12 Restaurant Email Templates You Can Send This Week

The best restaurant emails are short, sent to people who ordered from you directly, and built around one link: reorder, book, or reply. The 12 templates below do exactly that.

This is a template library for an owner who has customer emails somewhere (ordering platform, POS, reservations, a signup sheet) and one evening to use them. Each template is plain text and has one job. The rules come first because the FTC counts penalties per email.

What are the rules for sending marketing email?

In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act sets the rules for commercial email: an honest header and subject line, a clear signal that it is an ad, your valid physical postal address, a way to opt out, and opt-outs honored within 10 business days, with no prior consent required.

The FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide lists seven requirements: accurate From, Reply-To, and routing information; a subject line that reflects the content; a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the message is an ad; a valid physical postal address; an opt-out that costs nothing, asks only for an email address, and works for 30 days after the send; opt-outs honored within 10 business days, with no selling or transferring the address afterward; and responsibility for anyone sending on your behalf. Penalties run up to $53,088 per email.

Consent surprises owners: the FTC guide says you do not need a member's consent to send marketing email, only to let them opt out. Google's email sender guidelines, in force since February 1, 2024, require SPF or DKIM authentication and a spam complaint rate below 0.3% in Postmaster Tools from everyone emailing Gmail addresses. Senders of close to 5,000 messages a day to personal Gmail accounts also need SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, one-click unsubscribe headers with a visible unsubscribe link, and a spam rate below 0.10% that never reaches 0.30%. Google's sender guidelines FAQ says mail that misses may be rejected or sent to spam, and recommends fulfilling unsubscribe requests within 48 hours.

The 12 templates

Same shape every time: one reason to write, one link, a real name at the bottom. Replace every [bracket], keep the length, and let your platform add the address and unsubscribe footer.

1. Welcome after a first direct order

When to send: Within an hour of the first direct order.

Subject: Thanks for ordering direct, [First name]

Hi [First name], thanks for your first order at [Restaurant]. Ordering from our site instead of an app keeps more of what you paid in the kitchen.

Reorder your [dish] in two taps at [reorder link]. We email about once a week: what is new, plus deals for this list only.

If anything was off, reply here; it reaches [owner name].

Change: Promise a cadence you will keep.

2. Thank you plus reorder link

When to send: 5 to 7 days after an order, monthly at most.

Subject: Your [dish] is one tap away

Hi [First name], thanks again for your order on [day]. It is saved and ready to go again in one tap: [reorder link]. Same items, same address, same card.

Want something different? [Dish] has been the kitchen's favorite this week, and [side] goes with it.

Prefer to call? [Phone] is answered until [time]. We are at [address] if pickup is easier.

Change: Name an item really moving this week.

3. We miss you (30 days)

When to send: 30 days after the last order, no offer.

Subject: It has been a month, [First name]

Hi [First name], it has been about a month since your last order at [Restaurant], and we noticed. This is not a coupon email, just a note that [dish] is still here and [new item] joined it last week.

If life got busy, the fastest way back is [reorder link]. If something went wrong, reply and tell [owner name]; it gets read.

Change: The trigger: 14 days for lunch spots, 60 for occasions.

4. We miss you (90 days), with an offer

When to send: 90 days after the last order, once.

Subject: [$5 / 15%] off your next order, this week only

Hi [First name], it has been three months since we cooked for you, so here is a reason to come back: [15% / $5] off any order over [$25] through [date]. Code [CODE] at [order link], or say it by phone.

Since [month], [new item 1] and [new item 2] are new, and [dish] is back by request.

One per customer, direct orders only.

Change: Keep the offer under what an app commission would cost.

5. Birthday

When to send: 7 days before the birthday, valid 7 days after.

Subject: A birthday [dessert] on us, [First name]

Hi [First name], your birthday is coming up on [date], and we want to feed you. Order anything over [$20] between [start date] and [end date] and we will add a [dessert / appetizer] free with the code [BDAY].

Bringing people? Reply with a headcount and we will hold a table or pack a family-style order.

Happy early birthday from all of us at [Restaurant].

Change: Ask for month and day at signup, never the year.

6. New menu item

When to send: The day it goes live, ideally midweek.

Subject: New on the menu: [item]

[Item] is on the menu as of today. [One sentence: what it is, what comes with it, the detail that makes it different.] It is [$price], for [pickup and delivery / dine-in only].

[Cook name] tested it on staff meals for [three weeks]; the version that survived is the one you get. Order it here: [order link].

It runs [through date / permanently].

Change: One daylight photo of the real dish.

7. Seasonal or holiday

When to send: 10 to 14 days out, plus a reminder 3 days before.

Subject: [Holiday] at [Restaurant]: order by [date]

[Holiday] is [date]. Here is what we are doing: [special menu / family meal for 4 / pie preorders], [$X], available for [pickup window] on [date].

Preorders are open at [order link] and close [cutoff date] at [time], or when we hit [number] orders, whichever comes first. Last year we sold out [number] days early.

Regular hours that day are [hours]. Questions, reply here.

Change: Cut the sold-out line unless it is true.

8. Event or live music

When to send: 7 days before, and again the morning of.

Subject: [Band / trivia / tasting] at [Restaurant], [day] at [time]

This [day], [event name] is at [Restaurant] from [start] to [end]. [One line: who is playing, the format, whether there is a cover.]

Tables go fast on event nights, so reserve at [booking link or phone]. Walk-ins welcome until we are full. Kitchen runs the [full / limited] menu until [time]; bar open until [time].

Can't make it? [Next date] is the next one.

Change: Send only to people who dine in or live nearby.

9. Catering pitch to businesses

When to send: Tuesday to Thursday mornings, to businesses that ordered before.

Subject: Lunch for your team, delivered and set up

Hi [First name], [Restaurant] caters office lunches for groups of [10 to 60] within [X miles] of [neighborhood]. Our most-ordered package is [package name]: [what it includes], [$X] per person, with plates and allergen labels.

Order with [24 / 48] hours' notice at [catering link], or reply with a headcount and date for a same-day quote. Repeat accounts get monthly invoices.

One-page catering menu: [link].

Change: Hand-build the list; Google says send only to people who want your mail.

10. Review request

When to send: 24 to 48 hours after a visit, once per 90 days.

Subject: How was [dish]?

Hi [First name], you ordered [dish] on [day]. Was it good? A one-line review on Google helps the next person find us more than anything we could say about ourselves: [Google review link]. It takes about a minute.

If it was not good, tell us first: reply to this email and [owner name] will make it right and fix what went wrong.

Change: No discount for the review; unhappy replies go to your inbox.

11. Weather or slow-night flash offer

When to send: By 2 p.m. when the forecast or the book says slow.

Subject: Rainy Tuesday: [$3 delivery / 10% off] until 9 tonight

It is [pouring / 12 degrees / a quiet Tuesday] and the kitchen is fully staffed, so tonight only: [free delivery within 3 miles / 10% off pickup] on orders by [9 p.m.] at [order link]. No code needed.

[Dish] is the right call tonight; the [soup / braise] [is ready in 20 minutes / travels well].

Ends at [time] or when the kitchen closes.

Change: Send fast and plain. If you run texts, use SMS marketing for restaurants instead.

12. We left DoorDash, order direct

When to send: The week you leave a marketplace, whole list.

Subject: We are off [DoorDash]. Here is how to order now

Hi [First name], as of [date], [Restaurant] is off [DoorDash / the delivery apps]. Every order there cost us a commission, and prices crept up to cover it.

Order at [website link] or call [phone]. Delivery covers [radius], [$X] flat. Prices are [the same as / lower than] on the apps.

First direct order: [10% off / free delivery] with code [DIRECT] through [date].

Change: Still on the apps? Say "direct sends more to the kitchen" instead.

Which subject lines work?

Good subject lines say what is inside in six to eight words, name the dish or the day, and match the body, which CAN-SPAM also requires; here are 20 by template, with no invented open rates.

How often should a restaurant email customers?

Most independent restaurants do well with one scheduled email a week plus the automatic ones (welcome, thank you, birthday, win-back), roughly four to six emails a month per customer, and stop emailing anyone who unsubscribes or goes silent for six months.

The weekly campaign you write by hand: new item, holiday preorder, event, flash offer. The automatic ones fire on a trigger: welcome, thank you, birthday, both win-backs, plus a points balance if you run a program (see the restaurant loyalty programs guide). Cap it at two marketing emails per person per week; receipts do not count. The triggered flows are mapped in restaurant marketing automation flows.

Stop the moment someone unsubscribes (CAN-SPAM allows 10 business days, Google recommends 48 hours, your platform should do it instantly), after a spam complaint, and after a hard bounce. For the silent, send one "still want these?" email at six months without an open and remove anyone who does not click; Google recommends unsubscribing recipients who do not open your messages.

The monthly 15-minute hygiene pass:

What results should you expect?

Benchmarks vary too much by platform, list size, and year to be a target. The most-cited public table, Mailchimp's email marketing benchmarks, was last updated in December 2023 and has no restaurant row. So compare against yourself: for each of your last 5 sends, log open rate, click rate, orders within 48 hours that used the link or code, unsubscribes, and spam complaints, and take the median of each. Keep a template when it beats your median on orders and stays under it on unsubscribes.

A one-week launch plan

You need a clean list, three templates, and a sending domain that authenticates.

App customers are often missing from that export; does DoorDash share customer data with restaurants explains why. The wider playbook is in restaurant customer retention strategies.

Where DirectOrders fits

DirectOrders is commission-free online ordering for independent restaurants; every order on your branded site adds a customer to a list you own. Its built-in SMS and email marketing tools are where these templates would live. Plans are a flat monthly fee, Pro at $249 or Pro + Voice at $349 with 500 AI phone minutes, with a 14-day free trial, and it works alongside Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, and Revel.

Sources

• FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide (seven requirements, 10 business days, $53,088 per email), checked September 2026
• Google: Email sender guidelines (authentication, 5,000 a day, one-click unsubscribe, 0.3% and 0.10%), checked September 2026
• Google: Email sender guidelines FAQ (48-hour unsubscribe recommendation), checked September 2026
• Mailchimp: Email marketing benchmarks (last updated December 2023, no restaurant row), checked September 2026

Bottom line

Twelve templates, one link each, sent to people who gave you their address: that is the whole program. Keep the footer legal (postal address, working unsubscribe, honored within 10 business days), the spam rate under 0.3%, and the cadence near one campaign a week plus the automatic sends. Measure against your own last 5 sends, not a benchmark table. Start with the welcome, the thank-you, and one campaign this week.