WhatsApp for restaurants: an ordering and booking system for restaurants & cafés
Watily gives your restaurant a direct ordering channel on your own WhatsApp number, with a digital menu customers pay from and an automatic alert when their order is ready. The same system books tables with reminders, stamps a loyalty card in the customer's phone and issues a ZATCA-compliant simplified invoice.
- Direct menu orders
- Table booking reminders
- Wallet loyalty stamps
- Compliant simplified invoice
Watily is a Saudi platform that gives restaurants and cafés the official WhatsApp Business API, an online ordering menu, table booking, Apple Wallet and Google Wallet loyalty cards and ZATCA Phase 2 invoicing in one subscription from SAR 49 a month. Customers order from the menu link or a WhatsApp chat and pay with mada, Apple Pay or Tabby, then receive an order-ready alert, a review request and a stamp on their card. The goal is a guest who comes back to you directly, not through a middleman.
Everyday challenges in restaurants & cafés
The guest belongs to the delivery app
Every order through a delivery app takes a commission from your margin, and worse, the customer's number and order history stay with the app, so you can't invite them directly when you launch a new dish.
The branch phone is busy at peak
Between lunch, dinner and Ramadan suhoor the phone rings and WhatsApp messages pile up on the cashier's phone, so orders slip and simple questions like opening hours and location go unanswered.
Reserved tables sit empty
Weekend, occasion and group iftar bookings live in a notebook or a chat with no reminder or confirmation, so some guests don't show after you've turned others away.
Paper stamp cards get lost
Guests forget or throw away the card, you don't know who your regulars are or when one stopped coming, and review requests depend on a staff member's mood rather than a system.
How Watily covers it from one platform
Every plan includes WhatsApp Business API, bookings, loyalty, ZATCA invoices and the store — plans differ only in usage limits.
A direct ordering menu under your brand
A photo menu with sizes and add-ons where guests order delivery or pickup and pay online.
- Items with size and add-on options
- mada, Apple Pay and Tabby payments
- One link for WhatsApp, Instagram and Google Maps
WhatsApp Business API for branch orders
A bot with menus and buttons that routes guests to ordering or booking, plus a shared inbox several staff can answer from.
- Auto-answers for hours and location
- Order confirmation, then an order-ready alert
- Hand-off to a person for complaints
Table and occasion booking
A booking page where guests pick the day, time and party size, with instant confirmation and a reminder before the visit.
- Confirm or cancel buttons in the reminder
- Optional deposit for group bookings
- No-show tracking per booking
A stamp card in the wallet
An Apple Wallet and Google Wallet loyalty card the cashier scans, updating in the guest's phone instantly.
- One stamp per card per day, no duplicates
- Rewards redeemed with a unique code
- Lock-screen nudge near the branch
ZATCA-compliant simplified invoice
A Phase 2 invoice with QR for every order, and a standard tax invoice for corporate and catering orders.
- Direct Fatoora integration
- Invoice PDF sent on WhatsApp
- VAT reports
Automations that work from day one
From menu to order ready
Starts when: A guest orders from the menu link or the WhatsApp bot menu- The guest pays and chooses delivery or branch pickup
- An order confirmation with the order number arrives on WhatsApp
- The kitchen marks the order ready and the pickup alert goes out
- After pickup a short review request is sent
Guests know their order status without calling, and you keep the number for next time.
Table bookings without empty chairs
Starts when: A guest books from the booking page or a WhatsApp chat- Instant confirmation with date, time and party size
- A reminder before the visit with confirm and cancel buttons
- A cancellation frees the table for another guest
- No-shows are logged in no-show tracking
Evening and group iftar tables go to people who will actually come.
Fifth visit on the house
Starts when: The cashier scans the loyalty card at payment- The stamp is added and the card updates in the guest's phone
- A lock-screen nudge when the reward is close
- When the cycle completes a reward with a unique code is created
- A new cycle starts automatically on the same card
A loyalty program that can't get lost, and a clear list of your regulars.
Win back a lapsed regular
Starts when: An opted-in guest hasn't ordered for a period you define- Build the segment from order history and consent
- Send an approved marketing template about a new item or offer
- A direct menu link inside the message
- Opt-out requests are honoured automatically
A targeted campaign to people who want it, instead of random blasts.
WhatsApp message examples for this industry
Written to Meta policy — adapt them to your brand. More in the template library.
order_readyUtilitytable_reminderUtilitynew_menu_itemMarketingMetrics to track
Getting started with Watily
- Sign up free at site.watily.com/register and choose a plan that fits your menu size and staff.
- Prepare your commercial registration and the branch mobile number for the WhatsApp Business API; activation usually takes 24 to 72 hours.
- Add menu items with photos, prices and add-ons, then enable payments and your delivery or pickup area.
- Set up table booking with opening hours, party sizes and an optional deposit policy.
- Create the stamp card from the café or restaurant template and print the join code for tables and the counter.
- Activate ZATCA Phase 2 invoicing with your VAT number; it usually takes about 24 hours.
Most menus exceed the 20-product limit of Basic, so we recommend Growth (SAR 249) for most restaurants: 500 products, 5 users and 6,000 campaign and alert messages a month. A small café with a short menu can start on Basic at SAR 49. Compare plans
Frequently asked questions
Should I drop delivery apps if I use Watily?
We don't recommend it. Delivery apps bring new customers, while Watily gives you a direct channel to move repeat guests onto your own menu and number. Over time the share of direct orders whose data you own grows.
How does a guest order on WhatsApp?
The guest messages the restaurant number and the bot replies with buttons: Order now, Book a table, Location and hours. The order button opens the digital menu to pick items and add-ons and pay, and status messages arrive in the same chat.
Is the order invoice ZATCA-compliant?
Yes. Every order gets a Phase 2 simplified invoice with QR, integrated with Fatoora, and it can be sent to the guest as a PDF on WhatsApp. Corporate and catering orders get a standard tax invoice.
What do order confirmation and order-ready messages cost?
These alerts count toward your plan's campaigns and alerts quota, and Meta charges each delivered utility message at SAR 0.0401 in Saudi Arabia per Meta's rate card effective 1 July 2026. Watily does not cap customer conversations.
Does the guest need an app for the loyalty card?
No. The card is added to the Apple Wallet or Google Wallet already on their phone after scanning the join code and entering their number. The cashier scans it from the merchant app and the stamp is recorded in seconds.
Can I send an offer to everyone who has ordered before?
Offers go only to guests who explicitly agreed to receive them, using a Meta-approved marketing template with a way to opt out. This protects your number from being blocked and aligns with Saudi personal data protection rules. Order status messages don't need marketing consent because they are transactional.
Useful guides for your industry
Related solutions & industries
Ready to run your business on Watily?
WhatsApp Business API live in 24–72 hours with a Saudi onboarding team. Plans from SAR 49/month, with a 2-day free trial on Growth and Pro.