November 25, 2025

The Complete Guide to SMS Marketing for Restaurants (2025 Edition)

Learn how restaurants can use SMS marketing to boost online orders, increase repeat visits, and grow customer loyalty. The definitive 2025 guide for restaurant SMS campaigns, promotions, and customer engagement.

Introduction: SMS Is the Most Profitable Channel Most Restaurants Aren’t Using

If you’re a restaurant owner or marketer, you’re sitting on the most powerful revenue channel in your business — and you might not even be using it.

SMS marketing consistently outperforms:

Email
Social media
Push notifications
Ads

With 98% open rates, 15–35% click-through rates, and 8–15% order conversion, text message marketing isn’t just “another channel.”
It’s the highest-ROI growth engine in restaurants today.

This guide breaks down exactly how restaurants can use SMS to increase orders, improve retention, and build a direct relationship with every guest.

Why SMS Works So Well for Restaurants

Most marketing channels are noisy. SMS isn’t.

Here’s why it dominates:

Instant visibility (98% open rate)
People check text messages within 3 minutes.
Emails? Hours or days — if they ever get opened.
Direct ownership of your customers
DoorDash and Uber Eats own your repeat customers through their apps.
SMS gives you a direct line to them — no middlemen.
High conversion into orders
Restaurant SMS campaigns regularly drive:
- 15–35% click through rates
- 8–15% conversion rate
- $6–$12 in sales for every $1 spent
It’s why national brands like Chipotle and Starbucks invest millions into SMS programs.
Perfect channel for “moment-of-need” cravings

Text messages hit people when they’re hungry:

Lunchtime
Dinner
Weekends
Paydays
Holidays

Restaurants win by reaching customers at the exact moment they’re likely to order.

How Modern Restaurants Should Use SMS: Dynamic, Personalized, AI-Driven

Most restaurant platforms still treat SMS like it’s 2014:

weekly blasts
time-based winbacks
generic promotions
“Send to all customers”

But this approach is dead.

In 2025, the highest-performing restaurants don’t send campaigns.
They use AI to create adaptive, personalized messaging that adjusts in real-time based on customer behavior.

AI Changes the Entire Paradigm of Restaurant SMS

With AI, your SMS system doesn’t wait for you to tell it what to do.
It actively thinks, chooses, personalizes, and executes.

Here’s what that looks like.

Predictive Messaging (Who Needs a Nudge Today?)
Instead of blasting everyone, the AI analyzes:
- order frequency
- time-of-day patterns
- preferred days
- eating habits
- historical conversions
Then it messages only the people most likely to order right now.
No guesswork.
Just probability-based outreach.
Behavior-Adaptive Personalization
Every customer is different — and AI adapts messages in real-time based on:
- last order
- favorite menu items
- typical spend
- preferred ordering channel
- last website visit
- abandoned carts
- time since last activity
Two guests might get two completely different messages at the same time — because the AI tailors each message to maximize conversion.
Personalization becomes automatic, not manual.
Incentive Optimization
Instead of using one blanket offer, AI tests and learns:
- Does this guest respond better to percentage-off or dollars-off?
- Do they convert without a discount?
- Does a free item outperform a coupon?
- How deep does the discount need to be?
- At what times do they respond best?
Open’s AI constantly adjusts to deliver the lowest-cost incentive with the highest conversion.
Moment-Based Messaging
Traditional SMS waits for a scheduled time.
AI-driven SMS reacts to moments.
Examples:
- the weather changes
- your kitchen is slow and needs a boost
- a customer walks near your location
- a customer buys from a competitor
- a holiday or game day surge
- lunchtime or dinner-time spikes
- a customer’s birthday or anniversary
Instead of static messaging, restaurants get real-time demand activation.
Intelligent Reactivation (Goodbye, 14/30/60 Day Windows)
Instead of waiting arbitrary amounts of time (“send a winback at 14, 30, 45 days”), AI identifies:
- the exact moment a customer becomes “at-risk”
- their likelihood to return
- the best incentive to bring them back
No more rigid time windows.
Reactivation becomes precise and fully automated.

What Kinds of Messages AI Might Send (Without You Lifting a Finger)

Instead of pre-planned “campaign templates,” AI should generates messages intelligently based on what’s actually happening inside your business and in the life of each customer.

Here are examples of real AI-driven moments.

When your guest is most likely to order
The AI predicts ordering likelihood based on:
- time-of-day
- day-of-week
- historical patterns
- weather
- paydays
- cravings
- neighborhood trends
Example:
“Hungry for your usual? We’ve got it ready. Tap to order.”
When someone browses your menu but doesn’t order
The AI waits the optimal amount of time (different per guest), then follows up.
Example:
“Still in the mood for that Chicken Bowl? We saved you a spot.”
When the kitchen has extra capacity
If your kitchen is in a lull between rushes, the AI gently boosts demand.
Example:
“Short wait times right now — perfect moment for takeout.”
When a customer is on the brink of becoming “at-risk”
Instead of time-based winbacks like 14, 30, 45 days, the AI identifies subtle behavioral shifts.
Example:
“It’s been a minute — get $5 off your usual tonight?”
When a regular customer’s ordering pattern changes
AI detects micro-trends: slower ordering frequency, smaller basket size, changing dayparts.
Example:
“Trying something new? Here’s something you might love.”
When someone responds well to scarcity or new items
The AI identifies customers who love new drops and uses that to drive excitement.
Example:
“New item just dropped — early access for you.”
When someone reacts strongly to non-discount messaging
The AI learns who doesn’t need promos and stops sending them.
Example:
“Your favorites are hot right now. Tap to order.”
Messaging becomes continuous, adaptive, and personal, not a marketing calendar.
Your restaurant doesn't send “campaigns.”
Your AI grows revenue autonomously.