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Restaurants are secretly raking in sales from SMS…and no one’s talking about it.
Let’s fix that.
Restaurants that use SMS marketing see a 20–30% increase in repeat business. That means more revenue rolling in, faster! Already collecting phone numbers but unsure what kind of customer loyalty SMS to send? Or you’ve tried sending some but…crickets?
In this post, you’ll discover 8 proven restaurant SMS marketing templates that actually work. These templates are among the best SMS templates for restaurants. They have been used by restaurants like Chilli’s, Carl’s Jr, Bibibop and many more to get up to 95% conversion rate, make over 9900% ROI (return on investment) and win back lost customers along the way.
Whether you’re launching a promo or boosting sign-ups, these restaurant SMS campaigns are built to work.
Why Restaurant SMS Marketing Works
Almost everyone opens SMS. To be specific, SMS has the highest open rate of all channels at 98%—that’s 98 out of 100 people! Compare that to email, which averages 20% open rates and only 6% response rates.
This is because your customers are drowning in emails. People get marketing emails every day. SMS, however, isn’t crowded. In fact, the majority of SMS subscribers get zero or just one brand SMS a day.
Another reason SMS works well is that dining decisions are often impulse-driven. A well-timed message like a lunch special at 11:30 AM can instantly influence someone’s plans, especially when they’re already thinking about where to eat.
8 Proven Restaurant SMS Marketing Templates
1. Drive Urgency with Limited-Time Offers
SMS template:
[Restaurant name]: [Timely Hook or Question]? Get a [Menu name] @ [Price]. [Limited quantity/Condition]. [Promotion deadline]. [Redeem CTA/How to redeem]
For example:
Tim’s Cafe: Get 2 burgers for the price of 1 only TODAY. Show this text to redeem.
Another good example, Carl’s Jr ran a limited-time deal burger and fries combo for $2.99 instead of the usual $6.
Within a short time, 20% of its customers redeemed their codes in-store. As a result, for every $1 spent on SMS, the brand earned $14 in new sales.
2. Promote deliveries with SMS marketing
SMS template:
[Restaurant name]: [Timely event if applicable] and enjoy [Menu name/Promotion]. [Order CTA/How to order]
For example,
Tim’s Cafe: Stay in this cold season and enjoy FREE delivery on Uber Eats. Use code FDLVY at checkout.
Another example was during the pandemic, Chili’s sent an SMS offering customers a free dessert to encourage them to stay home and order delivery.
3. Surprise reward with SMS marketing
SMS template:
[Restaurant name]: [Event/Holiday greeting]! Order [Timeframe: TODAY/this weekend/etc] & receive a [reward/incentive] in your [Rewards Program/App] later. [Order CTA/How to order]
For example,
Tim’s Cafe: Happy 4th of July! Flash the USA flag in-store and win a reward!
BIBIBOP demonstrated this well during the Lunar New Year campaign. They texted subscribers informing anyone who ordered during the holiday would get a surprise bonus in their rewards account.
4. Leveraging guests’ purchase behaviour with SMS marketing
SMS template:
[Restaurant Name]: [Timely Hook or Question]? [Brief value proposition related to product/offering]. [Optional detail about features or group size]. [Order CTA/How to order]
For example,
Tim’s Cafe: We’ve gifted you a 10% off voucher to your account. Treat yourself to our Beef Lasagna tonight!
Luna Grill executed this brilliantly. They identified guests who often placed big orders, launched a Mediterranean Family Meal and promoted it to them.
The result was astonishing! Luna Grill earned over 74x ROI from SMS, with a 95% average conversion rate.
5. Real-time SMS
SMS template:
[Restaurant Name]: [Event/Headline]. [Emotional Reaction Line]. [Suggest Menu Item / Offer]. [Order CTA/How to order]
For example,
Tim’s Cafe: Time to celebrate The Chief’s first major trophy and share the joy with some BBQ Wings. Order now [link]
Wings and Rings did this by timing their SMS around major sports events like March Madness. After a tough loss, they’d casually invite subscribers to cheer up with some Bourbon BBQ Wings.
6. Winning back lost customers with SMS marketing
Two restaurants in Kuala Lumpur—an Italian and a Japanese—partnered with SimpleLoyalty to re-engage customers who hadn’t visited in over 30 days using SMS.
The results came quickly. Within a month, more than 5% of the Italian restaurant customers and over 6% of the Japanese restaurant customers returned.
With just RM100 ($21.30) spent, the Italian restaurant made RM3,817.61 ($813.30) — a 3,717.61% ROI. The Japanese restaurant earned RM10,062.87 ($2,144.90) — a 9,962.87% ROI. Also, SMS diners visited nearly three times more than non-recipients.
You should check our Does SMS Marketing Really Work For Restaurants in 2025? article for more case studies like this.
Here are two SMS templates you can use:
Friendly reminder
Hey [First Name], we miss seeing you at [Restaurant Name]. Come back this week and enjoy [Incentive]. [Redeem CTA/How to redeem]
“Hey Danish, we miss seeing you at Tim’s Cafe. Come back this week and enjoy a free milkshake. Flash this text today.“
Personal touch + limited time offer
[Restaurant Name]: It's been [days] since you last visited! Come back by [Date] and get [Deal]. Just show this message.
“Tim’s Cafe: It’s been 55 days since you last visited! Come back by 31 July and enjoy our burger deal! Show this text to redeem.”
7. Minimum spend campaign with SMS marketing
This is another SimpleLoyalty’s case study showing how SMS marketing can drive serious results.
A restaurant ran an SMS campaign offering up to three bottles of sake for customers who spent more than $99.78 in a month. The campaign worked as the average spend jumped from $44.67 to $75.56, with over 900 qualifying customers and 167 redeeming. Moreover, the campaign generated $52,347.56 in sales and $27,716.00 in profit.
Even after the campaign ended, customers kept returning and their lifetime spend increased 5 times.
Here are two SMS templates you can use:
Straightforward and clear
Spend at least $400 this month at [Restaurant Name] and get 3 bottles of sake FOR FREE! [How to track progress].
Spend at least $400 this month at Tim’s Cafe and get 3 bottles of sake FOR FREE! Track your progress here.
VIP Style
[Restaurant name]: [First Name], thank you for staying loyal to us. Get 3 bottles of sake exclusively for you when you spend at least RM448 this month. [How to track progress]
“Tim’s Cafe: Danish, thanks for sticking around. Get 3 bottles of sake just for you when you spend RM448 this month. Track your progress here.”
8. Daily lunch specials announcement with SMS marketing
A small New York bistro used SMS to promote daily lunch specials and send reservation reminders. The results were impressive. Weekday lunch reservations rose by 20% and customer retention grew by 12%.
Here are two SMS templates you can use:
Short & Tasty
It’s Tuesday! That means [Dish Name] lunch special at [Restaurant Name]. [Price] [Normal Price:], available from 12–3PM. Book now: [Link]
“It’s Tuesday, Filet O Fish lunch special at Tim’s Cafe! $11 (NP: $15), available from 12-3PM. Book now: [Link]“
Restaurant SMS Marketing Best Practices
1. Personalize Your Messages
Use customer data like names, past orders, or visit frequency to make texts feel personal. Luna Grill did this in Template #4 by targeting big spenders with relevant big meal promos and saw 74x ROI.
2. Be Clear and Concise
Messages under 160 characters work best. Use short links, clear CTAs, and skip the fluff. Template #1 (Limited-Time Offers) shows how quick, direct messages drive action fast.
3. Time It Right
Timing is everything. Send texts when people are deciding what to eat such as 10 AM–12 PM or 6 PM-7 PM. The lunch promo in Template #8 did this best as they boosted weekday bookings by 30%.
4. Give Strong Incentives
People sign up for deals. Use surprise rewards (Template #3) or spend-based offers like the 3-bottle sake campaign (Template #7) to drive repeat visits.
5. Automate Smartly
Automation saves time, but still keeps it personal. Trigger texts based on behavior—like inactivity or past orders—just like the win-back campaign from the Thai and Japanese restaurants in Template #6.
At SimpleLoyalty, we can help with this. For a more detailed explanation and also on how to measure the success of your SMS marketing, check out our SMS Marketing: 6 Best Practices Under 2 Minutes article.
Restaurant SMS Marketing FAQs: What Businesses Ask Most
Can I run a loyalty program through WhatsApp?
Absolutely! You don’t need an app or complicated tech to start a loyalty program. Tools like WhatsApp and SMS lets you reach customers where they already are. SMS is a low-fuss, high-reward way to build loyalty, especially if you’re just starting out. Need help staying organized? Check out our “SMS Marketing: 6 Best Practices Under 2 Minutes” article to learn more.
What if I don’t have time to manage a CRM?
Totally fair. Lucky for you, you won’t be needing a clunky restaurant CRM to see big results. The best SMS marketing tools are lightweight, automated, and actually built for busy teams like yours. You can schedule promo launches and reward loyal diners, all without logging hours of admin work.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen from real restaurant examples, SMS marketing is effective. With open rates as high as 98%, and campaigns generating ROI as high as 9900%, SMS marketing gives you a direct line to customers that drives results.
But writing great messages is just one part of the puzzle. Timing, targeting, and automation are what turn those messages into long-term loyalty and revenue.
That’s where SimpleLoyalty comes in.
We help restaurants like yours automate smart SMS campaigns, personalize outreach, and track performance. If you’re ready to drive more orders, fill more seats, and keep customers coming back!
You can start now for free here!
