WhatsApp for Restaurants — Bookings & Orders

How do restaurants use WhatsApp for bookings and orders?

Restaurants use WhatsApp Business API to take direct table bookings, confirm reservations, send same-day reminders, accept takeaway orders and run loyalty campaigns — without paying 10-20% portal commissions. Spoki ties this to your POS and TheFork/OpenTable so the inbox stays unified.

Why restaurants run on WhatsApp

Diners book on TheFork or OpenTable today and pay 10-20% commission on every cover. WhatsApp lets you take direct bookings, confirm with a templated message, send a same-day reminder, and follow up with a review request — all on a channel guests already use. Spoki integrates with TheFork, OpenTable and major POS systems to centralise the conversation and keep no-shows below 5%.

Top WhatsApp use cases for restaurants

1. Direct WhatsApp reservations

Guests book a table by sending a WhatsApp message; Spoki captures party size and time, books the slot in your POS or PMS, and replies with a templated confirmation.

2. Same-day reminder + cancel/confirm flow

Automated reminder 4 hours before the booking with one-tap "confirm" or "cancel" buttons. Cuts no-shows from 20% to under 5%.

3. Takeaway and delivery ordering

Guests browse the menu inside WhatsApp, place an order, pay through a Spoki payment link and pick up — no third-party commission.

4. Loyalty and reactivation campaigns

Send a templated WhatsApp campaign to lapsed guests with a personalised offer. Open rate >95% drives 5-10× more redemptions than email.

Spoki capabilities for restaurants

POS integrations (Zucchetti, Lightspeed, etc.)

Bookings sync to your reservation book; orders sync to your kitchen ticket system.

Reservation and reminder automation

Templated confirmation, 4-hour reminder and post-visit thank-you / review request.

Menu and ordering inside WhatsApp

Send a digital menu PDF or interactive menu; collect orders with one-tap selection.

Loyalty broadcaster

Segmented campaigns to guests by spend, visit cadence or last visit date.

Multi-location inbox

A single WhatsApp number per restaurant or a centralised group account for chains.

WhatsApp restaurants FAQ

Can guests book a table just by sending a WhatsApp message?

Yes. Spoki understands free-form booking requests (party size, date, time), confirms availability against your POS, and replies with a templated confirmation including a calendar link and a same-day reminder.

How does Spoki reduce no-shows?

A 4-hour pre-booking WhatsApp reminder with one-tap confirm/cancel buttons cuts no-shows from a 15-25% industry average to under 5% on Spoki-managed reservations. Cancelled slots auto-release for waitlisted guests.

Can I take takeaway orders without paying delivery-app commissions?

Yes. Spoki sends your menu inside WhatsApp, captures the order, takes payment via a Stripe/PayPal link and routes the ticket to your kitchen — no Glovo/Just Eat commission on direct WhatsApp orders.

Does Spoki integrate with TheFork and OpenTable?

Spoki imports portal bookings, confirms them via WhatsApp and tracks attendance — so even portal-sourced reservations get the WhatsApp reminder treatment that drives no-shows down.

Can I run a loyalty program over WhatsApp?

Yes. Tag guests by spend, last visit and segment, then send templated reactivation offers. Open rate above 95% means redemptions are 5-10× higher than email loyalty campaigns.

What is Spoki?

Spoki is a comprehensive WhatsApp Business API platform that enables businesses to transform WhatsApp into a powerful channel for marketing, sales, and customer support.

With Spoki, you can:

• Automate communications: Send automated messages, create chatbots, and set up intelligent workflows

• Manage customer support: Multi-operator team management with ticketing system and conversation routing

• Increase sales: Recover abandoned carts, send payment requests, and manage your product catalog directly on WhatsApp

• Marketing campaigns: Send bulk messages to thousands of contacts with personalized templates

• AI-powered features: Leverage artificial intelligence to automate responses and qualify leads 24/7

• Integrate with your tools: Connect with over 4,000 platforms including CRM, e-commerce, and marketing tools

Spoki is an official Meta Tech Partner, guaranteeing reliability, security, and access to all official WhatsApp Business API features.

How does the WhatsApp Business API work?

The WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business API (used by Spoki) are two completely different solutions designed for different business needs:

WhatsApp Business App: • Designed for small businesses and sole proprietors • Manual message management • Limited to 5 devices simultaneously • Maximum 256 contacts per broadcast • No automation capabilities • Free but with significant limitations • No CRM or integration support

WhatsApp Business API (Spoki): • Designed for medium to large businesses • Unlimited operators: Your entire team can manage conversations simultaneously • Unlimited broadcasts: Send messages to thousands of contacts • Advanced automation: Chatbots, automatic responses, intelligent workflows • CRM integration: Connect with your existing tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.) • Analytics & reporting: Detailed statistics on your communications • No ban risk: Official API approved by Meta for bulk messaging • Cloud-based: No need to keep a phone connected • Multi-channel: Integrate WhatsApp with SMS, Voice, and other channels

How much does a Spoki subscription cost?

Spoki offers three pricing tiers: a Free plan at €0/month for basic WhatsApp support and live chat, a Service plan starting at €19/month with AI-powered customer support and unlimited automations, and a Marketing plan starting at €49/month with bulk campaigns and advanced analytics. All plans include unlimited operators at no extra cost. WhatsApp conversation fees are charged separately by Meta based on usage volume.

Is there a free trial?

Yes, Spoki offers a permanent Free plan at €0/month that includes live chat with unlimited operators, basic automations, and a ticketing system. This allows businesses to test core WhatsApp Business API features before upgrading. Paid plans start at €19/month for the Service tier and €49/month for the Marketing tier, with no long-term contracts required.

Can I integrate Spoki with other tools?

Spoki integrates with thousands of platforms through native integrations, Zapier, Make (Integromat), and Webhooks.

Native Integrations:

• E-commerce: Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento

• CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, ActiveCampaign

• Marketing: Mailchimp, Google Sheets

• Payment: Stripe, PayPal

• Support: Zendesk

Via Zapier/Make:

Connect to 4,000+ platforms including: • Google Workspace (Sheets, Calendar, Drive) • Microsoft Office 365 • Slack, Trello, Asana • WordPress, Webflow • Custom apps via API

Webhooks & API:

Full REST API for developers to build custom integrations.

WhatsApp for restaurants: reservations, orders and loyalty