Instagram auto DM for restaurants and cafés

What restaurants send by DM

• Menu: comment MENU to receive a link to your latest menu.
• Bookings: comment RESERVE for your table reservation link or number.
• Location: comment DIRECTIONS for your Google Maps link and opening hours.
• Ordering: comment ORDERNOW for your delivery or takeaway link.
• Events: comment EVENTDETAILS for details of a live music night, tasting or festival menu.

You can also use an any-comment trigger on a special post, so everyone who comments gets the details without needing to remember a word.

Why it helps

People who comment on food posts are usually deciding where to eat soon. A quick DM with the menu or the map pin answers their question at the moment they are interested. A public reply under the comment, such as "Sent you the menu! 🍕", also shows other viewers that you are responsive.

It also saves your team time. Instead of someone answering the same three questions all evening, the automation does it consistently, and your staff can focus on guests in the room.

Setting it up

Connect your restaurant's Instagram professional account through Meta's official login. Create an automation, choose a post or set it for all posts, enter the keyword (or choose any comment), and write your message. Turn on the public reply if you like, and follow-to-unlock (available on the Pro plan) if you want each post to grow your following. Set it up before you post: automations respond to new comments, not ones already on the post. Our step-by-step guide walks through it.

DM examples for food businesses

Hi! Thanks for asking 😊

Here's our menu: [menu link]

We're open [days] from [time]. Want to book a table? Tap here: [booking link]

Here's how to find us 📍 [Google Maps link]

Parking is available [details]. See you soon!

Craving it already? 😋

Order for delivery or takeaway here: [order link]

Any questions, just reply to this message.

Find more in our DM templates.

Good habits for restaurant posts

• Put the keyword in the caption and on the video: "Comment MENU and we'll DM it to you".
• Keep your menu link up to date so the DM always sends the current version.
• Use one keyword per purpose so people get exactly what they asked for.
• Check the activity log after a busy weekend to see which posts brought the most requests.
• Reply personally when someone asks about allergies or large group bookings.

Serving customers who prefer Hindi or Gujarati? Your DMs can be written in those languages too; see Hindi and Gujarati auto DM.

Ideas for busy seasons

Festivals, weekends and holidays bring more comments than usual, which is exactly when automation helps most. A few ideas:

• Festive menus: post your Diwali, Navratri or Christmas specials with the keyword MENU and send the seasonal menu link.
• Pre-orders: for sweets, cakes or party platters, use the keyword ORDERNOW and send your pre-order form.
• Table bookings: on weekend posts, send your booking link so guests can reserve before they arrive.
• New dishes: an any-comment trigger on a launch post sends the full description and ordering link to everyone who reacts.

Remember to switch seasonal automations off, or update the link, once the season ends, so nobody receives an old menu.

Safe and official

OneSocialX connects through Meta's official Instagram login and API, so your password is never shared. Learn about the team on our about page and see plans on pricing.

Frequently asked questions