WhatsApp for restaurant chains: outlet numbers, complaints and offers
How a restaurant chain can run WhatsApp across outlets: a number per outlet, complaints as tickets with targets, peak-hour shifts and offers sent with approval.
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- By WavesFlo team
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- Published
- Reading time
- 2 min read
A restaurant chain's WhatsApp is local and fast: a guest asks about a table, an order or a complaint, and expects the outlet they know to answer. The setup that works is a number per outlet, an owner on every chat, complaints tracked as tickets, and offers sent from the number each guest knows.
How should the business be arranged?
| Layer | Role | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Outlet | Agents under a Team leader | The outlet's chats, replying from its number |
| Area manager | Manager | Every conversation; works the shared queue |
| Head office | Admin | Links numbers, sets roles and limits |
| Brand quality | Viewer | Reads, never replies |
What does an outlet do every day?
- Answer table, timing and menu questions from saved messages, personalised by hand where it matters.
- Raise a ticket from a complaint, with a first-reply and a resolution target in working hours.
- Cover peak hours: shifts and a cap per person mean work goes only to someone present and not already full.
- Pass a chat to the area manager with its notes when it needs more than the outlet can give.
How do offers and complaints work?
Complaints are tickets: the first-reply clock never pauses, the resolution clock pauses while the guest holds the ticket, and a required field such as an order number or a date can be set before a ticket is finished. Offers go out as campaigns from the outlet's number, under a daily ceiling and a cooldown per person, with quiet hours so nothing arrives late at night and an optional approval from the area manager. Only message people who agreed to hear from you; an opt-out is checked as each message is sent. Keep payment details out of chats.
What does the first month look like?
- Week 1: list outlets, their numbers and who answers each.
- Week 2: link the numbers, set roles, and write the saved messages for the ten commonest questions.
- Week 3: set the ticket policy and shifts for peak hours.
- Week 4: send one offer to opted-in guests with approval, and read the report.
What are the usual mistakes?
- One number for the whole chain.
- Offers to guests who never agreed to hear from you.
- Complaints left in the chat with no clock.
- No cover at peak hours.
Each outlet's number stays on the phone at its counter, and WavesFlo brings every outlet into one inbox where each chat shows the outlet it reached, so the area manager sees a complaint as soon as it arrives. A complaint can become a ticket with the resolution target the chain sets for itself.
Questions
Can each outlet have its own WhatsApp number?
Yes. Each is linked from its phone and its chats land in one inbox marked with the number.
Can complaints be tracked?
Yes, as tickets with first-reply and resolution targets counted in working hours.
How do I stop an offer reaching someone at midnight?
Quiet hours hold messages overnight; the default is 22:00 to 08:00 in your timezone.
Does WavesFlo take payments?
No. Keep payment details out of chats.