An order status message tells the customer where their food is before they have to ask. Restaurants and cloud kitchens send three or four of these per order: accepted, preparing, out for delivery, delivered. Pickup counters and dine-in tables have their own versions. The one thing that makes these work is timing. A "preparing" message that lands two minutes after the order, and an "out for delivery" that lands when the rider actually leaves, replace most of the "where is my order?" calls your staff take during a rush.
One status, one message, one or two lines. Send each update at the moment the status actually changes, never in a batch at the end of the hour. Include the order ID every time so a customer with two orders open can tell them apart. Give a revised time with "out for delivery", because that is the update people watch. If a status is going to slip, send a delay message instead of leaving a silent gap. These are service messages tied to a live order, so no separate opt-in is needed, and keep offers out of them.
Order accepted (kitchen has taken it, useful on busy days)
Hi [Name], order [Order ID] is accepted and in the queue at [Restaurant]. Expected time: [Time]. We will message you again when it leaves the kitchen.
नमस्ते [Name], आपका order [Order ID] accept हो गया है और [Restaurant] की queue में है। अंदाज़न time: [Time]। Kitchen से निकलते ही फिर message करेंगे।Preparing (cooking has started)
Order [Order ID] is being prepared now. [Items] will take about [Minutes] minutes, then it goes out for delivery to [Address].
आपका order [Order ID] अब बन रहा है। [Items] में करीब [Minutes] मिनट लगेंगे, फिर [Address] के लिए delivery पर निकलेगा।Packed and waiting for a rider
Order [Order ID] is packed and ready. A rider is being assigned and should pick it up within [Minutes] minutes. We will share the rider's number as soon as it is on the way.
आपका order [Order ID] pack होकर तैयार है। Rider assign हो रहा है और [Minutes] मिनट में pick कर लेगा। निकलते ही rider का number भेज देंगे।Out for delivery with rider details
Order [Order ID] is out for delivery. Rider: [Rider Name], [Rider Phone]. Expected at [Address] by [Time]. Please keep your phone reachable in case the rider needs directions.
आपका order [Order ID] delivery के लिए निकल गया है। Rider: [Rider Name], [Rider Phone]। [Address] पर [Time] तक पहुँच जाएगा। Rider को रास्ता पूछना पड़े तो phone reachable रखें।Out for delivery, cash on delivery reminder
Order [Order ID] is on its way and should reach you by [Time]. Amount due on delivery: ₹[Amount]. The rider accepts cash or UPI.
आपका order [Order ID] रास्ते में है, [Time] तक पहुँच जाएगा। Delivery पर देना है: ₹[Amount]। Rider cash और UPI दोनों लेता है।Rider arriving in a few minutes
Hi [Name], the rider for order [Order ID] is about 5 minutes away. If the gate or lift needs a pass, please let security know.
नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] का rider बस 5 मिनट दूर है। Gate या lift पर entry की ज़रूरत हो तो security को बता दें।Delivered, with a review request
Order [Order ID] has been delivered. Thank you for ordering from [Restaurant]. If something is missing or wrong, reply here within 30 minutes and we will fix it. How was the food? Rate it here: [Link].
आपका order [Order ID] deliver हो गया है। [Restaurant] से order करने के लिए धन्यवाद। कुछ कम या गलत हो तो 30 मिनट के अंदर यहीं reply करें, हम ठीक करेंगे। खाना कैसा लगा? यहाँ rating दें: [Link]।Delivered to security or left at the door (customer not available)
Order [Order ID] has been handed to [Person or Place] at [Address] at [Time], as you asked. Please collect it soon so it stays warm. Reply if you cannot find it.
आपका order [Order ID] आपके कहने पर [Time] बजे [Address] पर [Person or Place] को दे दिया गया है। गरम रहे इसके लिए जल्दी ले लें। न मिले तो reply करें।Rider at the door but cannot reach you
Hi [Name], the rider is at [Address] with order [Order ID] but cannot reach you on [Phone]. Please call [Rider Phone] or reply here. The rider can wait 10 minutes.
नमस्ते [Name], rider order [Order ID] लेकर [Address] पर है लेकिन [Phone] पर आपसे बात नहीं हो पा रही। कृपया [Rider Phone] पर call करें या यहीं reply करें। Rider 10 मिनट रुक सकता है।Dine-in: served to the table
Table [Table Number], your order [Order ID] has been served. If anything is missing, show this message to your server. When you are ready for the bill, ask your server or reply BILL.
Table [Table Number], आपका order [Order ID] serve हो गया है। कुछ कम हो तो staff को यह message दिखा दें। Bill चाहिए तो staff को बोलें या BILL reply करें।Shipped by courier (packaged food sent outside the city)
Order [Order ID] has been shipped by courier. Tracking number: [Tracking ID], track here: [Link]. Expected delivery: [Date]. Please check the seal on arrival and reply here with a photo if the packet is damaged.
आपका order [Order ID] courier से भेज दिया गया है। Tracking number: [Tracking ID], यहाँ track करें: [Link]। [Date] तक पहुँचने की उम्मीद है। Packet आने पर seal check करें, खराब हो तो photo के साथ यहीं reply करें।Tips for sending these on WhatsApp
- Trigger each message from the real status change. If staff mark "out for delivery" when the rider actually leaves, the message is true; if they mark it early to look fast, customers notice within a week.
- Keep "out for delivery" and "rider arriving" to two lines. The customer reads these while walking to the gate.
- Put the complaint window in the delivered message. "Reply within 30 minutes" gets a missing item sorted the same evening instead of becoming a review the next day.
- Use the same order ID in every message, so a customer with two orders open knows which one moved.
- On Tezzu, staff move an order through pending, preparing, out for delivery and delivered in the dashboard or the staff app, with a served status for dine-in tables, and the customer gets the matching update on WhatsApp, so the status your staff tap is the status the customer reads.
Frequently asked questions
What order status messages should a restaurant send?
For delivery, four are enough: confirmed, preparing, out for delivery with the rider's number and a time, and delivered. Add "rider nearby" if your area has gated buildings. For pickup, send ready and collected. For dine-in, a served message with a way to ask for the bill. More than that becomes noise, and customers mute the number.
Should I send a message for every status change?
Send one for every change the customer can act on or will worry about. "Preparing" sets expectations, "out for delivery" tells them to be reachable, "delivered" opens the complaint window. Internal steps such as "KOT printed" or "packed" do not need a message unless the wait for a rider is long, in which case the packed message explains the gap.
How do I send order status updates on WhatsApp automatically?
With the WhatsApp Business app you save each status as a quick reply and send it by hand, which works up to a few dozen orders a day. Past that, an ordering platform on the WhatsApp Business API sends the update when staff change the status in a dashboard. The post on delivery tracking on WhatsApp covers what that looks like for the customer.