What is a bilingual WhatsApp Business Catalog?
A bilingual WhatsApp Business Catalog is a Meta Commerce Catalog attached to a WhatsApp Business number where every item card carries the dish name and description in two scripts — Arabic and English — so a guest browsing inside the chat reads the menu in their own language without a PDF, a link or a second app.
Items live on Meta's Commerce Catalog, the same schema behind Facebook Shops and Instagram Shopping. The guest taps the shop icon in the chat, scrolls collections, opens an item, adds to cart and sends the cart back as one structured message. On the WhatsApp Business API tier the cart becomes a KDS ticket and a payment link without anyone re-typing it; on the free app the outlet replies by hand. Both tiers render Arabic natively.
"Bilingual" does not mean two separate menus. It means one catalog with a deliberate script order per field — and which script goes first is the decision most UAE operators get wrong on the first attempt.
Why does Arabic-first matter for UAE restaurants?
The UAE population is roughly 88% expatriate, which tempts operators to default to English. That reading misses who actually orders direct on WhatsApp. Emirati families, GCC nationals visiting for the weekend, and the large Egyptian, Levantine, Sudanese and Maghrebi expat base all read Arabic first. These guests over-index on family-size orders, on repeat ordering from one trusted outlet, and on messaging over app-browsing — exactly the behaviour a direct WhatsApp channel captures.
Neighbourhood decides the split. Deira, Al Karama, Al Nahda, Sharjah, Ajman, Al Ain and the older districts of Abu Dhabi carry a majority Arabic-reading guest base. Dubai Marina, JBR, DIFC, Business Bay and the Palm skew English. Mall food courts — Dubai Mall, Yas Mall, Al Wahda — are close to 50/50. Pick the primary script by the outlet's own delivery radius, not the national average.
There is a second reason. Talabat and Noon both run polished Arabic interfaces. An English-only WhatsApp catalog asks the Arabic-reading guest to accept a worse experience in exchange for ordering direct — they will not, and the typical all-in aggregator take of 25-35% on that guest's orders stays with the platform.
How do I show my menu in Arabic and English on WhatsApp?
Meta Commerce Catalog gives each item a title field of up to 150 characters and a description field of up to 9,999 characters. Neither field is language-locked. The two working patterns for a UAE restaurant are below.
Pattern 1 — Arabic title, English on description line 1 (recommended)
The Arabic dish name goes in the title. The description opens with the English name on its own line, then the Arabic description, then the English description. A guest scanning the grid sees Arabic; a guest opening the card sees both. One SKU, one price, one availability toggle, one image. This is the pattern Online eMenu Ordering Suite writes by default when the master menu has both name fields populated.
| Field | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Title (150 chars) | مجبوس دجاج |
| Description line 1 | Chicken Machboos |
| Description body | أرز بسمتي مع دجاج متبل ببهارات إماراتية، يقدم مع دقوس |
| Description body (EN) | Basmati rice with spiced chicken, Emirati bzar blend, served with daqoos |
| Price | AED 45.00 |
| Collection | أطباق رئيسية |
Pattern 2 — two catalog entries per SKU with locale collections
Each dish exists twice — one Arabic entry, one English — grouped into Arabic and English collections, with the welcome message asking the guest to pick a language. The card is cleaner, but every price change, 86-out and photo swap happens twice, and the free app's 500-item ceiling is effectively halved to 250 dishes.
| Trade-off | Pattern 1 — Arabic title + English line 1 | Pattern 2 — duplicate entries by locale |
|---|---|---|
| Items per dish | 1 | 2 |
| 86-out toggles per dish | 1 | 2 |
| Card cleanliness | Two scripts visible on open | Single script |
| Free-app capacity | 500 dishes | 250 dishes |
| POS auto-sync | Native — one row per SKU | Needs locale mapping |
| Best for | Almost every single outlet and cloud kitchen | Mall food courts with a true 50/50 split and API-tier sync |
Pick Pattern 1 unless the outlet is a mall food court with a genuine even split and an API-tier sync that handles the duplication. Pattern 2 by hand is the fastest way to an Arabic catalog that says a dish is available while the English one says sold out.
Free WhatsApp Business App vs API — which does a UAE restaurant need?
A single outlet doing under roughly 30 direct orders a day, with one person answering WhatsApp between shifts, can run an Arabic-first catalog on the free WhatsApp Business App and pay nothing. Anything beyond that needs the WhatsApp Business API through a Meta-approved Business Solution Provider (BSP).
| Capability | WhatsApp Business App (free) | WhatsApp Business API via BSP |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic script in catalog | Yes, native RTL | Yes, native RTL |
| Catalog item limit | 500 items, 30 collections | Meta Commerce Catalog — far above any menu size |
| Menu sync from POS | Manual, per item | Catalog API auto-sync, 2-5 seconds |
| Staff logins | 1 phone | Multi-agent inbox, role-based |
| Payment link in thread | Pasted by hand | Auto-sent on cart confirmation |
| Order to KDS | Re-typed into POS | Webhook straight to KDS |
| Green Tick | Not available | Via BSP submission |
| Template broadcasts | Up to 256 contacts | Metered, no contact cap |
| Best for | 1 outlet, under 30 orders/day | 30+ orders/day, cloud kitchen, multi-outlet |
| Monthly cost | AED 0 | BSP fee + Meta conversation charges + ordering software |
Meta does not sell API access directly to restaurants — the BSP holds the messaging contract, runs template approvals and provisions the number. Online eMenu's sister BSP, Go4WhatsApp, is Dubai-based and bills in AED; it is one option among the Meta-partner BSPs active in the UAE, and the BSP choice is separable from the ordering-software choice. For the full cost comparison against Talabat, Noon, Deliveroo and Careem, read the WhatsApp ordering UAE guide.
Step-by-step: building the Arabic-first catalog in 8 steps
The BSP-assisted API path runs in about 48 elapsed hours, most of it Meta verification wait time. Active operator work is 4-6 hours. Free-app operators skip steps 1-3 and start at step 4, entering items by hand instead of by CSV.
Complete Meta Business Verification with the UAE trade licence
Create a Meta Business Manager account at business.facebook.com. Upload the trade licence PDF (Mainland DED or Free Zone), a DEWA or Etisalat/du bill in the business name, and the authorised signatory's Emirates ID. The trading name in Business Manager must match the licence character for character — mismatched names are the single biggest cause of rejection. Turnaround is typically 24-72 hours.
Sign the BSP contract
Choose a Meta-approved BSP with UAE billing. The contract covers per-conversation charges, template approval SLA and, optionally, Green Tick submission. Prepay AED 100-300 as the first month's messaging buffer. Ask whether the BSP dashboard supports Arabic template bodies — most do, a few still choke on RTL in the approval preview.
Provision the WhatsApp Business API number
Use a dedicated UAE mobile or landline number that is not active on consumer WhatsApp or the free Business App. If it is, delete that account first — migration fails otherwise. The BSP triggers the migration and within a few hours issues a phone number ID and access token that the ordering platform uses to read and write the catalog.
Prepare the bilingual catalog CSV
One spreadsheet, one row per SKU: retailer ID (short SKU code such as MCH-CHK), Arabic title, English name, Arabic description, English description, AED price with two decimals inclusive of VAT, availability, collection, image URL. Keep Arabic and Latin in separate cells. Have a native Arabic copywriter review every title and collection name once before upload. This is 2-3 hours for a 60-100 item menu and it decides whether the catalog reads like a restaurant or a translation tool.
Upload to Meta Commerce Catalog
Import the CSV in Commerce Manager, or let the POS push it through the Catalog API. Confirm the item count matches the spreadsheet and spot-check 10 items for Arabic title, price and collection. Cap collections at 4-6 — Starters, Mains, Grills, Desserts, Beverages — well under Meta's 30-collection ceiling, because the guest stops reading tabs after the sixth.
Attach compliant dish images
Square JPG, 500x500 px minimum per Meta's spec, 1024x1024 recommended, under 300 KB so the card loads fast on 4G. No burnt-in prices, phone numbers or promotional banners — Meta's automated moderation removes text-heavy images without warning. One clean photo per SKU.
Test RTL rendering on iOS and Android
Open the catalog from an iPhone and an Android phone in Arabic locale, then repeat in English locale. Section 7 is the full checklist. Fix every fault in the CSV, re-upload, re-test — never patch individual items in the dashboard, or the next sync overwrites the fix.
Place the first live test order
From a second phone, open the wa.me link, add two items, send the cart. Confirm the structured cart lands, the AED total is right, the KDS ticket fires (API tier), and the confirmation carries the Dubai Municipality permit number and TRN. Only then print table QRs and bag inserts.
Dish naming — transliteration rules for Emirati, Levantine and South Asian menus
The UAE menu is three cuisines stacked in one catalog more often than not: Emirati and Khaleeji dishes, Levantine and Egyptian street food, and South Asian staples. Each has its own naming trap. Three rules hold across all of them.
- Arabic script goes in the title, Latin transliteration goes in the description. Never mix scripts inside one field.
- Never machine-translate. Hire a native Arabic copywriter once — a 100-item menu is a half-day job and the highest-return AED spent on the channel. Machine output reads as foreign to every Arabic guest.
- Use the spelling the guest already uses. Recognition beats linguistic correctness. If every Deira guest writes "shawarma", that is the transliteration.
Emirati and Khaleeji dishes
Machboos, harees, luqaimat, balaleet, thereed, saloona — the Arabic reader knows these by their Arabic name and the English reader only by the transliteration. Arabic title, transliteration on line 1, then a one-line English description ("sweet fried dough dumplings with date syrup" for luqaimat). Never translate the dish name into English words — "Emirati Rice with Chicken" loses the guest searching for machboos.
Levantine and Egyptian dishes
Shawarma, manakish, fattoush, kibbeh, koshari, mujaddara. Transliterations vary by dialect — "manakish", "manaeesh", "manouche" — so pick one Latin spelling per menu and hold it. Spice and preparation variants (chicken vs beef shawarma, za'atar vs cheese manakish) are separate SKUs, each with its own Arabic title, never a single card with "ask for options" in the description.
South Asian dishes
Biryani, karak, nihari, haleem, paratha. The Arabic reader in the UAE already knows these in Arabic script (برياني، كرك) — use the established spelling, not a phonetic reinvention. Regional qualifiers — Hyderabadi biryani, Malabar paratha — go in the description, not the title.
RTL rendering — what breaks and how do I test it?
WhatsApp handles right-to-left text natively, so the catalog rarely breaks because of Arabic itself. It breaks where Arabic and Latin meet, where numbers sit inside Arabic text, and where source data carried invisible formatting. Five faults account for almost every RTL complaint.
- Mixed-script titles. An Arabic dish name and a Latin brand word in the same title field — "شاورما Al Mallah" — renders in bidi order that flips the word sequence differently on iOS and Android. Fix: Arabic-only title, brand or Latin word in the description.
- Decimal and thousands separators. A price entered as "45,00" or with an Arabic decimal separator uploads as text and either fails validation or shows as a string. Fix: ASCII digits, period as decimal, no thousands separator in the source cell.
- Arabic-Indic numerals. Prices pasted from a Word document in ٤٥ form. Meta expects ASCII digits in the price field. Fix: ASCII digits everywhere numbers carry meaning.
- Collection order and tab overflow. Collections display in creation order, and a long machine-translated name truncates the tab. Fix: create collections in intended order, keep names under 20 characters.
- Directional marks and hidden characters. Pasting from PDFs brings zero-width joiners and left-to-right marks that wrap lines oddly. Fix: paste into a plain-text editor first.
The test checklist
Run this before launch and after any bulk CSV re-upload. One iPhone, one Android, each in Arabic locale then English locale — four passes.
- Catalog grid: every title in the intended script, none truncated mid-word.
- Five items across collections: English name on description line 1, Arabic body below in correct paragraph direction.
- Price on every opened item: two decimals, ASCII digits, AED prefix.
- Collection tabs: correct order, no truncation, identical on both platforms.
- Cart: quantity and subtotal render correctly in both locales.
- Sent cart: the structured message in the outlet inbox shows the same titles the guest saw.
How should AED prices display in the catalog? VAT-inclusive rules
The Federal Tax Authority requires that prices displayed to consumers in the UAE include VAT. A WhatsApp catalog is a consumer-facing price display, so every price entered is the final amount the guest pays, with the 5% VAT already inside it. The tax invoice generated on payment shows the VAT amount separately — that satisfies the FTA invoicing requirement without cluttering the catalog card.
Format is not optional. Catalog currency is set once to AED, and the price field takes a numeric value that WhatsApp renders with the currency code. Enter 45.00, which the guest sees as AED 45.00. Never write "45 AED" or "AED 45" into a description as a substitute — the guest sees two numbers, one of them stale after the next price change.
| Entry | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AED 45.00 | Correct | Two decimals, currency code first, VAT inside |
| AED 45 | Avoid | Mixed decimal formatting across the grid reads as sloppy |
| 45 AED | Avoid | Reversed order renders inconsistently next to Arabic text |
| AED 42.86 + VAT | Non-compliant | Consumer price must be VAT-inclusive under FTA rules |
Variants — small, regular, large
WhatsApp's in-chat product card does not expose size pickers on the free app. Two working approaches: one SKU per size with the size in both titles — "كرك (كبير)" / "Karak (Large)" — or, on the API tier with Online eMenu, size as a modifier the ordering flow asks for after the cart lands. Under 10 sized items, use separate SKUs; above that, modifiers on the API tier. Combos are their own SKU with the composition spelled out in both scripts. Meta's sale-price field is for temporary Ramadan and weekend offers only — a permanent strikethrough eventually reads as dishonest.
How does the catalog sync with my POS?
On the WhatsApp Business API tier, Online eMenu Ordering Suite holds one master menu with Arabic and English name and description fields per item, and pushes every change to Meta Commerce Catalog through the Catalog API in 2-5 seconds. A new dish, a price change, a photo swap, an 86-out toggle at the pass — each lands in the guest's WhatsApp catalog before the next order comes in. The same master menu also feeds the QR menu and the aggregator listings, so the operator edits one row and every channel updates.
The sync is bidirectional. Hide an item in Commerce Manager and the POS flags it unavailable; mark it back in stock on the KDS and the card reappears. This matters most for the 86-out case: on the free app a sold-out dish stays visible until someone long-presses and hides it, and the failure mode is a paid order for food that does not exist, a refund, and a one-star review. With sync, the expo's toggle at the pass is the catalog update.
For the full mechanics — webhook flow, KDS routing, what happens when the sync drops — see how WhatsApp ordering integrates with a restaurant POS. The free app has no sync path at all, which is why operators past roughly 30 direct orders a day move to the API tier.
Compliance — Dubai Municipality, FTA VAT, UAE PDPL
An Arabic-first WhatsApp catalog creates no new licences to hold, but three existing obligations have to be visible inside the guest flow.
1. Dubai Municipality food establishment permit. A paid order through WhatsApp is a food sale and requires the same permit as any other channel — Dubai Municipality in Dubai, ADAFSA (Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority) in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Municipality Food Control Section in Sharjah. Put the permit number in the WhatsApp business profile description and on every order confirmation.
2. FTA VAT — 5% and a compliant tax invoice. Catalog prices are VAT-inclusive as covered above. On payment the guest receives a tax invoice carrying the outlet's TRN, invoice number, date, itemised amounts, VAT amount and total. Under AED 10,000 the simplified tax invoice applies. Online eMenu generates this per order and delivers a PDF link in the WhatsApp thread on payment confirmation.
3. UAE PDPL for customer phone storage. Every WhatsApp contact is personal data under Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021. Store only what the order needs. Order-status utility messages need no separate consent; marketing templates need documented opt-in, a reply-STOP path in every message, and immediate honouring of the opt-out. Build the opt-in into the first-order flow with the WhatsApp opt-in generator, and keep segmented Arabic and English guest lists in a UAE restaurant CRM rather than the phone's contact book.
Meta Commerce Policy sits on top of all three — no catalog items outside approved categories, no alcohol regardless of the outlet's licence, no messages to numbers that never initiated contact. Violations remove the catalog first and explain later.
Ship an Arabic-first WhatsApp catalog for your UAE outlet — $9/month, live in 48 hours
Online eMenu Ordering Suite runs the bilingual WhatsApp catalog, Meta Catalog API sync from the master menu, KDS routing and FTA-compliant tax invoicing for USD 9/month per outlet across the GCC. Arabic and English fields on every item out of the box. WhatsApp Anuj on +971 54 508 5552 for the 48-hour BSP-assisted setup, or see the pricing card first.
WhatsApp us — +971 54 508 5552 See pricingFrequently Asked Questions
Can WhatsApp Business Catalog show my menu in Arabic?
Yes. Meta Commerce Catalog accepts Arabic script in the product title and description fields, and WhatsApp renders right-to-left text natively on iOS and Android. The working UAE pattern is Arabic dish name in the title field, English name on the first line of the description, and the Arabic description below it. There is no separate Arabic mode to switch on — the catalog simply renders whatever script the operator uploads.
Should my UAE restaurant catalog be Arabic-first or English-first?
Default to Arabic-first with English on the description line unless the outlet's guest base is clearly English-dominant. Deira, Al Karama, Sharjah, Al Ain and the older districts of Abu Dhabi skew Arabic-reading; Dubai Marina, JBR, DIFC and Business Bay skew English. An Arabic-first catalog still reads perfectly for English guests because the English name sits one line below, whereas an English-first catalog signals to Emirati and Arab-expat guests that they are the afterthought.
How many items can a WhatsApp catalog hold?
The free WhatsApp Business App catalog is limited to 500 items, grouped into a maximum of 30 collections. The WhatsApp Business API reads from Meta Commerce Catalog, which supports far larger inventories — well beyond what any single restaurant menu needs. A typical UAE outlet with 60-180 SKUs fits either tier; a multi-brand cloud kitchen with variants expanded into separate SKUs usually needs the API tier for the auto-sync rather than the item ceiling.
Does the free WhatsApp Business App support Arabic catalogs?
Yes. The free app accepts Arabic text in every catalog field and renders it right-to-left. What it does not support is automatic sync from a POS, a second staff login, in-thread payment links or Green Tick verification. For a single outlet under roughly 30 direct orders a day, the free app with a hand-entered Arabic-first catalog is enough. Above that volume, or for any multi-outlet or cloud-kitchen setup, the WhatsApp Business API via a BSP is the right tier.
How do I fix Arabic text rendering wrong in my WhatsApp catalog?
Almost every rendering fault traces to one of four causes: a mixed-script title where the Arabic name and a Latin brand word sit in the same field, a decimal separator entered as an Arabic comma instead of a period, a collection name that was machine-translated and overflows the tab, or Arabic-Indic numerals pasted from a document. Fix each in the source spreadsheet, keep Arabic and Latin in separate fields, use ASCII digits and a period for the price, re-upload the CSV and re-test on an iPhone and an Android phone in Arabic locale.
Do I have to show VAT-inclusive prices in the catalog?
Yes. Under Federal Tax Authority rules, prices advertised to consumers in the UAE must be inclusive of 5% VAT, and a WhatsApp catalog is a consumer-facing price display. Enter every price as the final figure the guest pays, with two decimals — AED 45.00, not AED 45 and not 45 AED. The tax invoice generated on payment shows the VAT amount separately, which satisfies the FTA invoicing requirement without confusing the catalog view.
Can my POS menu auto-sync to the Arabic WhatsApp catalog?
Yes, on the WhatsApp Business API tier. Online eMenu Ordering Suite holds one master menu with Arabic and English fields per item and pushes changes to Meta Commerce Catalog through the Catalog API in 2-5 seconds — new dish, price change, 86-out toggle. The sync is bidirectional, so hiding an item in Commerce Manager also flags it unavailable in the POS. The free WhatsApp Business App has no sync path; every change is re-typed by hand.
Do I need a Dubai Municipality licence for WhatsApp orders?
Yes. A paid food order taken through WhatsApp is a food sale like any other, and it requires a valid Dubai Municipality food establishment permit in Dubai, an ADAFSA permit in Abu Dhabi, or a Sharjah Municipality Food Control permit in Sharjah. Put the permit number in the WhatsApp business profile description and on every order confirmation — it is a compliance requirement and a visible trust signal for guests who have never visited the outlet.
Is customer phone storage from WhatsApp compliant with UAE PDPL?
It can be, if the operator treats every WhatsApp contact as personal data under Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021 (PDPL). Store only what the order needs — phone number, name, delivery address, order history. Send marketing templates only to guests with documented opt-in, include a clear reply-STOP path in every marketing message, honour opt-outs immediately, and never export the contact list to a third party without consent. Order-status utility messages to a guest who just ordered are fine without separate marketing consent.
How long does an Arabic-first WhatsApp catalog take to set up?
About 48 elapsed hours on the BSP-assisted API path, of which roughly 24-72 hours is Meta Business Verification wait time. Active operator work is 4-6 hours: 2-3 hours to build the bilingual CSV for a 60-100 item menu, 1 hour for image prep, 1 hour of RTL testing on both phone platforms, and 30 minutes for the first live order. The longest single task is the native Arabic copywriting pass — budget one working day if the menu has never been written in Arabic before.