SMS & Messaging

98% Open Rate. $71 Back for Every $1 Spent.

Email marketing averages a 20% open rate. SMS hits 98% — with 97% read within 15 minutes. Restaurants using SMS see $71 return per $1 spent. Our platform gives you two-way SMS, WhatsApp, AI auto-replies, campaign builder, and automated post-visit follow-ups — all integrated with your customer data.

See Pricing

98%

SMS open rate vs 20% email — Omnisend, 2024

7,100%

ROI — $71 per $1 spent — Omnisend, 2025

45%

SMS response rate vs 6% email — Mozeo, 2024

scaledgrowthagency.com/client

SMS messaging dashboard showing two-way conversations and campaign management

Your Emails Aren't Being Read

Restaurants spend hours crafting email newsletters that 80% of recipients never open. Of the 20% who do, only 2.5% click through. Meanwhile, your customers' phones buzz with hundreds of notifications daily — your email is buried.

SMS cuts through the noise with a 98% open rate and 21-35% click-through rate. Yet most restaurants either don't text their customers at all, or use clunky third-party SMS tools that don't integrate with their reservation, ordering, or loyalty systems.

Email open rate: ~20%. SMS: 98%. — Omnisend, 2024
Email click-through: ~2.5%. SMS: 21-35%. — SimpleTexting, 2024
Email response rate: ~6%. SMS: 45%. — Mozeo, 2024

scaledgrowthagency.com/client — Contacts

Customer contact list with messaging history and segmentation

Capabilities

Everything You Need for Restaurant Messaging

Two-way SMS, WhatsApp, AI auto-replies, campaign builder, and automated follow-ups — all integrated with your customer data.

Two-Way SMS

Real conversations, not just blasts. Customers can reply to your texts. AI handles common responses automatically, or you can jump in for personal touch. Full conversation history per customer.

WhatsApp Integration

Reach customers on their preferred platform. Same two-way messaging, same AI auto-replies, same dashboard. Essential for international markets where WhatsApp dominates.

Campaign Builder

Visual campaign builder with templates, scheduling, and segment targeting. Send to your whole list, a custom segment, or loyalty tier. A/B test messages. Track opens, clicks, and conversions.

AI Auto-Reply

AI reads incoming messages and responds intelligently. "What time do you close?" gets an instant answer. "I'd like to make a reservation for 4" gets booked automatically. Staff only handles what AI can't.

Contact Segmentation

Target by visit frequency, spend level, loyalty tier, last visit date, location, or custom tags. Send "We miss you" to lapsed regulars or "Double points tonight" to active loyalty members.

Scheduled Messages

Schedule campaigns for optimal delivery times. Friday at 11 AM for weekend specials. Wednesday at 4 PM for happy hour reminders. Automated drip sequences for new customers.

Reservation Confirmations

Automatic SMS confirmations and reminders for reservations. Guests can confirm, cancel, or modify by replying. Reduces no-shows by 27.45%. — Hostie AI, 2024

Post-Visit Follow-ups

Automatic "thank you" messages after visits with review links, loyalty point updates, or return-visit offers. Turn one-time visitors into regulars.

Proven Results

Real Results from Real Restaurants

These aren't projections — they're verified outcomes from restaurants already using SMS marketing.

Attentive SMS

Blaze Pizza

Deployed SMS marketing via Attentive. Achieved 103x ROI with a 48% campaign conversion rate across their locations.

103x ROI

48% conversion rate

Attentive platform

Source: Attentive Case Study, 2023-2024

SMS Coupons

Domino's SMS Marketing

SMS coupon campaigns achieved 25% redemption rate — 10x higher than typical email coupon redemption of 2-3%.

25% redemption rate

10x vs email coupons

Coupon campaigns

Source: Restroworks, 2024

SMS Subscriber Study

Pizza SMS Subscribers

Pizza restaurant SMS subscribers showed +44% increase in visit frequency and +23% increase in spending over a 6-month period.

+44% visit frequency

+23% spending increase

6-month study period

Source: SimpleLoyalty, 2021

SevenRooms + SMS

Fabio Viviani Hospitality

Generated $432K in revenue through text marketing integrated with reservations. 5,726 covers and 1,784 reservation bookings driven by SMS campaigns.

$432K revenue generated

5,726 covers booked

1,784 SMS bookings

Source: SevenRooms, 2024

Your AI Agent Handles Messaging Too

Your AI voice agent and messaging system share the same brain. When a customer texts your restaurant number, the AI responds with the same knowledge it uses on phone calls — hours, menu, specials, reservation availability. If a conversation needs a human, it flags your team. All messages are logged, searchable, and connected to customer profiles for a complete interaction history.

Same AI handles phone calls and text messages
Customer profiles show full interaction history across all channels
Automated post-call SMS follow-ups (menu links, confirmation texts)
Seamless handoff to staff when AI needs human help

scaledgrowthagency.com/client — Dashboard

Restaurant dashboard showing messaging analytics and engagement metrics

Industry Momentum

SMS Is the Most Effective Channel for Restaurants

The data is clear — SMS outperforms every other direct communication channel for time-sensitive restaurant marketing.

SMS marketing delivers $71 return for every $1 spent — a 7,100% ROI. With 98% open rates and 97% of messages read within 15 minutes, SMS is the most effective direct communication channel available to restaurants today.

Omnisend, 2025 / Textellent, 2024

Conversion Data

SMS Conversion Power

SMS conversion rates of 21-40% dwarf email's 2-3%. For restaurants, where time-sensitive offers (happy hour, daily specials, last-minute availability) drive traffic, SMS is the ideal channel.

Source: SimpleTexting, 2024

Adoption Trends

Restaurant SMS Adoption

80% of businesses now use SMS marketing, up from 55% in 2022. Restaurants using AI-powered two-way SMS see 3x higher engagement than broadcast-only tools.

Source: SimpleTexting, 2024

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

SMS has a 98% open rate vs. email's 20%. Messages are read within 15 minutes, not hours or days. Our platform is also two-way — customers can reply and have real conversations. Plus, it's integrated with your reservations, orders, loyalty, and customer profiles — not a standalone tool.

No, when done right. We enforce best practices: customers must opt in, can easily opt out, and you control frequency caps. Restaurant SMS has the highest engagement rates of any industry because the content is relevant — daily specials, reservation reminders, loyalty rewards. The key is value, not volume.

Yes. The same AI that handles your phone calls also handles text messages. It can answer hours/location questions, check reservation availability, process simple orders, check loyalty balances, and escalate to staff when needed. All automatically.

WhatsApp integration works identically to SMS from your dashboard. Same two-way messaging, same AI auto-replies, same campaign tools. WhatsApp is especially valuable for restaurants in markets where it's the dominant messaging platform (Latin America, Europe, Asia).

Yes. Target by loyalty tier, visit frequency, last visit date, average spend, preferred ordering channel, birthday month, or any custom segment. Example: "Send a 20% off coupon to Gold tier members who haven't visited in 14+ days" — that's one click.

Automated reminders sent 24 hours and 2 hours before a reservation give guests a chance to confirm or cancel. Data shows SMS reminders reduce no-shows by 27.45%. Guests can reply "C" to confirm or "X" to cancel, freeing up tables for your waitlist. — Hostie AI, 2024