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Tonight's specials Stories with Meta AI for takeaways

Draft the evening's specials Story in Meta AI inside Instagram, then paste it onto a photo of the real dish. Free.

At a glance

  • What it costsFree

  • Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$113–226£85–170€101–202A$163–326C$160–320 a month

  • Pays for itselfFree to run

  • Sign up and configure; no technical skills neededEasy to set up

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked . How we check prices

The problem

A Story about tonight's special is often what tips a regular into ordering, but at 4pm, in the middle of prep, writing one gets skipped. If a takeaway posts 2 nights a week instead of 5 because each takes 15 minutes to word, that's 3 nights a week with no nudge to regulars.

What the AI does

Meta AI is built into Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger and is free for everyday use, so the draft is written in the app it will be posted from. In Instagram, open your messages and use the search bar to start a chat with Meta AI (or tag @Meta AI in a chat), type tonight's special, price and ordering times, and ask for three short Story lines. Copy the one you like onto a photo of the dish in your Story.

A worked example

A family-run Chinese takeaway in Wigan has about 1,500 Instagram followers. At about 4pm the owner types the night's special and price into Meta AI in Instagram and posts the Story before opening.

Before

Specials Stories 2 nights a week, about 15 minutes each

After

Stories 5 nights a week, about 5 minutes each

What it's worth

About $113£85€101A$163C$160 to $226£170€202A$326C$320 a month in profit, at no cost. That assumes each of the 3 extra Stories a week brings 1 or 2 orders at $29£22€26A$42C$41: $88£66€79A$127C$124 to $176£132€157A$253C$248 a week, times 4.3, is about $378£284€338A$545C$534 to $755£568€676A$1,091C$1,068 in sales, at an assumed 30% margin.

How to set it up

  1. Update Instagram, open your messages and tap the search bar; the Meta AI icon appears there. Start a chat with it.
  2. Keep a standing brief in your phone's notes and paste it at the start: your takeaway's name, opening times, how to order, and 'under 20 words, no hashtags, no health or allergen claims'.
  3. Each afternoon, type the special, the price and any limit, such as 'only 20 portions', and ask for three Story lines.
  4. Pick one, check the dish name and price, and put it on a photo of your own dish in your Story.
  5. Point allergen questions to staff ('ask us about allergens') and answer them from your own records.

What goes wrong

  • Meta AI is a free consumer service with no business data terms. Never paste customer names, numbers, addresses or complaints into it.
  • It can add words that sound good but aren't true, such as 'homemade' or 'award-winning'. Use only what's accurate.
  • Use photos of your own food. An AI-made picture of a dish misleads customers about what they'll get.
  • Meta says not every feature is available to everyone and it is testing usage limits on heavier features. If Meta AI doesn't appear in your Instagram, the free ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini apps can draft the same lines.

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Complaint reply drafts for takeaways, checked by you

ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini draft replies to wrong-order and late-delivery complaints for you to edit. Free to about $27£20€24A$38C$38 a month.

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Last updated October 17, 2026.