Hacker News Reader

If you call a local business you can usually get that sort of information without logging into facebook.

Some local businesses only provide their "number" as a WhatsApp contact, so you're kinda stuck on a Facebook-owned platform anyway.

Can you give an example? I just go to google maps or Apple Maps and type in any business and have all the information I have ever needed.

You might be in the US. In many other countries WhatsApp is a first class communication mechanism, comparable to WeChat in China.