Every business that takes orders has the same problem: quiet hours, then everyone arrives at once. Here are a few examples.
Example one: a restaurant. Take a restaurant with two people on shift. From 10 am until 12 pm, it's quiet. A few coffees, some prep, time to wipe down the tables.
Then midday hits, and dozens of customers come through over the next two hours. Both staff are flat-out serving, the queue creeps to the door, and someone at the back glances at their watch and walks off. By 2 pm it's calm again, and it stays that way until 5:30 pm, when the next rush lands and runs until 7:30 pm.
Example two: a busy footwear retailer. It's a Saturday afternoon and the store has been quiet all morning. Then the doors fill up. Shoppers pick up a pair, see the queue at the counter and put it back down, while the staff are tied up serving and no one is free to check a size.
Example three: a stadium at half-time. Thousands of fans have fifteen minutes and a handful of places to buy food and drink, so many give up and go without.
That's peaks and troughs: a rush, then nothing, then another rush. Whatever you sell, and whatever size you are, it's the same pattern.
So here's the question. Do you wish you had another pair of hands at your busiest times, but you're afraid of the cost?
That's where your new virtual waiter comes in, or virtual staff member if you run a store, a venue or anything else.
Meet AskKay, Kayana's WhatsApp ordering service. It takes orders and payments in the chat, giving your busiest hours extra sets of hands, up to 20 orders at the same time, without the cost of another member of staff.
Why WhatsApp?
WhatsApp has more than 3 billion users, whether they're in London, New York, Madrid, Lisbon or Sydney (TechCrunch, 2025). Most of them use it to message friends and family. Now they can order on it as well.
That's what makes it so easy for your customers. There's no new app to download. They order in the app that they already use every day!
For your business, it means meeting customers where they already are. Instead of asking them to download something or wait in a queue, you let them order in a few messages from wherever they happen to be. Ordering becomes as easy as sending a message.
Introducing AskKay
AskKay is Kayana's own WhatsApp ordering service. It's an AI built to take orders and payments on WhatsApp for your business, so your customers get what they want and your team stays focused on the people in front of them.
When a customer scans your QR code or messages your number, WhatsApp opens, and AskKay shows them everything you have to offer. They choose what they want, add it to their order and pay securely in the chat.
And it upsells for you. As customers choose, AskKay suggests the extra that goes with their order, so every order is worth more without your team having to ask.
How customers reach AskKay
There are two ways in, and both lead to the same place: a WhatsApp chat with your business.
- Scan the QR code. Put your AskKay QR code wherever your customers will see it. One scan opens WhatsApp, ready to order.
- Message the number. Kayana sets up your business with its own WhatsApp ordering number. Customers can message it directly, and you can share it wherever your customers look.
How an order works
Sam has ten minutes before her next meeting, and the queue at the kebab shop is out the door. She scans the QR code in the window and WhatsApp opens a chat with the shop. She types 2 lamb kebabs for collection, one without onions, and AskKay confirms it, then asks whether she'd like a drink or a brownie for after. She says yes to the brownie, just the one. A moment later she has the total, £16.00, a ready time of 15 minutes and a link to pay.
She pays with Apple Pay without leaving WhatsApp, and the order goes straight to the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later she walks past the queue and picks up her kebabs. You can walk through the whole flow yourself in the live demo.
Who AskKay is for
Every business that takes orders has its own busy periods. Whatever you sell, it works the same way: customers scan a QR code or message your number, then order, add an extra and pay without leaving WhatsApp. Explore more in our use cases.
Coffee shops and cafés
People look at the queue and walk away, and that's a sale lost before anyone has said a word. With AskKay, customers order on WhatsApp from their desk, pick a collection time and walk in to collect: no queue, no lost sales. AskKay suggests the extra that goes with each order, like a pastry with the coffee, so every order is worth more. See how it works for restaurants and cafés.
Footwear brands
Shoppers hesitate over sizes, order extra pairs to be safe, then abandon the basket, and you're left with stock tied up. With AskKay, a QR code on the shoe display or at the counter opens a chat where customers pick their size, see it's in stock and pay. They collect without joining the queue, and AskKay can suggest a matching extra, such as socks, before they pay.
High street fashion
Shoppers like to see an item in person before they commit, and building a whole app just to let them order ahead is a big job. With AskKay, customers order ahead on WhatsApp and collect in store, so you get more visits and there's no new app to build. Your team prepares the order and the customer skips the queue when they arrive.
Stadiums and festivals
Half-time is short and the queues are long, so plenty of fans give up and go without. With AskKay, fans scan the QR code on their seat or at the stand, order on WhatsApp, pay and collect from the nearest point. They can add a drink to their food in the same chat, so you serve more people at once, and sell more per order, without adding staff. See how it works for festivals and events.
Independent takeaways
Delivery apps own your customer and take a cut of every order, so the people who love your food are never really yours. With AskKay, customers order direct from you on WhatsApp and choose takeaway, a collection time or delivery to their door. You keep the customer and the margin, and repeat customers can reorder with a single message.
Food trucks and small vendors
Orders arrive by shouting, DMs and missed calls, and some get lost in the rush. Put your QR code on the side of the van and one WhatsApp number takes every order, then sends it straight to your phone as a WhatsApp message. There's no extra equipment to buy, which makes it easy to start.
Pubs, hotels and beach clubs
Guests wait at the bar, wave for a waiter or ring down for room service, and your busy staff can't be everywhere at once. With AskKay, they scan the table or room QR code, order on WhatsApp and get an update when it's on its way, so your staff only carry the drinks. By the pool or on a sunbed, guests can order without getting up, and AskKay suggests the extra, like a dessert with room service, as it goes. See how it works for hotel room service.
Whatever you sell, AskKay can give your busiest hours extra sets of hands. Get started with AskKay.
Why you need WhatsApp ordering
Here's what it means for your business:
- Extra sets of hands at peak times. AskKay handles up to 20 orders at the same time, so you cover the rush without hiring another member of staff.
- Always on. Always online, available 24/7, never calls in sick and never late.
- Bigger baskets. AI upselling suggests the extra item with every order.
- Fewer lost sales. Customers order the moment they want to, instead of waiting in a queue or giving up.
- Nothing for customers to download. They order in WhatsApp, the app they already use every day.
- Your customers stay yours. Orders come in through your own number rather than a marketplace, and regulars can reorder with a single message.
- Orders arrive complete. Items, options and payment all come through in the chat, so nobody has to chase a customer to check a detail.
Getting started is simple
When you get in touch, the team takes care of the menu upload and your WhatsApp number setup. You review it, give it the go-ahead and you're live. There's no setup fee, no subscription and no contract.