WhatsApp for restaurants, bars and cafés

Fill quiet nights with a message your regulars actually read, run quiz and music nights with one-tap RSVPs, and answer "are you open?" without picking up the phone.

Start free trial See pricing

What you can send

Every message comes from your own WhatsApp number, and replies land in your Sonar inbox. A few examples:

This week's special

Hi Thandi, it's half-price burgers this Tuesday from 5pm. Reply here and we'll hold a table for you.

Event night invite

Quiz night is back this Thursday at 7pm, teams of up to six. Can your team make it?

I'm inCan't make it

Booking confirmed

Hi Sam, your table for 4 on Friday at 19:00 is booked. Reply here if your plans change.

How Sonar helps

Offers to the right people. Tag your regulars, families and sports crowd, and send each group what they care about. Schedule a broadcast, or repeat it every week, 2 weeks or 4 weeks.
Event nights with RSVPs. Invites with I'm in and Can't make it buttons, a capacity and waitlist, reminders, and check-in at the door. WhatsApp RSVPs for events
Booking confirmations. If your booking app can send new bookings to a web address, Sonar confirms each one on WhatsApp from your number. How it works
Answers while you're busy. The AI Agent answers the everyday questions, like opening hours, the menu and parking, in your voice. Included from the Plus plan (R1,499 a month). How it works
Keep the restaurant phone. Connect the WhatsApp Business app number you already use. Chats keep working on the phone and show up in Sonar too. How it works
POPIA-safe by default. Opt-in buttons, STOP handled automatically, and a consent record for every customer. How it works

What it costs

Say you message 800 customers in a month, with 1,600 marketing messages and 300 updates. That fits the Starter plan at R349 a month. WhatsApp's own charges, paid to Meta from your card, come to about R1,043.

Plans start with a free trial of 50 contacts and 250 messages, with replies you type free, no card needed. Work out your own month with the calculator.

Questions

Do customers need to save our number?

No. The free broadcast lists in the WhatsApp Business app only reach people who saved your number. Sonar sends through WhatsApp's business platform, so everyone who agreed to hear from you gets your message.

How often should we message our regulars?

Most venues do best with one offer a week at most. Meta limits how many marketing messages each person gets from businesses, so messages people ignore can hurt your delivery. Automated follow-ups in Sonar never send one person more than 3 messages a week.

Can we take bookings on WhatsApp?

Yes: replies land in your Sonar inbox, where your team answers them. If you use a booking app, Sonar can send the confirmation for every booking it takes.

Guides for this

Other industries

Need a hand?

Tell us about your business: email support@whats-hub.co.za or chat to us on WhatsApp, and we'll help you set it up.

Start free trial Log in