Work/AI

AI Restaurant Ordering Platform

A WhatsApp-native AI ordering system that lets customers browse menus, customise orders, and pay — all without leaving their chat app.

Overview

We designed and built an AI-powered ordering platform for a fast-casual restaurant group that wanted to reduce front-of-house pressure while improving customer experience.

The system integrates directly with WhatsApp Business API, allowing customers to send a message and receive an interactive menu. AI handles natural language understanding, so customers can say "I want the burger without onions and a Coke" and the system interprets and confirms the order accurately.

Payments are handled through a secure link sent in-chat. Orders flow directly into the kitchen display system, eliminating manual entry.

The client saw a 40% reduction in phone order handling time and a measurable uptick in average order value due to smart upsell suggestions built into the AI flow.

Our process

1

Discovery & AI audit

Mapped existing ordering pain points and identified where AI could eliminate friction — focusing on phone orders and order accuracy.

2

Conversation design

Designed the full WhatsApp conversation flow, including menu navigation, customisation options, and payment handoff.

3

AI model integration

Integrated OpenAI's API for natural language understanding, trained on menu items and common order variations.

4

Payment & kitchen integration

Connected Stripe for secure in-chat payments and built a real-time feed into the kitchen display system.

5

Testing & deployment

Ran two weeks of beta testing with real customers, refined edge cases, and deployed to production.

Project details

Client

Restaurant Group (NDA)

Role

Lead Developer & AI Architect

Timeline

10 weeks

Tech stack
Next.jsOpenAIWhatsApp APINode.jsPostgreSQLStripe

Start a similar project

Impressed by what we built here? Let's do the same for your business.

Get in touch
AI Restaurant Ordering Platform | LYGM Group