Opening hours and holiday closure messages

A shop timing change message is sent by every food business a few times a year: a festival closure, a staff holiday, summer hours, a kitchen repair, or simply new opening times from next month. Customers who turn up at a shut door or place an order that never gets accepted do not come back quickly, so the message is worth the two minutes it takes. The one thing that makes it work is putting the exact dates and times in the first line, followed by what the customer can still do: order before the break, pick up instead of delivery, or come back on the reopening date.

Send the first notice two or three days before the change and a short repeat on the day itself. Keep it under 250 characters, with no offer attached; a closure notice mixed with a discount reads as spam. Update the hours on your store page and your Google Business Profile at the same time, and set an auto reply for messages that arrive while you are shut. Timing notices are service messages, so they can go to all customers, but keep them rare. If your hours differ by weekday, menu scheduling by time and weekday can switch the menu off and on without a message at all.

Hi [Name], [Restaurant] will be closed for [Festival] from [Date] to [Date]. We reopen on [Date] at [Time] with the regular menu. Orders placed on the store page during the break will be scheduled for the reopening day. Thank you for your patience, and happy [Festival] to you and your family.

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] [Festival] के लिए [Date] से [Date] तक बंद रहेगा। हम [Date] को [Time] बजे regular menu के साथ फिर से खुलेंगे। इस बीच store page पर किए गए order reopening वाले दिन के लिए schedule हो जाएँगे। आपके धैर्य के लिए शुक्रिया, और आपको और आपके परिवार को [Festival] की शुभकामनाएँ।

Hi [Name], from [Date], [Restaurant] has new timings: open every day from [Time] to [Time], with last orders at [Time]. Delivery and pickup run for the full window. Nothing else changes. Menu and ordering here: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], [Date] से [Restaurant] का नया time: रोज़ [Time] से [Time] तक खुला, last order [Time] तक। Delivery और pickup पूरे समय चालू रहेंगे। बाकी सब वैसा ही है। Menu और order यहाँ: [Link]।

Hi [Name], [Restaurant] is closing early today at [Time] because of [Reason]. Last orders for delivery at [Time] and for pickup at [Time]. We are back to regular hours tomorrow from [Time]. Sorry for the short notice.

नमस्ते [Name], [Reason] की वजह से [Restaurant] आज [Time] बजे जल्दी बंद हो रहा है। Delivery का last order [Time] तक और pickup का [Time] तक। कल से [Time] बजे से regular time पर खुलेंगे। कम notice के लिए माफ़ी चाहते हैं।

Hi [Name], [Restaurant] is closed from [Date] to [Date] for kitchen maintenance. No orders, delivery or pickup during this week. We reopen on [Date] at [Time]. We will send one message when we are back, and nothing before that.

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] kitchen के maintenance के लिए [Date] से [Date] तक बंद है। इस हफ्ते कोई order, delivery या pickup नहीं होगा। हम [Date] को [Time] बजे फिर से खुलेंगे। वापस आने पर एक message भेजेंगे, उससे पहले कोई नहीं।

Hi [Name], a small change at [Restaurant]. From next week our weekly off moves from [Day] to [Day]. We will be open on [Day] as usual from [Time] to [Time]. Timings on the store page are already updated: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] में एक छोटा सा बदलाव। अगले हफ्ते से हमारी weekly छुट्टी [Day] की जगह [Day] को होगी। [Day] को हम हमेशा की तरह [Time] से [Time] तक खुले रहेंगे। Store page पर time update हो गया है: [Link]।

Hi [Name], for the festive season, [Restaurant] is open late. From [Date] to [Date] we take orders till [Time] every night, with delivery till [Time] in [Area]. Regular hours return on [Date]. Order here: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], festive season के लिए [Restaurant] देर तक खुला रहेगा। [Date] से [Date] तक हम रोज़ रात [Time] तक order लेंगे, [Area] में delivery [Time] तक। [Date] से regular time वापस। यहाँ order करें: [Link]।

Hi [Name], [Restaurant] is open again from today, [Date], at [Time]. The kitchen is back with the full menu, and delivery and pickup are running as before. Thank you for waiting. Order here: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] आज, [Date] से [Time] बजे से फिर से खुल गया है। Kitchen पूरे menu के साथ वापस है, delivery और pickup पहले की तरह चालू हैं। इंतज़ार के लिए शुक्रिया। यहाँ order करें: [Link]।

Hi, thanks for messaging [Restaurant]. We are closed right now and open tomorrow at [Time]. You can place an order on our store page at any time and choose a delivery or pickup slot for tomorrow: [Link]. We will reply to your message when we open.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] को message करने के लिए शुक्रिया। अभी हम बंद हैं और कल [Time] बजे खुलेंगे। आप कभी भी हमारे store page पर order कर सकते हैं और कल के लिए delivery या pickup का slot चुन सकते हैं: [Link]। खुलते ही आपके message का जवाब देंगे।

Hi [Name], from [Date], [Restaurant] stops delivery at [Time] every night. Pickup from the counter stays open till [Time], and the dine-in area closes at [Time]. Orders placed after the delivery cut-off can be scheduled for the next day. Details here: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], [Date] से [Restaurant] रोज़ रात [Time] बजे delivery बंद कर देगा। Counter से pickup [Time] तक चालू रहेगा और dine-in [Time] बजे बंद होगा। Delivery cut-off के बाद किए गए order अगले दिन के लिए schedule हो सकते हैं। पूरी जानकारी यहाँ: [Link]।

Hi [Name], [Restaurant] is closed from today because of [Reason]. We do not have a reopening date yet and will message you as soon as we do. Any order placed in the last 24 hours that we could not deliver is being refunded in full. Sorry for the trouble.

नमस्ते [Name], [Reason] की वजह से [Restaurant] आज से बंद है। अभी हमें reopening की तारीख पता नहीं है, पता चलते ही आपको message करेंगे। पिछले 24 घंटों में जो order हम deliver नहीं कर पाए, उनका पूरा refund किया जा रहा है। परेशानी के लिए माफ़ी चाहते हैं।

Hi [Name], [Restaurant] closes for [Festival] from [Date]. If you want [Item] or [Item] for the holiday, order by [Time] on [Date] and pick a delivery or pickup slot before we shut. Orders are limited to what the kitchen can finish: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] [Festival] के लिए [Date] से बंद रहेगा। अगर छुट्टी के लिए [Item] या [Item] चाहिए, तो [Date] को [Time] बजे तक order करें और बंद होने से पहले का delivery या pickup slot चुनें। Order उतने ही लेंगे जितने kitchen पूरे कर सके: [Link]।

Tips for sending these on WhatsApp

• Lead with the dates. "Closed 12 to 14 November, open 15 November at 11 am" in the first line, before the reason or the apology. People skim these.
• Change the hours everywhere on the same day: the store page, the WhatsApp Business profile, and the Google Business Profile. A customer who reads "open" on a listing and then gets no reply blames you, not the listing.
• Set an auto reply for the closed period and point it at the store page with scheduled ordering, so you still collect orders for the reopening day. The auto reply messages post has more versions.
• Do not attach an offer to a closure notice. Send the offer separately, after you reopen, to the customers who have opted in.
• Before a long festival break, pair the closure notice with the last-orders message and plan the rush with the festive season operations guide.

Frequently asked questions

How do I inform customers about a change in shop timings?

Send a short WhatsApp message two or three days before the change with the new hours in the first line, repeat it on the day, and update the hours on your store page and online listings at the same time. Add an auto reply for messages that arrive outside the new hours. Keep the notice separate from any offers, and send it to all customers only when the change affects everyone.

Can I send a holiday closure message to all my customers?

Yes. A closure or timing change is a service notice, so it can go to every customer who has ordered from you, including those who have not opted in to offers. Keep it to one message before the break and one when you reopen. Customers who receive a closure notice, a reminder, and then three offers in the same week will start blocking the number.

What should an after-hours auto reply say?

That you are closed, when you open next, and what the customer can do now. The useful action is a link to the store page where they can place an order for the next available slot. Keep it to three lines. Avoid promising a reply time you cannot keep; say "we will reply when we open" rather than "within 10 minutes".