Welcome and greeting messages for new customers

A welcome message for customers is the first thing a new customer reads after they message your WhatsApp number, scan a QR code at a table, or place a first order. Restaurants, cafes, home bakers and tiffin services all need one, and most set it up once and never look at it again. The one thing that makes a welcome message work is telling the customer what to do next in a single line, with the link to do it: see the menu, place an order, pick a slot. A warm paragraph about your passion for food, with no link and no timings, leaves the customer typing "menu?" and waiting.

Keep a welcome message under 250 characters: who you are, what you do, your hours, and one link. Send it automatically on first contact and keep it the same for everyone; personalisation comes later, from their order history. Do not put an offer in the first message unless it is a standing first-order discount you honour every time. Welcome messages are replies to a customer who messaged you, so they need no opt-out line; the exception is a follow-up sent on your own initiative with an offer. For more variations, see greeting message examples for restaurants.

Hi, welcome to [Restaurant]. We deliver and do pickup in [Area], every day from [Time] to [Time]. See the menu and order here: [Link]. For anything else, type your question and one of us will reply within a few minutes during open hours.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] में आपका स्वागत है। हम [Area] में रोज़ [Time] से [Time] तक delivery और pickup करते हैं। Menu देखें और order करें: [Link]। कुछ और पूछना हो तो अपना सवाल लिख दीजिए, खुले समय में कुछ ही मिनट में जवाब मिलेगा।

Hi [Name], thank you for your first order with [Restaurant]. Order [Order ID] is confirmed and will reach you by [Time]. Save this number; your next order takes under a minute from here, with your address already filled in. Menu for next time: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] पर आपके पहले order के लिए शुक्रिया। Order [Order ID] confirm है और [Time] तक पहुँच जाएगा। ये number save कर लीजिए; अगली बार यहीं से एक मिनट से भी कम में order हो जाएगा, address पहले से भरा रहेगा। अगली बार के लिए menu: [Link]।

Hi, thanks for reaching out to [Restaurant]. We bake to order: cakes need 24 hours notice, cookies and brownies 12 hours. Flavours, sizes and prices are here: [Link]. Pick a collection or delivery time when you order. For a custom design, send a reference photo and the date, and we will quote.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] से संपर्क करने के लिए शुक्रिया। हम order पर बनाते हैं: cake के लिए 24 घंटे पहले और cookies, brownies के लिए 12 घंटे पहले बताना होता है। Flavour, size और दाम यहाँ हैं: [Link]। Order करते समय pickup या delivery का time चुन लीजिए। Custom design के लिए एक reference photo और तारीख भेजें, हम quote देंगे।

Hi, welcome to [Restaurant] home-style tiffin. Lunch and dinner in [Area], Monday to Saturday, delivered between [Time] and [Time]. This week's menu and plans are here: [Link]. Most people start with a single trial dabba at [Amount] before picking a monthly plan.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] घर जैसे tiffin में आपका स्वागत है। [Area] में Monday से Saturday lunch और dinner, [Time] से [Time] के बीच delivery। इस हफ्ते का menu और plans यहाँ हैं: [Link]। ज़्यादातर लोग monthly plan लेने से पहले [Amount] का एक trial dabba try करते हैं।

Hi, thanks for messaging [Restaurant]. We are closed right now and open at [Time]. You can see the menu and place an order for the next slot any time: [Link]. We will reply to your message as soon as we open.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] को message करने के लिए शुक्रिया। अभी हम बंद हैं और [Time] बजे खुलेंगे। आप कभी भी menu देखकर अगले slot के लिए order कर सकते हैं: [Link]। खुलते ही आपके message का जवाब देंगे।

Welcome to [Restaurant], table [Table]. Order from your phone here and the kitchen gets it straight away: [Link]. Add items any time during your meal; they go on the same bill. Pay by UPI or card at the end from the same link, or at the counter.

[Restaurant] में स्वागत है, table [Table]। यहाँ से अपने phone पर order करें, kitchen को सीधा मिल जाएगा: [Link]। खाने के दौरान कभी भी और items जोड़ सकते हैं; सब एक ही bill में आएगा। आखिर में उसी link से UPI या card से pay करें, या counter पर।

Hi, thanks for coming over from Instagram. Everything you saw in the reels is on the [Restaurant] menu here, with prices: [Link]. We deliver in [Area] from [Time] to [Time] and do pickup from [Address]. Reply with the item name if you want to check availability first.

नमस्ते, Instagram से यहाँ आने के लिए शुक्रिया। Reels में जो देखा, वो सब [Restaurant] के menu पर दाम के साथ यहाँ है: [Link]। हम [Area] में [Time] से [Time] तक delivery करते हैं और [Address] से pickup भी होता है। पहले availability check करनी हो तो item का नाम reply में लिखें।

Hi, welcome to [Restaurant]. New customers get [Discount] off their first order above [Amount]; it applies on its own at checkout, no code needed. Menu and ordering: [Link]. We deliver in [Area] from [Time] to [Time]. Reply STOP to opt out of offer messages.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] में आपका स्वागत है। नए customers को [Amount] से ऊपर के पहले order पर [Discount] की छूट; checkout पर अपने आप लग जाती है, कोई code नहीं चाहिए। Menu और order: [Link]। हम [Area] में [Time] से [Time] तक delivery करते हैं। Offer messages बंद करने के लिए STOP लिखें।

Hi, thanks for messaging [Restaurant]. We deliver to [Area], [Area] and [Area]; delivery charge is [Amount] within 3 km and [Amount] beyond, free above [Amount]. Pickup is from [Address]. Enter your address on the menu page and it shows the charge before you order: [Link].

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] को message करने के लिए शुक्रिया। हम [Area], [Area] और [Area] में delivery करते हैं; 3 km तक delivery charge [Amount], उसके आगे [Amount], और [Amount] से ऊपर free। Pickup [Address] से। Menu page पर अपना address डालिए, order से पहले ही charge दिख जाएगा: [Link]।

Hi, welcome to [Restaurant]. Skip the queue: order coffee and bakes here, pick a pickup time, and it is on the counter when you walk in: [Link]. Open [Time] to [Time]. Dine-in tables are first come, first served.

नमस्ते, [Restaurant] में आपका स्वागत है। Line में लगने की ज़रूरत नहीं: coffee और bakes यहाँ order करें, pickup का time चुनें, और जब आप पहुँचें तो counter पर तैयार मिलेगा: [Link]। [Time] से [Time] तक खुला। Dine-in tables जो पहले आए उसकी।

Tips for sending these on WhatsApp

• One link, and it should open the menu with prices, not a home page. Every tap between the welcome message and the first item costs you orders.
• Put the hours and the area in the message. "Do you deliver to Sector 12?" and "are you open now?" are the two questions the welcome message exists to answer before they are asked.
• Keep the welcome automatic and the follow-up human. The bot sends the greeting in seconds; a person replies to the actual question. The step-by-step walkthrough of ordering on WhatsApp shows the full flow.
• Ask for offer consent separately, after the first order, rather than burying it in the greeting. Opt-in request messages cover the wording.
• On Tezzu, the first-contact greeting is part of the ordering bot and is sent in Hindi or English depending on the customer's choice, so one setup covers both versions above.

Frequently asked questions

What should a welcome message for new customers say?

Who you are, what you do, where and when you deliver or open, and one link to the menu. Under 250 characters. Skip the story about your kitchen for now; the customer messaged because they are hungry or planning an order. A welcome message that answers "are you open, do you deliver here, what do you have" in three lines does its job.

Should I include a discount in the welcome message?

Only if it is a standing first-order discount that you honour for every new customer and that applies automatically at checkout. A one-off discount typed into the greeting trains customers to expect a deal every time they message. If you do include one, add an opt-out line, since the message now carries an offer.

How do I send a welcome message automatically on WhatsApp?

The WhatsApp Business app has a greeting message setting that fires on first contact, which is enough for a single phone. On the WhatsApp Business API, the greeting is the first step of your ordering bot, so it can include the live menu link and the customer's language choice, and it keeps working when several staff share the number. Either way, test it from a new number once a month.