Restaurant India News: WAAYU Launches AI-Powered WhatsApp Food Ordering in India

WAAYU, India’s zero-commission food delivery platform, has announced the rollout of an AI Powered WhatsApp Ordering feature, enabling customers to place complete food orders through a single WhatsApp conversation. The new functionality allows users to discover nearby restaurants, view menus, check prices, confirm orders, and complete payments within the chat interface, removing the need for a separate mobile application.

The feature is now live and is designed to streamline the food ordering process by leveraging WhatsApp’s widespread usage across India. The system automatically identifies the customer’s location, displays available restaurant options, and supports secure UPI payments along with real-time order tracking. By consolidating the entire ordering journey into one platform, WAAYU aims to reduce friction for consumers while improving accessibility for restaurant partners.

From an industry standpoint, the move reflects a growing shift toward conversational commerce, particularly in markets where app fatigue and storage constraints influence consumer behaviour. By operating within WhatsApp, WAAYU integrates food ordering into an existing daily-use platform, potentially increasing order frequency and reducing customer drop-offs.

Mandar Lande, CEO & Co-Founder, Waayu, said, “WhatsApp is India’s most trusted communication platform, and bringing food ordering into that ecosystem is a natural step forward. Our goal has always been to build technology that reduces friction for customers and improves margins for restaurants. WhatsApp Ordering does both - As with this launch, ordering food becomes as simple as sending a message and it ensures our partner restaurants can reach more customers without paying commissions.”

WAAYU stated that it will continue to invest in technology-led ordering solutions as part of its long-term strategy, reinforcing its positioning as a platform focused on operational efficiency, customer convenience, and sustainable economics for restaurant partners within India’s evolving digital food commerce ecosystem.