SMS marketing that brings regulars back to your own ordering page

In short: Send text messages to customers who have opted in, from inside your Chefzi account. Use your restaurant's name as the sender (branded SMS), link straight to your own ordering page, and keep every order commission-free.

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Why text messages work for takeaways

Text marketing for restaurants is a short message to people who already opted in, with one link back to your own ordering page. Most people read a text soon after it arrives, and a takeaway decision is often made in the moment. A short message at 5pm on a quiet Tuesday, such as "Free garlic bread on orders tonight", lands when people are deciding what to eat.

What you can send

• Quiet-night offers to fill slow evenings.
• Win-back messages to customers who haven't ordered for a while.
• News: a new menu, Christmas opening hours or a second branch.
• A promo code that only works on your own site, so the customer orders direct.

Branded SMS

Messages can show your restaurant's name as the sender. It looks more trustworthy, and customers know it's you before they open it.

Flyers that point to your site, not an app

A flyer is still one of the best ways to reach new local customers. We design takeaway flyers with a QR code that opens your Chefzi ordering page, plus a first-order code so you can count how many orders each print run brings in.

Staying on the right side of the rules

UK marketing texts are covered by PECR and UK GDPR. In practice:

• Only text people who opted in, or existing customers who were given a chance to opt out.
• Say who you are, and include a simple way to stop in every message.
• Don't send too often. Once or twice a month is plenty for most takeaways.

A message worth sending

Write the text the way you would say it at the counter. Name the restaurant, name the offer, and give one link to your own ordering page. A quiet Tuesday at 5pm is a better moment than a Friday when you are already full. If the kitchen cannot take more orders, do not text.

Count the replies you can handle. A code that only works on your site tells you which orders came from the text. It does not tell you that every recipient will order. Send once or twice a month unless you have a reason for more, and stop when someone asks you to stop.

Flyers do the same job for people who are not on the list yet. The QR code should open the ordering page, and the first-order code should be one you can turn off. Test the printed code on a phone before the stack goes in the window.

Ask us for the current per-message rate before the first campaign, and only text people who opted in or who were given a clear chance to opt out.

Where it fits

SMS works best alongside email campaigns and a plan to move customers from Just Eat to your website. The wider list is restaurant marketing ideas. Use the commission calculator to see what each order moved off the apps saves you.