Guide
Text, used sparingly.
Almost every text gets read within minutes. That is the strength and the reason to be careful with it.
In short
SMS suits time-sensitive, high-value messages: a win-back, a same-day offer, an order update. It costs more per message than email and it is far more intrusive, so send rarely and make every message specific. Consent and a working opt-out are legally required, and the opt-out has to work on every send.
Updated 28 August 2026
Where text is the right channel
Anything with a short window. A Friday offer sent at four. A win-back to a customer who has drifted. An order-ready notification, which is operational rather than marketing and is the highest-value text you send. Text is a poor choice for anything long, anything visual, or anything that could have waited.
One message, one action
A text has a few seconds of attention. Say the thing, give the link, stop. No greeting paragraph, no explanation of who you are beyond your name, no second offer. The best-performing restaurant texts read like a message from a person rather than a campaign.
- Name the restaurant in the first few words
- One offer, one deadline, one link
- A working opt-out instruction
Frequency is the whole risk
Email fatigue produces an unsubscribe. Text fatigue produces annoyance and complaints, and it damages how people feel about the restaurant itself. Once or twice a month is a sensible ceiling for marketing texts. Order updates do not count against that, because people want them.
The rules, briefly
You need prior consent to send marketing texts to consumers, that consent has to be specific, and every message needs a free and simple way to stop. In Ireland this sits under electronic communications regulations with real penalties, and it is enforced. Collect consent explicitly at checkout, log it, and process opt-outs immediately.
The honest limitation
Texting costs money per message, unlike email, so a large list gets expensive quickly. That is a feature: it forces you to send only when it is worth it. If you find yourself justifying a send by the cost of not sending, do not send.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Is SMS better than email?
For urgency, yes. For everything else, email is cheaper and less intrusive. Most restaurants should use both, with text reserved for the small number of genuinely time-critical messages.
Can I text customers who ordered by phone?
Only with marketing consent. A number given to arrange a delivery is not permission to market.
What time should I send?
Late afternoon for an evening offer, so it lands while people are deciding. Never late at night, which generates complaints regardless of the offer.
Do I need a short code?
For most independents, no. A sender name and a reply-to-stop keyword handled by your provider is sufficient and much cheaper.
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