Restaurant SMS Marketing Rules
The safest SMS programme is built around evidence, clear identity and rapid respect for customer preference. A phone number collected for delivery is not automatically a marketing asset.
The safest SMS programme is built around evidence, clear identity and rapid respect for customer preference. A phone number collected for delivery is not automatically a marketing asset.
Identify whether the text is direct marketing
A message that promotes the takeaway, an offer or a future purchase is direct marketing even if it also contains useful information. A genuine order-status message should remain limited to the current transaction.
Use consent or a valid soft opt-in correctly
| Route | Core requirements |
|---|---|
| Consent | Specific, informed, freely given, affirmative and easy to withdraw |
| Products and services soft opt-in | Own customer or negotiation, similar goods/services, clear initial opt-out and opt-out in every message |
| Service message | Necessary for the current order and not mixed with promotion |
Keep evidence
- Number and customer/account reference.
- Source and date collected.
- Exact wording or version shown.
- Consent action or soft-opt-in conditions.
- Business identity and message categories.
- Opt-out, objection and suppression history.
- Supplier import and campaign logs.
Make opt-out reliable
Every promotional text needs a simple way to stop. Test common keywords and provider behaviour. Apply the result to all relevant systems promptly. Keep a minimal suppression record so the number is not added back from a later order or import.
Avoid common failures
- Pre-ticked or bundled permission.
- Vague third-party consent.
- Using a delivery number for promotions without a valid route.
- Disguising an offer as an order update.
- Sending after STOP because another system still shows “active”.
- Buying a list without verifying consent for this sender and channel.
Handle complaints as an incident
Pause the affected campaign, preserve evidence, check audience selection and suppression, correct the process and decide whether legal or specialist advice is required. Do not blame the customer or continue sending while investigating.
Review date
ICO guidance reflects ongoing legal change, including the Data (Use and Access) Act. Recheck the current official guidance before materially changing the programme.
Review imported and legacy lists
Old records may pre-date the current checkout or supplier. Sample evidence and quarantine records that cannot demonstrate the required route. A history of previous sends is not proof that the list was collected lawfully.
Keep service templates separate
Store order-status and marketing templates in different libraries with different permissions. This reduces the risk that a promotional phrase is inserted into a necessary delivery update or that a campaign list is used for operational messaging without context.
Control partner and agency activity
Contracts should state who selects the audience, approves content, processes opt-outs and answers complaints. The restaurant should receive campaign and suppression exports. Outsourcing the send does not remove the need to understand and govern the activity.
Audit the programme periodically
Sample consent and soft-opt-in records, test STOP, review complaints and compare suppression across systems. Document the result and corrective action. A compliant launch does not guarantee compliant operation after integrations and staff change.
Related guides
- Restaurant Marketing and Customer Retention — the main guide for the wider topic.
- SMS Marketing for Takeaways — the broader guide that frames this implementation.
- SMS Cost Management — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
- SMS Campaign Types — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
Sources and date checked
Guidance checked: 24 July 2026. Recheck current ICO, supplier and advertising guidance before acting.
Operational, legal and platform requirements can change. Recheck official guidance and supplier documentation before altering a live service.
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Use the wider guide library to check the menu, kitchen, fulfilment, payment and financial implications of each decision.
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