMS | iMessage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you can reach | Every phone | iOS phone users only, and businesses cannot send from it directly | Anyone with WhatsApp installed, which in diaspora communities is almost everyone |
| Rich content | Text, limited images via MMS | Not available to businesses in a practical way | Menus with buttons and lists, images, payment steps, order status in one thread |
| Cost model | Per message through an SMS provider | Not applicable | Per conversation through Meta's API pricing, or free on the Business app |
| Consent rules | TCPA consent required for marketing texts | Not applicable | Opt-in required; Meta enforces quality ratings and blocks spam senders |
| Two-way ordering | Awkward; no menu, no cart | No | Yes, with a bot that takes the order end to end |
For a restaurant whose customers are mostly in the communities above, WhatsApp wins on reach and on what you can do inside the chat. For a restaurant whose customers are mostly not on WhatsApp, SMS remains the broader channel for simple alerts, and a web ordering page covers ordering.
The WhatsApp Business app vs the API for a US business
The free WhatsApp Business app is a phone app: one number, one device with a few linked devices, a catalogue, greeting and away messages, and broadcast lists to saved contacts. It is fine for a small business answering messages by hand.
The WhatsApp Business API is the version for taking orders at volume. A platform connects your number, a bot handles the menu, cart, address and payment, several staff can work from one dashboard, status updates go out automatically, and campaigns reach your opted-in list with Meta charging per conversation. US numbers work with the API, and the connection is made through Meta's embedded signup with a verified business. The trade-offs between the two are laid out in WhatsApp Business vs WhatsApp Business API.
What a US food business can do with WhatsApp today
For a restaurant, grocery store or caterer serving one of these communities, WhatsApp is already where the customers are. The practical uses:
- Direct ordering. Customers message your number, pick from a menu and pay by card, with no marketplace commission on the order. Repeat orders from regulars are the ones that make this worthwhile, as our guide to commission-free ordering for Indian restaurants in the USA shows, and the same logic applies to any community restaurant paying the fees described in US food delivery app commission fees.
- Catering and pre-orders. Party trays, Diwali sweets, quinceañera orders, Eid and Christmas menus, with advance payment in the chat.
- Order status. Accepted, preparing, ready, out for delivery, delivered, sent automatically, which ends the "where is my order" calls.
- Campaigns. A weekly special to opted-in customers, a festival pre-order announcement, a win-back message to anyone quiet for a month.
- Grocery lists. Indian and Hispanic grocery stores already take photo lists on WhatsApp; a catalogue and a payment step turn that into a real channel, which we cover in Indian grocery and food stores in the US.
Tezzu is one platform built for this. It connects your own WhatsApp number through the API, adds a free store page for customers who prefer a browser, takes card payments through Stripe, and shows every order on a live dashboard and staff app. US plans are $49, $69 and $99 a month plus $0.50 per order, with no commission; details are in Tezzu for US merchants.
See what WhatsApp ordering looks like for a restaurant
Menus, payments, status updates and campaigns on your own number, shown step by step.
See how it works for restaurantsFrequently asked questions
How many people use WhatsApp in the USA?
Meta said publicly in 2024 that WhatsApp had passed 100 million monthly users in the United States. Use is concentrated in immigrant and diaspora communities, among international students and people with family abroad, and increasingly among younger users who want one app that works across iOS phone and Android. Check Meta's own announcements for the latest figure.
Can a US business use WhatsApp Business?
Yes. The free WhatsApp Business app works with any US mobile number, and the WhatsApp Business API is available to US businesses through Meta's embedded signup with a verified business. The API is what platforms use to take orders automatically, run several staff on one number and send campaigns, with Meta charging per conversation.
Is WhatsApp better than SMS for restaurant marketing in the US?
For customers who use WhatsApp, yes: messages can carry menus, buttons, images and a payment step, and ordering happens in the same thread. For customers who do not, SMS reaches every phone but supports little beyond text. Both need consent before marketing. Many restaurants in diaspora neighbourhoods use WhatsApp for ordering and campaigns and keep SMS for nothing at all.
Which US customers are most likely to order on WhatsApp?
South Asian, Hispanic and Latin American, Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern and Filipino communities, plus international students and recent arrivals, use WhatsApp daily and will order from a restaurant number without being taught. If your customer base is largely outside these groups, pair WhatsApp with a web ordering page so nobody is left out.