WhatsApp chatbots for restaurants: what they can (and can’t) do

Friday, nine in the evening, the kitchen flat out. WhatsApp pings: "¿Tenéis mesa para cuatro mañana?", "Do you have vegan options?", "What time do you close?". Every unanswered message is a table going to the restaurant next door. An AI assistant on WhatsApp replies for you in seconds.

What a good assistant can do

• Answer frequently asked questions: opening hours, location, parking, whether dogs are allowed, whether there's a terrace.
• Explain the menu and allergens, using the information you give it. If it isn't sure, it hands over to a person.
• Take bookings: it asks for the day, time, number of guests and name, checks whether there's space and adds it to your diary or sends it to you to confirm.
• Speak the customer's language: English, German, French or Italian, without you having to.
• Let you know when something needs a person: a complaint, a large group, a celebration.

What it shouldn't do

• Make things up. A well-configured assistant only replies with information you have approved. If it's asked something it doesn't know, it says so and passes the conversation to you.
• Replace the human touch. Its job is to take the repetitive work off your hands so you can deal with what matters.
• Send advertising to people who haven't asked for it. WhatsApp has strict rules, and so does the GDPR.

How it gets going

1. We gather your information: menu with allergens, opening hours, booking rules (how many tables per sitting? groups from how many people?), the questions you always get.
2. We connect WhatsApp Business. It can use your current number or a new one. Automation runs on Meta's official WhatsApp Business platform.
3. We test it with real conversations, in several languages, until it answers the way you would.
4. We switch it on all the time or only when you can't reply.

How much does it cost?

Setting it up usually costs between €390 and €900 depending on the channels and features, plus a monthly fee that covers the AI usage, the WhatsApp messages and maintenance (typically €30 to €80 a month for a restaurant). If it wins back two or three bookings a week that used to be lost, it pays for itself.

Questions we always get

Do customers notice it's a robot? It should introduce itself as a virtual assistant: that's the honest thing to do and what the rules require. Even so, most people appreciate it because they get an answer straight away.

What if a customer asks about an allergen? The assistant answers with your information, but we always recommend that customers with serious allergies confirm with the staff when they arrive.

Can I see the conversations? Yes. You can step in at any time from your WhatsApp Business.

If you'd like to see it working with your restaurant's information, write to us and we'll prepare a demo. More details in AI chatbots and assistants.