FW Food Menu – Documentation

The FWFM Twilio addon sends SMS or WhatsApp notifications to restaurant staff the moment a new order is placed. It connects directly to the Twilio API, so no email server or SMTP configuration is needed on your hosting account.

What It Does

When a customer submits an order through the cart checkout, Twilio immediately sends a notification message to one or more configured manager phone numbers. The message includes everything staff need to act on the order straight away:

• Order ID
• Customer name, phone, and email
• Summary of ordered items
• Total amount
• Delivery type (Delivery, Pickup, or Dine In)

Use Cases

• Instant order alerts — managers are notified within seconds, without watching the Joomla admin panel.
• Multi-staff notification — add multiple phone numbers to alert all relevant staff simultaneously.
• SMS or WhatsApp — choose standard SMS for any mobile number, or use the WhatsApp Business API where it is available.

Requirements

You need an active Twilio account with a purchased or trial phone number and sufficient account balance. The Cart addon must also be active — Twilio listens for the order submission event that Cart generates. Customer-facing order confirmations are managed through Cart settings, not through this addon.

WhatsApp mode additionally requires a Twilio WhatsApp-enabled sender number, and the recipient must have WhatsApp installed on their device.

Configuring Twilio

Once the addon is installed and enabled, open FW Food Menu → Settings → General and locate the Twilio card. Enter the following details:

• Twilio Account SID — found in your Twilio Console dashboard.
• Twilio Auth Token — found alongside the Account SID in the Twilio Console.
• Twilio Phone Number — the number Twilio will send messages from, in E.164 format (e.g. +15551234567).
• Manager phone numbers — a comma-separated list of recipient numbers in E.164 format. All listed numbers receive the notification for every new order.
• Use WhatsApp — set to Yes to send via the WhatsApp Business API, or No to send standard SMS.

Notes

• If your Twilio account balance reaches zero, messages will fail silently. Keep your account funded to avoid missed notifications.
• WhatsApp delivery requires both a WhatsApp-enabled Twilio sender number and WhatsApp installed on the recipient's phone.
• This addon only notifies restaurant staff. Customer-facing confirmations are controlled by the Cart addon settings.

To install this addon, open the Add-ons panel inside FW Food Menu. See Getting Started → Add-ons for details on free addons, paid addons, and site verification.