Direct WhatsApp ordering
Customers message your restaurant WhatsApp number, browse the menu (template or PDF), and place orders directly. Skip the aggregator commission.
Solutions · Restaurants
WhatsApp Business API for restaurants and cloud kitchens
Take orders, handle reservations, run loyalty programs, and stay in touch with regulars — without paying Zomato/Swiggy commissions on every transaction.
Indian restaurants and cloud kitchens lose 20-30% of every order to aggregator commissions. Direct WhatsApp ordering is the most obvious way to recover margin — and customers in many Indian cities already prefer ordering from their favourite local restaurant on WhatsApp instead of opening an app.
Flowgento gives restaurants the WhatsApp Business API, a shared order-taking inbox, broadcasts to past customers, and loyalty tracking — at SMB-friendly pricing.
Use cases
Reservation booking
Handle table bookings via WhatsApp. Confirm slots, send reminders the day-of, and reduce no-shows.
Order status updates
Send confirmed → preparing → out-for-delivery → delivered updates automatically. Reduces "where’s my order" calls.
Loyalty programs
Tag regulars, track repeat orders, send loyalty-tier broadcasts (10% off after 5 orders, free dessert on birthday).
Daily specials
Send today's specials, lunch menu, or weekend offers to past customers as a personalised broadcast.
Catering & event bookings
Larger event bookings handled in the same shared inbox, with full conversation history and document sharing.
How it works
A typical restaurant on Flowgento sets up three flows: order taking (inbox + menu template), reservation confirmation (auto-reply + reminder), and a weekly broadcast to past customers. These three alone usually recover the platform cost several times over within a month.
Single-location restaurants run on Starter. Small chains with 3-5 outlets typically use Growth, with each outlet's orders routed by location tag. Cloud kitchens running multiple brands from one location use tags to separate brand inboxes.
For loyalty programs, use Flowgento custom attributes: total_orders, last_order_date, favourite_dish, dietary_preference. Segment broadcasts to high-frequency customers vs first-timers — different incentives work for each.
Example templates
Start with these as a base — Meta still has to approve each one, so plan a couple of days for review.
Order confirmation
Hi {{1}}, your order from {{2}} is confirmed! 🍽️
Order #{{3}} – ₹{{4}}
Estimated delivery: {{5}} mins
Thanks for ordering direct! Reservation reminder
Hi {{1}}, this is a friendly reminder for your reservation at {{2}} today at {{3}}.
Table for {{4}}.
See you soon! Loyalty offer
Hi {{1}}, thanks for being a regular at {{2}}! 🎉
Here's 15% off your next order, just for you.
Code: {{3}} (valid till {{4}}) FAQs
How does direct WhatsApp ordering save money vs Zomato/Swiggy?
Aggregator commissions typically run 20-30% of order value. WhatsApp ordering through Flowgento costs you the Flowgento subscription (₹499-1,999/mo) plus Meta’s per-conversation charges (a few rupees per conversation). For any restaurant doing more than ~50 orders/day, direct WhatsApp ordering saves significantly.
Can I send the menu through WhatsApp?
Yes — three common formats: a PDF menu attached on first inquiry, a menu image carousel, or a WhatsApp catalog (Meta's native product catalog feature, which Flowgento supports). Most restaurants start with PDF or image and upgrade to catalog when their menu stabilises.
How do I handle multiple delivery executives on one WhatsApp number?
Keep customer-facing communication on Flowgento. Internally, your kitchen/ops team can use any group-chat tool or your existing delivery app. Flowgento isn't trying to replace your delivery dispatch — it's the customer-comms layer on top.
Can I do this for a cloud kitchen with multiple brands?
Yes — most cloud kitchens tag contacts by brand of interest and run broadcasts brand-by-brand. If you need fully separate inboxes for each brand, you'll want one Flowgento account per brand; otherwise tags work fine on a single account.
What about late-night messages from drunk customers?
Set business hours in Flowgento. After hours, an auto-reply tells customers when you'll respond. Messages still come in but don't trigger pings until your team is back online. Most restaurants set business hours and don't think about it again.
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