As smartphones have become ever-present, good old SMS (short messaging service) messages have emerged as one of the most reliable communication channels for businesses.
More precisely, SMS has evolved into one of the most efficient and cost-effective marketing methods, especially for restaurants.
With that in mind, we’ll explore 11 types of SMS messages your restaurant should be sending to engage guests, enhance their dining experience, and keep them coming back for more.
Let’s dive right in!
As its name suggests, a confirmation SMS is sent immediately after a customer makes a reservation at your restaurant.
Its primary purpose is to reassure guests that their table booking has been successfully received and processed.
This type of message is a simple, yet effective way to eliminate any uncertainty about their reservation.
To illustrate what this type of message can look like, here’s a mock confirmation SMS for a real breakfast/lunch café in Symondsbury, England.
Image: ©mihailomilovanovic via Canva / Text: Tablein
There are two key things to note about this message.
First, if you count the characters (letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation), the total comes to exactly 157.
That’s intentional, as 160 is the standard character limit for an SMS message (it used to be 140, so it's worth checking with your service provider).
It's important to note that using special characters like emojis reduces the SMS character limit to 70.
For example, adding just one emoji to the above message would exceed the limit and result in it being sent as three separate messages.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: Messente
In any case, when a message exceeds the SMS character limit, it will be split into multiple SMS messages, increasing your costs and potentially inconveniencing customers.
Therefore, by keeping your messages concise, you ensure clarity for your customers and save on SMS costs.
In our book, that’s a win-win situation.
Second, notice how the confirmation SMS includes important details like:
These details help reduce the chances of errors or misunderstandings.
Finally, while booking confirmations and other SMS messages mentioned in this article can be sent manually, many restaurants choose to automate this process.
In such cases, as soon as a reservation is made online or recorded in your booking system, a confirmation SMS template is automatically populated with the relevant details and sent to the guest.
The same applies to the next SMS type on our list—reminders.
Reminder SMS messages serve a simple, but crucial purpose—reminding guests of their upcoming reservations.
Since restaurants often turn down walk-in guests due to fully booked tables, no-shows can significantly impact their revenue.
In fact, Zonal’s study of UK restaurants estimated that no-shows cost the hospitality industry around $23.6 (or £17.6) billion annually.
The same study revealed some additional interesting figures, illustrated below.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: Zonal
Note that younger diners have a double no-show rate compared to other age groups.
Given the prevalent use of smartphones among this demographic, it makes sense to implement reminder SMS messages for all your guests.
Some of them will appreciate the courtesy and feel reassured, although they didn’t forget about the reservation.
Others—about 16%, according to the said study—will be genuinely grateful for the reminder, because they did forget.
Of course, a reminder message should always be preceded by the initial booking confirmation SMS we just covered.
Ideally, the reminder should be sent 24 hours before the reservation.
Image: ©RgStudio via Canva / Text: Tablein
This gives both guests and restaurants enough time to adjust their plans if necessary.
Additionally, consider sending another reminder a few hours before the reservation.
This day-of reminder can be especially effective for certain age groups, forgetful guests, special events, or during high-demand times.
Overall, reminder SMS messages, preferably automated, can help reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations, thus improving your restaurant’s revenue flow.
While confirmation and reminder messages are crucial for ensuring guests arrive for their reservations, a "Table’s Ready" SMS enhances their experience once they’re at your establishment.
This type of message is especially helpful when your restaurant is busy or has a waitlist.
Instead of standing in a crowded waiting area, guests can relax or explore nearby spots, knowing they’ll be notified as soon as their table is ready.
Image: ©ciricvelibor via Canva / Text: Tablein
Such messages not only increase guest comfort but also help manage your restaurant’s space more efficiently.
When automated, this SMS is sent as soon as a staff member marks the checkbox “table ready” in the booking system.
In short, “Table’s Ready” messages ensure smoother service by informing guests to promptly return once their table is prepared.
As such, they’re an efficient way to enhance the dining experience while keeping your front-of-house restaurant operations running smoothly.
A feedback SMS is sent to guests after their dining experience to encourage them to share their thoughts about your restaurant.
This feedback provides valuable insights into how well your restaurant is meeting guest expectations, helping you identify strengths and areas for improvement.
If your guests have already consented to receive SMS messages, you can automate the sending of feedback requests shortly after their visit.
For those who haven’t yet opted in, you can encourage feedback via SMS or other methods by displaying signs like the one below in your restaurant.
Source: Opiniator
When they choose the SMS option, your guests can respond to a series of automated, simple questions using short answers.
You can see an example of what this can look like below.
Source: Opiniator
Another option is to include a link in your feedback SMS that directs guests to an online survey, allowing them to complete it at their convenience and providing you with more detailed insights.
No-show messages are sent when a guest misses their reservation without canceling it.
Although they don’t generate immediate profit, they allow your restaurant to reach out to no-show customers in a non-intrusive way, acknowledge their absence, and show that you value their booking.
Image: ©antonynjoro via Canva / Text: Tablein
Again, no-show SMS messages, just like the four SMS types we’ve covered earlier, can be automated via a booking system.
For example, our online booking system, Tablein, offers your guests the convenience of easily booking a table online 24/7.
Source: Tablein
In addition to fast and easy online bookings, Tablein also relieves your staff from many manual tasks involved in managing reservations.
With just a few taps in our system, they can ensure that the appropriate SMS messages will be automatically sent.
In the case of no-show messages, a message is sent as soon as the staff changes the reservation status to “no-show.”
Overall, no-show SMS messages serve as subtle reminders for guests to honor future reservations, potentially increasing loyalty and reducing the likelihood of repeat offenses.
Special offer messages are a powerful way to promote exclusive deals, discounts, or limited time offers directly to your guests.
These SMS messages create a sense of urgency, encouraging them to act before the offer expires.
By using time-sensitive promotions, you can tap into FOMO (fear of missing out) and motivate your guests to take advantage of a great deal.
Source: Message Media
Such SMS offers can significantly boost traffic during slow periods, automating these promotions is simple.
Most booking systems let you easily send a message to all customers or target a specific group.
Remember, special offers not only drive immediate sales but also strengthen customer relationships by rewarding their loyalty and making them feel valued.
Event announcement SMS messages are used to inform your guests about upcoming special events at your restaurant.
These can be holiday dinners, themed nights, live music performances, or any other events you organize.
By sending these short text invitations directly to their phones, you practically ensure that all messaged potential attendees will read them.
That’s because SMS messages boast a 98% open rate.
Emails, on the other hand, have a general open rate of only 20% and about 40% for restaurant-specific emails.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: Soprano & Mailchimp
So, sending an invite to your SMS subscribers can significantly boost event attendance.
These announcements can be automated and targeted, making it easy to send invitations to loyal customers (with a discount) or specific age groups interested in similar events.
Image: ©Nicolas Menijes via Canva / Text: Tablein
Additionally, since many of your guests' friends and family members are often also subscribed, SMS event announcements naturally help spread the word and build excitement for your event.
This one is simple.
More precisely, it’s simple if your guests provided their birth dates during newsletter sign-ups or loyalty program registrations and you collected them.
Then, you can use this information to automate personalized birthday SMS messages.
Often paired with a special offer, like a free dessert or discount, these messages are a thoughtful way to encourage guests to celebrate their birthday at your restaurant.
And in the spirit of generosity, why not offer both a free dessert and a discount?
Image: ©SimonSkafar via Canva / Text: Tablein
For instance, the above SMS message includes an appropriate emoji, so the character count must be under 70.
All in all, the primary purpose of these messages is to show that your restaurant values and appreciates its customers, helping to foster long-term loyalty.
Encouraging them to celebrate at your establishment is a bonus.
Holiday greetings SMS messages are another excellent way for restaurants to connect with customers and drive sales during festive seasons.
By sending warm wishes, you can strengthen relationships with your diners and make them feel appreciated.
These greetings don’t only show that your restaurant cares, though.
They also help keep your establishment top of mind during busy holiday periods.
Image: ©mihailomilovanovic via Canva / Text: Tablein
When such messages include a special offer, they encourage customers to consider dining out or ordering in while celebrating special occasions.
This also means your restaurant will be their likely go-to choice during the holidays.
Loyalty program SMS messages can be effectively used by restaurants to keep their customers engaged and encourage repeat visits.
When a restaurant has a loyalty program in place, SMS can be utilized to keep guests informed about their points, tier status, and any rewards they have earned after each meal.
By using SMS marketing platforms, restaurants can automate these messages, ensuring that updates are sent consistently, without requiring additional effort from staff.
Such regular updates not only keep your diners aware of their progress but also serve as a gentle reminder to utilize their rewards.
For example, consider a message from Jamba Juice reminding a user that they have $3 off remaining on their account:
Source: Tatango
This kind of consistent communication about their loyalty rewards encourages customers to visit more often, increasing sales in the process.
Additionally, these loyalty-related messages make your customers feel valued, leading to a stronger sense of belonging and loyalty that drives repeat business.
This type of SMS can be used to announce new dishes, seasonal items, or updated menus.
In this case, by messaging your guests who consented to receive SMS from your restaurant, you can promote new offerings, but also:
Despite character limits and emoji constraints in SMS, the possibilities are endless.
Take a look at some examples that can inspire you below.
Image: ©Nzewi Confidence via Canva / Text: Tablein
As these mock-ups show, both longer texts with no emojis and shorter ones with emojis can effectively pair excitement with an enticing discount.
This can drive diners to explore your fresh offerings, thus increasing reservations and foot traffic.
As with other SMS messages, new menu promotions are easily managed through an SMS marketing service, which allows you to automate message recipients, scheduling, and delivery.
To recap, SMS messages promoting new menu items help pique customers' interest and turn curiosity into visits.
So, we hope these short overviews and examples demonstrate how restaurants can effectively use SMS communication to engage customers and boost visits.
This effectiveness primarily stems from the impressive open rate, simplicity, and cost-efficiency of SMS messages.
When paired with automation through SMS marketing tools and online booking platforms, this approach becomes even more powerful, ensuring timely, personalized outreach to your guests.
Together, these advantages help your restaurant enhance the customer experience, build loyalty, and increase both reservations and walk-in traffic—all with minimal effort from your team.