# Customers ask for your menu on WhatsApp every day: how to reply in one second

> How to send your restaurant menu on WhatsApp: menu link in WhatsApp Business quick replies and greeting message, catalog or online menu, QR codes.

- Published: 2026-10-20
- Author: Sigital Team
- URL: https://sigital.io/blog/restaurant-menu-on-whatsapp

When a customer writes "can you send me the menu?", the fastest answer is a **link to your online menu**, saved as a **WhatsApp Business quick reply**: type "/menu" and it's sent in a second. If you want it to go out on its own, put it in the **greeting message**, which WhatsApp Business sends automatically to people who message you for the first time.

No blurry photos, no 8-page PDF. Here is how to set it all up and how to take people who ask for the menu all the way to an order.

## Why a link and not a photo of the menu

A photo of the printed menu is the most common reply, and the least practical:

- **Prices change, photos don't.** A photo sent in March still circulates in October with the old prices.
- **It's hard to read on a phone.** People have to zoom, scroll and rotate.
- **Allergens and ingredients don't fit**, or are in tiny print.
- **A tourist may not read Italian.** An online menu can be translated.

With a link, you update the menu in one place and everyone sees the right version, even people who got the link months ago. To choose and set up a digital menu, start with our [complete guide to digital menus](https://sigital.io/blog/digital-menus-complete-guide).

## WhatsApp Business quick replies: the menu with "/menu"

Quick replies are saved messages you call up with a shortcut. According to the WhatsApp Help Center (October 2026), they work like this:

1. From the **Tools** tab, tap **Quick replies** and create a new message.
2. Write the text with your menu link.
3. Under **Shortcut**, set the keyword, for example "menu".
4. In a chat, type "/" and pick the reply: you can edit it before sending.

You can store up to 50. The app also creates default replies from your business profile, such as hours and address, so it pays to fill the profile in completely.

Three useful quick replies for a venue:

- **/menu** – "Here's our up-to-date menu, with prices and allergens: [link]"
- **/order** – "You can order here and pick your pickup time: [link]. Any questions, just ask!"
- **/hours** – opening hours, closing day and address.

## Greeting message and away message

You send quick replies yourself. These two messages go out on their own.

**Greeting message.** According to the WhatsApp Help Center, it is sent automatically when a customer messages you for the first time, and again when they message you after 14 days without messages in your chat. You can choose the recipients, for example only people not in your address book. Example:

> "Hi! This is Pizzeria da Mario. Our up-to-date menu is here: [link]. You can also order online and pick your pickup time. We'll reply as soon as we can!"

**Away message.** It goes out when you can't reply: always, on a custom schedule or outside business hours (the last option needs hours set in your business profile). Include the menu and ordering link: someone writing at 11 pm about tomorrow already has what they need.

> **If you use Meta's AI agent**
>
> According to the WhatsApp Help Center, when you connect Meta's AI agent for businesses (Meta Business Agent), greeting and away messages are turned off automatically.

## WhatsApp catalog or online menu?

WhatsApp Business has a **catalog**: products appear on your profile and can be shared in chats. Before loading your menu into it, check what it requires according to the WhatsApp Help Center (October 2026):

| | WhatsApp catalog | Online menu |
|---|---|---|
| For each product | Name, at least one image and country of origin required | Name and price; photos optional |
| Publishing | Every image is reviewed by WhatsApp before it is visible | Immediate |
| Prices | Only available in some countries | Always |
| Where it shows | Only inside WhatsApp | Everywhere: WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, table QR |
| The order | Time, address and payment are agreed in the chat | Depends on the system: with online ordering the customer chooses and pays on their own |

The catalog makes sense for a few products: weekly boxes, cakes to order, the dish of the day. For a pizzeria with 50 pizzas, different doughs and extras, an online menu is easier to keep up to date.

## QR codes: menu or WhatsApp?

There are two different QR codes and they do different jobs:

- **The WhatsApp Business QR code** (under **Tools > Short link**) opens a chat with you, optionally with a pre-filled message. Useful on business cards and flyers, for people who need to ask you something.
- **The menu QR code** opens the menu or the ordering page directly. That's the one for tables, pizza boxes and the shop window.

If the customer only wants to order, sending them to a chat first is an extra step, for them and for you. To print QR codes that really work, read our [QR code best practices](https://sigital.io/blog/qr-code-best-practices).

## From "can you send me the menu?" to an order

The menu question nearly always comes before an order. If the order arrives in the chat, someone has to write it down and ask for the time, the address, whether they pay cash: it's a phone call, only slower.

- Reply with **/order** rather than **/menu** when it's clear they want to order.
- At peak times, reply with the link only: no orders dictated in the chat.
- Keep the chat for what really needs it: an allergy, an order for a party, a problem.

The same goes for the phone: if everyone calls at once on Saturday night, read [how to take takeaway orders without losing phone calls](https://sigital.io/blog/takeaway-orders-without-phone-chaos).

## Do you need a WhatsApp chatbot for the menu?

There are tools that reply automatically on WhatsApp with a chatbot. They usually run on WhatsApp's business platform through a provider, with costs and setup to handle. Before choosing one, ask yourself whether you really need it: to send the menu automatically the greeting message is enough, and quick replies cover frequent questions. For most pizzerias, that's all it takes.

## What Sigital does with WhatsApp (and what it doesn't)

- **Digital menu with QR code** and a link to share on WhatsApp, with photos, allergens, variants and automatic translation into 8 languages. The Free plan (€0) is menu only: 1 menu, up to 100 products, no orders.
- **Online ordering for pickup and delivery** with day and time slot, from the Premium plan (€60 per month per venue), with 0% platform commission (Stripe's fees still apply to online payments).
- **Order and booking confirmations on WhatsApp** or email.
- **WhatsApp campaigns** only with the Business plan (€99 per month per venue): the venue's number must be connected and the template approved by Meta; Meta's WhatsApp costs are separate, and messages only go to customers who have given consent.

What it **doesn't** do: there is no WhatsApp chatbot answering your customers, and the QR code opens the menu, it doesn't take table orders. The 14-day trial actually starts on WhatsApp: you send the menu as a photo, a PDF or a Glovo / Just Eat link and Sigital's assistant for restaurant owners (not a chatbot for your customers) imports it. Features and pricing are on the [Sigital for restaurants](https://sigital.io/restaurants) page.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I send my restaurant menu on WhatsApp?

Send a link to your online menu, not photos or a PDF. With WhatsApp Business you save it as a quick reply (for example /menu) and send it in a second from any chat.

### Can I send the menu automatically on WhatsApp?

Yes, with the WhatsApp Business greeting message: it goes out on its own when a customer first messages you or after 14 days without messages. Put the menu link there.

### WhatsApp catalog or online menu?

The catalog works for a few products. For a menu with dozens of dishes, variants and allergens an online menu is more practical: you update it in one place and the link stays the same.

### Does Sigital have a WhatsApp chatbot for customers?

No. Sigital gives you the menu and ordering link to share, sends order and booking confirmations on WhatsApp and, with Business, campaigns using Meta-approved templates.

## Try Sigital free for 14 days

Menu, online ordering and reservations under your brand, with no platform commission. Send us your menu on WhatsApp (photo, PDF or Glovo/Just Eat link): we import it for you. No credit card.

- [Message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/393446071620?text=Hi!%20I'd%20like%20to%20try%20Sigital%20free%20for%2014%20days.) (+39 344 607 1620)
- [See features and pricing](https://sigital.io/restaurants)