We Spent Thousands on a Restaurant App – Customers Still Didn’t Order

Like many restaurant owners, we believed a restaurant mobile app would fix our ordering problems. We were getting more orders through phone calls thanks to word of mouth, so building an app felt like the next logical step.

We spent USD 1,800 and waited 2.5 months to launch our Android app. We printed 2,000 flyers, promoted it to every customer, and expected results.

Seven months later, we had just 50 installs.

That’s when we realized a hard truth: customers don’t want to install a separate app for every restaurant. No matter how good your food is, app fatigue is real.

WhatsApp Ordering Worked – But Manual Handling Didn’t

We switched to food ordering through WhatsApp, and orders instantly increased. Customers loved the convenience of ordering food without an app.

But handling WhatsApp orders manually created new chaos. Customers constantly asked for order updates, and one staff member had to reply all day. There was no proper WhatsApp ordering system for restaurants – just endless messages.

This Simple WhatsApp Ordering System Fixed Everything

That’s when we found Order in Whats, a WhatsApp food ordering solution built for restaurants.

Customers now get the menu automatically, customize items, choose pickup or delivery, and select payment methods – all inside WhatsApp. On our side, orders move smoothly from New to Preparing to Ready, with automatic WhatsApp order updates sent to customers.

No manual replies.
No confusion.
No wasted time.

The Real Lesson for Restaurant Owners

We spent over USD 2,700 building and marketing a mobile app that failed. A WhatsApp ordering system solved the problem.

Before building a website or mobile app, understand customer behavior. The smartest online food ordering solution is the one customers already use, it’s OrderInWhats.