A2P 10DLC vs. Toll-Free Numbers: Why Local A2P Numbers Are Becoming the Standard in Restaurant SMS Marketing

SMS has become one of the highest-ROI channels for restaurants. Whether it’s promoting weekly specials, re-engaging lapsed customers, announcing new menu items, or sending out loyalty rewards, text messaging consistently outperforms email and push notifications.

But there’s a hidden variable that dramatically impacts SMS performance: the type of phone number your messages come from.

Until recently, many businesses relied on toll-free numbers for SMS. In 2025, however, A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code) numbers have become the superior and carrier-recommended option for marketing, growth, and deliverability—especially for restaurants.

This guide breaks down why, without bias toward any specific provider.

1. Deliverability: A2P 10DLC Has Become the "Preferred Lane" for Marketing Traffic

   Mobile carriers now aggressively filter toll-free numbers for promotional messaging. Restaurants often see:

   • Increased filtering

   • Slower throughput

   • Delays in time-sensitive campaigns

   • Unpredictable approval processes for toll-free verification

   A2P 10DLC was created specifically to address these issues. Because it requires brand and campaign registration, carriers pre-approve the sender and purpose of each campaign. The result:

   • Higher deliverability for marketing content

   • More consistent throughput

   • Far fewer false spam blocks

   • More predictable performance as message volume scales

   For restaurants where a 15-minute delay can tank a promotion, this reliability matters. Imagine sending a limited-time lunch special at 11:00 a.m. and the customer not receiving the message until 7:00 p.m. SMS is only effective when it arrives exactly when you intend it to.

   
   

2. Local Trust: Consumers Respond Better to Local Numbers Than Toll-Free

   In study after study, consumers rank communications from local phone numbers as more trustworthy than messages from:

   • Toll-free numbers

   • Short codes

   • Shared numbers

   A2P 10DLC numbers look and feel like a normal local business line, which creates a psychological advantage:

   • People are more likely to open texts from local area codes

   • Customers feel the business is nearby and relevant

   • Reply rates and engagement are meaningfully higher

   • The sender becomes part of a customer’s contact list over time

   This matters for small businesses and multi-location restaurants alike. A local sender identity builds familiarity that toll-free numbers simply can’t replicate.

   
   

3. Fewer Interruptions and Compliance Surprises

   Toll-free traffic is subject to periodic review waves by carriers. Restaurants often experience:

   • Temporary suspension while carriers “re-review” the use case

   • Multi-day response times

   • Sudden blocks after promotions

   • Manual escalations required to restore service

   A2P 10DLC avoids most of this because:

   • Brand registration verifies the identity of the sender

   • Campaign registration outlines the exact messaging purpose

   • Carriers pre-approve the category (e.g., marketing, loyalty, order updates)

   This framework dramatically reduces the risk of sudden interruptions or service downtime.

   
   

4. Better Identity + Better Data

   Toll-free numbers tend to blend together — most customers don’t recognize or save them. A2P 10DLC gives restaurants:

   • A consistent, dedicated identity for all messaging

   • Clearer conversational threads

   • Higher attribution accuracy

   • More reliable unsubscribe and opt-in tracking

   • Clean separation between marketing, ordering, and support flows

   Across a full guest lifecycle—lead capture, re-engagement, loyalty, and support—having a stable sender identity improves the data quality behind every campaign.

   
   

5. A2P Is Designed for AI-Driven Messaging and Two-Way Conversations

   Restaurants are increasingly using SMS for:

   • Automated follow-ups

   • Intelligent segmentation

   • Two-way replies

   • Post-visit questions

   • Loyalty nudges

   • Real-time recovery messages

   Toll-free numbers were built for call centers, not conversational messaging. AI-driven SMS behaves differently:

   • It sends more messages per guest (micro-segments)

   • It depends on real-time back-and-forth

   • It triggers based on behavior and timing

   • It needs fast throughput and near-100% deliverability

   A2P 10DLC is optimized for exactly this type of messaging.
   Toll-free is not.

   
   

6. Cost: A2P Often Provides Better ROI at Lower or Equal Cost

   Toll-free numbers seem inexpensive on paper, but the hidden costs show up in:

   • Lower deliverability

   • Slower campaign velocity

   • Reduced conversion rates

   • Time spent resolving carrier issues

   A2P 10DLC registration fees are small and predictable, and the performance benefits tend to outweigh any cost difference.

   Restaurants ultimately pay less for every effective message sent.

   
   

Should Restaurants Still Use Toll-Free Numbers for Anything?

Toll-free numbers still have useful roles:

• Customer support hotlines for national chains

• Corporate offices

• National multi-brand communication

• Non-promotional messaging in low-volume contexts

But for marketing, loyalty activation, AI-driven messaging, and revenue-generating campaigns, A2P 10DLC is now the industry standard.

Summary: Why A2P 10DLC Is Becoming the Norm

Final Thoughts

A2P 10DLC isn’t “new”—but it has quietly become the best-practice standard for restaurants that rely on SMS to drive measurable revenue. It provides:

• A verified, trusted identity

• High deliverability

• Predictable compliance

• Better engagement

• Better performance for AI-driven personalization

Whether you’re sending SMS through a POS, a marketing automation platform, or a CRM, choosing A2P 10DLC over toll-free is one of the simplest ways to upgrade your communication infrastructure.