COD Confirmation WhatsApp Template for Restaurants

Why this is a Utility template, not marketing

This message is triggered by a specific transaction the customer just initiated — placing a COD order — and every word of it serves that transaction. That is the textbook definition of Meta's Utility category, which is why the template qualifies for the utility rate rather than the higher marketing rate, and why it lands in the customer's chat within seconds and gets read almost immediately. Keep it strictly transactional: confirming the order, stating the amount, and offering the pay-or-cancel choice. The instant you add a discount code, an upsell, or 'order again and get 10% off', you push it into the Marketing category, invite rejection at review, and forfeit the utility pricing. If you want to promote, do it in a separate marketing template with its own opt-out — never bolt it onto this one.

Personalise it so it reads like your restaurant, not a robot

The three variables do the heavy lifting: {{1}} greets the guest by name, {{2}} shows the exact order ID they can match to their basket, and {{3}} states the rupee amount they will hand over — no ambiguity, no 'wait, which order is this?'. Beyond the variables, tune the fixed copy to sound like your brand. A cloud kitchen might say 'from our kitchen'; a fine-dining outlet might say 'your table reservation and pre-order'; a tiffin service might reference the delivery date. Match your customers' language too — a Hindi or regional-language version of the same Utility template often lifts confirmation rates in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The goal is a message that feels like a 1:1 note from the restaurant, because a personal, specific message is the one people actually tap Confirm on.

• {{1}} name — greet the guest personally
• {{2}} order ID — let them match it to their basket instantly
• {{3}} amount — state the exact cash payable, no surprises at the door
• Swap 'kitchen' wording to fit cloud kitchen, dine-in or tiffin models
• Create a Hindi or regional-language twin of the same template

Getting it approved on the first try

Submit the template in the Utility category with all three sample variable values filled in — Meta's reviewers reject templates whose variables have no example, so 'Rohan', '#TRB-4821' and '₹640' should sit in the sample fields. Keep button labels short and action-clear: Confirm order, Pay now, Cancel order. Avoid anything promotional in the body, avoid all-caps shouting, and don't stuff the message with more than the three variables it needs. Because the copy is clean and purely transactional, this template type is typically approved within a day. InfiQ's template management console flags category mismatches and missing samples before you submit, so you fix issues in the editor rather than waiting on a rejection.

• Choose Utility, never Marketing, for this transactional message
• Fill every variable's sample value (blank samples get rejected)
• Keep button text short and action-oriented
• No offers, codes or promotional language in the body
• Submit through InfiQ so pre-submission checks catch mistakes early

What it costs to send

Since 1 July 2025 WhatsApp bills per delivered message by category, not per 24-hour conversation. This template is Utility, so each delivered send is charged at Meta's live utility rate for India, with InfiQ's transparent ₹ pricing applied on top of that rate card (ex-GST). Replies the customer sends inside the resulting 24-hour service window are free to receive — that window is a free service period, not a billing unit. In practice the economics are lopsided in your favour: one utility message costs a tiny fraction of the food, gas and rider time you burn on a single fake or cancelled COD order, so the template usually pays for itself many times over across a month. Use the cost calculator to slide your monthly COD volume and see the ₹ figure and typical payback for your restaurant.