A chain of 3 Asian restaurants with delivery in Warsaw, Kraków and Gdańsk. The goal: reach 1,000+ orders/month in each city and build retention. Budget: $28,000 over 6 months. Result: 8,500 first orders, a CPO of €4.8, 62% repeat orders, a €22 average order, €135 LTV over 6 months and a ROAS of 470%. The funnel: UGC Reels → a 25%-off promo code on the first order → a WhatsApp bot confirms and guides the customer → a series of retention messages at 3, 14, 21 and 45 days.
About the client and the goal
A chain of 3 Asian restaurants (Chinese + Japanese) with its own delivery service in Warsaw, Kraków and Gdańsk came to us. Average order: €22; delivery zone: 3-5 km from each kitchen. Before us, the client worked through aggregators (Wolt, Glovo, Uber Eats): 30% commissions ate into the margin, and customers were loyal to the platform, not the restaurant.
The goal: move customers to the restaurant's own delivery channel (website + WhatsApp) with direct payment. The client's target metrics:
- At least 1,000 first orders/month in each city by the end of month 3
- CPO no higher than €7
- At least 45% repeat orders over 6 months
- Reach 300%+ ROAS on the own channel
Final numbers over 6 months
Strategy: a promo code + WhatsApp instead of aggregators
The key decision was to build a direct sales channel through WhatsApp, bypassing the aggregators. The reasons:
- Aggregators' 30% commission = 30% of margin that can go back into ads and loyalty
- On an aggregator, customers are loyal to the platform, not the restaurant, and switch to a competitor when prices change
- WhatsApp drives retention through direct communication with the customer
- An own channel makes it possible to build a loyalty program
The offer: a 25%-off promo code on the first order
We tested 4 different offers. The winner was a 25%-off promo code on the first order with an €18 minimum:
- Free delivery over €25: €7.2 CPO (a weak offer, no reason to try)
- A 10%-off promo code on the first order: €6.5 CPO (not enough to try something new)
- A 25%-off promo code on the first order: €4.8 CPO (the winner)
- A free dessert with the first order: €5.9 CPO (it works, but retention is worse)
25% off looks like a “steep” discount, but the math is simple: a €22 average order, a €5.5 discount. The first order runs €3-4 in the red (including ingredients and ads). Payback on the 2nd order + a loyalty program = €135 LTV over 6 months.
The funnel: Reels → WhatsApp → delivery → retention
- Reels ads with UGC dish videos lead to WhatsApp (Messages objective)
- The bot greets the customer and sends a PDF menu and a 25%-off promo code
- The customer replies with their order, and the bot confirms the address and delivery time
- Online card payment via a Stripe/Przelewy24 link, or cash to the courier
- 15 minutes before delivery: “Your order is on its way, courier +48...”
- 30 minutes after delivery: a review request (5-star button → Google Reviews)
- After 3 days: a 15%-off promo code for a second order
- After 14 days: new dishes on the menu + a video from the head chef
- After 21 days: retargeting for those who haven't placed a 2nd order
- After 45 days: “We miss you” with a free dessert
Creatives: what worked best
No. 1: UGC cooking videos
A chef working the wok: flames, the sizzle of oil, close-ups. 10-15 seconds, 9:16 vertical, no voiceover, just the sound of cooking. Order conversion +85% versus a photo of the dish.
No. 2: The finished dish from above, with steam
A top-down shot of the dish as it's plated from the wok, with steam in the frame. 9:16 format, 8-10 seconds. CTR +60% versus stock photos.
No. 3: Real customers unpacking their delivery
An ordinary person films the courier arriving, unpacks the containers, tastes the food and shares their impression. Trust +200%; works best on new customers.
What DIDN'T work
- Studio photos on a white background: CTR 4-5x lower than UGC
- Restaurant logo + dish name in text: minimal conversion
- Videos that flick through dishes quickly (a carousel of 5-6 items): bad for delivery, as viewers don't have time to choose
Targeting: local precision
Each restaurant gets its own campaign for its city and delivery radius:
- Geo: a 3-5 km zone around the kitchen (not Radius Around, but map points with a precise polygon)
- Age: 22-50 (core 26-40)
- Gender: 55% women, 45% men
- Languages: Polish + Russian + Ukrainian (the diaspora)
- Interests: not used, as Advantage+ Audience performed better
- Ad scheduling: 11:00-13:00 (lunch) and 17:00-21:00 (dinner), with 70% of the budget in these windows
- Lookalike: 1-3% based on customers with €100+ LTV in each city
The loyalty program: how we retained 62%
62% retention over 6 months isn't luck; it's a system:
Loyalty mechanics
- Every 5th order: a free dish of your choice up to €12
- Personal birthday promos (30% off the whole order)
- Anniversary of the first order: a free dessert + a 20%-off promo code
- Refer a friend: €5 credit for both of you
- A public program: the more you order, the bigger the discount (Silver/Gold/VIP tiers)
WhatsApp retention sequences
- After 3 days: “How did you like it?” + a 15%-off promo code for the 2nd order
- After 14 days: “This week's new dish” with a video and a promo
- After 21 days: “It's been a while, here's 20% off”
- After 45 days: “We miss you: a free dessert with your next order”
“In HoReCa, retention matters more than acquisition. The first order usually runs at a loss; all the profit comes from the second and third. Restaurants that spend their whole budget on acquisition and forget about WhatsApp sequences live in an endless chase for new customers. We built a system where 62% of customers come back, and that delivered a 470% ROAS on a relatively modest budget.” — Natalia Maslakova, founder of MAS Project
Comparison: own channel vs aggregators
| Parameter | Wolt/Glovo/Uber Eats | Own channel (Reels+WhatsApp) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform commission | 25-30% | 0% (ads only) |
| Customer loyalty | To the platform | To the restaurant |
| Retention | 15-25% | 62% |
| Acquisition cost | 0 (included in the commission) | €4.8 CPO |
| LTV | €45-70 (thanks to repeat orders) | €135 |
| Customer data | No access | Full database |
| Retention capability | Only through the platform | WhatsApp + promos |
The client's conclusion: don't drop aggregators entirely (they provide quick liquidity), but move 60-70% of orders to your own channel. After 6 months, the own channel accounted for 68% of revenue.
3 key takeaways
- The offer decides everything: a 25%-off code on the first order gave a CPO 1.5-2x lower than 10% off. Saving on the discount = spending more on ads
- UGC cooking videos outperform photos by 85%+: the real process with flames, steam and cooking sounds sells better than a perfect photo
- The 470% ROAS is built on retention, not the first order: the first runs €3-4 in the red, and payback comes from the 2nd-3rd order via WhatsApp sequences
Want the same results for your restaurant?
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Get a free consultationFrequently asked questions
What's a normal cost per first order for a delivery restaurant?
CPO in 2026: Ukraine €2.5-5, Poland €4-8, Germany €6-12, Spain €5-9. We reached €4.8 in Poland thanks to: 1) a 25%-off promo code; 2) precise geotargeting by delivery radius; 3) UGC videos instead of studio photos. Without a promo code, CPO is 60-90% higher.
What share of repeat orders is normal?
30-50% in the first month, 45-65% over 6 months. We got 62% thanks to: 1) a promo code for the 2nd order after 3 days (91% WhatsApp open rate); 2) a loyalty program (every 5th order free); 3) retargeting at 21 and 45 days. Retention is critical: the first order runs at a loss.
Which creatives work best?
Top 3: 1) UGC cooking videos (a chef at the wok, the sizzle): +85% conversion; 2) An overhead close-up of the dish with steam, 9:16: +60% CTR; 3) Customers unpacking their delivery: +200% trust. Worst of all: studio photos on a white background.
How do you build a WhatsApp funnel for a restaurant?
Reels → WhatsApp (Messages objective, 30-40% lower CPL). The bot sends the menu + a promo code and confirms the order; 15 minutes before delivery, a courier notification; 30 minutes after, a review request; after 3 days, a promo for the 2nd order; after 14/21/45 days, retention sequences. 62% retention versus 25-30% without a bot.