RCS for restaurants and cloud kitchens

RCS messaging for restaurants and cloud kitchens

Show today's specials with photos, confirm table bookings and bring back regulars for direct orders, all from your restaurant's verified name.

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Dine-in restaurants and cafesCloud kitchens and delivery brandsSweet shops and bakeriesMulti-outlet restaurant chainsCaterers and tiffin services

RCS message from a verified restaurant with a weekend special card showing a biryani dish and price, Order now and Book a table buttons

How do restaurants use RCS messaging?

Restaurants and cloud kitchens use RCS to send menu carousels with dish photos and Order now buttons, confirm table bookings with a location pin, nudge regulars to reorder directly instead of through aggregators, and promote festival menus or weekend buffets to opted-in guests. Food is visual, so RCS cards outperform plain text, and SMS fallback covers other phones.

Updated 15 Nov 2026

Key facts: RCS for restaurants and cloud kitchens

Channel: RCS messaging
Best for: Specials carousel; Table booking confirmation; Reorder nudge for regulars
Formats: Carousel, Text with actions, Rich card, Suggested replies
Who it suits: Dine-in restaurants and cafes, Cloud kitchens and delivery brands, Sweet shops and bakeries, Multi-outlet restaurant chains, Caterers and tiffin services
Sender: Brand name, logo and verified mark, set up as an RCS agent; DLT-approved SMS fallback for phones that cannot receive RCS
Pricing model: Per message, by message type; fallback billed as SMS. How pricing works
Integration: REST API and webhooks (message.delivered, message.read, message.clicked) into your own software. RCS API

What problems does RCS solve for restaurants and cloud kitchens?

Aggregator commissionsRegulars order through food apps that take a large cut of every order, and you have no direct way to bring them back.

Text cannot sell food'Try our new Hyderabadi biryani' in a 160-character SMS does nothing that a photo of the handi would.

Table no-shows on busy nightsSaturday dinner and festival bookings are held for guests who never arrive, while walk-ins are turned away.

Which RCS messages work for restaurants and cloud kitchens?

Carousel

Specials carouselToday's specials or a new menu as photo cards with price and an Order now button that opens your own ordering page.→ Direct orders

Text with actions

Table booking confirmationParty size, time and outlet with Show location, plus Confirm and Cancel chips sent 3 hours before.→ Tables released early

Rich card

Reorder nudge for regularsA customer who orders the same thali every Friday gets a card for it on Friday at noon, with Reorder and See menu.→ Repeat orders

Rich card

Festival and buffet promotionsDiwali sweet boxes, Navratri thali or a Sunday brunch, sent to guests who agreed to offers.→ Fuller weekends

Text with actions

Order status for own deliveryOrder accepted, out for delivery and a Call rider button for orders placed on your own website.→ Fewer where-is-my-food calls

Suggested replies

Post-meal ratingA next-day rating with 1 to 5 chips; low ratings go to the manager, high ones get a review link.→ Feedback while fresh

Ready-to-use RCS message templates for restaurants and cloud kitchens

Copy, edit and use these as a starting point.

Weekend specialCarousel

Title: {dish_name}, ₹{price}
Body: {short_description}. Available {days} at {outlet}.
Buttons: Order now | Book a table | See menu

Table reminderSuggested replies

Title: Table for {guests} at {time} tonight
Body: Hi {name}, we are holding your table at {outlet}. Let us know if plans change.
Buttons: Confirm | Cancel | Show location

Friday reorderRich card

Title: Your Friday {usual_order}?
Body: Order directly from {restaurant} and get it in {delivery_time} minutes.
Buttons: Reorder | See menu

Rich cards and buttons are set up per campaign in your MsgClub panel; text is editable.

How does RCS work for restaurants and cloud kitchens?

Guests join your listAt billing, on your website or via a QR code on the table, guests agree to hear from you.
Your POS knows their habitsOrder history from your restaurant POS decides who gets which special or reorder nudge.
MsgClub sends the cardRCS phones see the dish photo and buttons; others get a short SMS with your ordering link.
Orders and bookings come backTaps and replies reach your POS or booking tool by webhook, and you see which dishes drew clicks.

Connect your softwareYour restaurant POS, online ordering site or table booking tool can call the MsgClub API to send cards and receive taps and replies by webhook; Google Sheets or Zapier work for smaller outlets. RCS API · API and webhooks · Pricing

ComplianceSpecials and offers are promotional: send only to guests who opted in, and the SMS fallback must use a promotional header, avoid DND numbers and go out between 10 am and 9 pm. Show prices accurately and state whether taxes are included.

Which other channels suit restaurants and cloud kitchens?

Use them together from one account, with shared contacts, reports and webhooks.

SMS for restaurants and cloud kitchensHow can restaurants use SMS marketing?See SMS

WhatsApp for restaurants and cloud kitchensHow do restaurants take orders on WhatsApp?See WhatsApp

IVR for restaurants and cloud kitchensHow do restaurants use IVR?See IVR

Voice broadcast for restaurants and cloud kitchensShould restaurants use voice broadcast?See Voice broadcast

Missed call for restaurants and cloud kitchensHow do restaurants use a missed call number?See Missed call

AI calling for restaurants and cloud kitchensTwo-way AI agents that talk to callers in Hindi, English and other Indian languages, unlike a recorded message.See AI Voice

Compare every channel for restaurants and cloud kitchens

Questions about RCS messaging for restaurants and cloud kitchens

Can restaurants send menu photos on RCS?

Yes. Rich cards and carousels carry dish photos with a title, price and up to 4 buttons per card. A carousel of 4 to 6 specials with an Order now button usually works better than sending the full menu as a PDF.

Can RCS help reduce aggregator commissions?

It can help shift regulars to direct orders. Send past customers who opted in a reorder card linking to your own ordering page. You still need your own delivery and payment setup, and aggregator terms may limit contacting customers acquired through them.

When should a restaurant send promotional RCS?

Around 11 am to noon for lunch and 5 to 7 pm for dinner tends to suit food offers, and promotional SMS fallback is allowed only between 10 am and 9 pm. Send to opted-in guests, and avoid daily blasts that lead people to block you.

Do table booking confirmations need consent?

A confirmation of a booking the guest made is a service message, so it is expected. Keep it free of offers. If you want to add a dessert promotion, send it separately to guests who agreed to receive offers.

Can a small cafe use RCS?

Yes, if you can register a brand agent with your business name, logo and contact details, and you message a few hundred guests or more each month. A cafe with a small list may start with SMS and WhatsApp and add RCS once the list grows.

How do we collect guests' numbers fairly?

Ask at billing or through a QR code on the table, and say what they will receive, such as weekend specials. Record when and how each guest agreed, honour opt-out replies quickly, and keep the list under DPDP Act safeguards.