---
title: WhatsApp bookings for restaurants
description: Holly answers restaurant guests on WhatsApp in seconds, books and changes tables in the thread without a booking reference, and picks up days later.
canonical_url: https://www.askholly.ai/whatsapp/
last_updated: 2026-10-08
---

WhatsApp for restaurants

# WhatsApp bookings and changes, answered in your restaurant’s name.

Your guests already use WhatsApp. Holly answers there in seconds, books and changes tables in the thread, and picks up days later where the guest left off.

[Book a demo](https://calendly.com/boxlycrm/meet-holly-your-digital-concierge)

[See how Holly works](https://www.askholly.ai/)

## Where your guests already are.

Guests message you the same way they message friends, and get a real answer in seconds, in your restaurant’s name.

90% of UK online adults use WhatsApp ([Ofcom, Online Nation 2025](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2025/online-nations-report-2025.pdf)).

## What Holly does on WhatsApp.

Bookings, changes and questions, handled in the thread.

### Bookings in the thread

Guests ask, pick a time from live availability and get a confirmation without leaving WhatsApp.

### No reference needed

Holly finds a booking from the email address or phone number it was made with, then moves or cancels it under your policies.

### Follows up, then stops

Holly follows up once or twice in the same thread and stops the moment the guest replies or books.

### Your menus and policies

Allergens, deposits, parking, dogs and dress code, answered the same way every time.

### Your name and voice

Holly answers as your restaurant, in your tone, and says it’s an AI assistant when asked.

### Handed to your team

Complaints and anything you want a person to handle go to the right person with the whole thread.

## Picks up days later, right where they left off.

The thread stays open, so a guest can come back on Tuesday to a question from Saturday and book without starting again.

## Opt-in, privacy and fees.

### Guests start the conversation

Holly replies in conversations the guest started, and follow-ups stay within WhatsApp Business messaging rules. Guests can ask Holly to stop at any time.

### Processed on your behalf

Holly processes guest data on your behalf under our [data processing terms](https://www.askholly.ai/data-processing/).

### Meta fees billed directly

WhatsApp Business messaging fees are set by Meta and billed by Meta directly to you, separately from your Holly plan.

## Questions

### Can guests change a booking without the reference?

Yes. Most guests never kept it. Holly finds the booking in OpenTable from the email address or phone number they booked with, then moves or cancels it under your policies.

### Will guests know it’s AI?

They should, and they can. Holly says plainly that the guest is talking to the restaurant’s AI assistant, and if a guest asks whether they’re talking to a person, Holly tells the truth.

### Are WhatsApp messaging fees included?

No. WhatsApp Business messaging fees are set by Meta and billed by Meta directly to you, separately from your Holly plan. Messages your guests send you are free.

### Will the follow-ups annoy people?

Not if they’re done like a good host would. One or two, same channel, same thread, sensible hours. Holly stops the moment a guest replies, books or asks to stop, and never starts a conversation out of nowhere. You set how many and how far apart.

## From The Pass

[Your enquiry inbox needs a ticket time](https://www.askholly.ai/blog/enquiry-response-time/)

## More about Holly

[Holly for OpenTable](https://www.askholly.ai/opentable/)

[Group bookings and Christmas enquiries](https://www.askholly.ai/group-bookings/)

[Holly for restaurant groups](https://www.askholly.ai/restaurant-groups/)

## Contact

- [Book a demo](https://calendly.com/boxlycrm/meet-holly-your-digital-concierge)
- Holly is a product of Holly AI, a subsidiary of EB Tech Limited.