AI Receptionist for Restaurants
Quick answer: An AI receptionist for a restaurant answers the phone during the dinner rush, takes and changes reservations, answers questions about hours, parking and the menu from your approved wording, and passes large groups, events and detailed allergy questions to your staff.
Why restaurants lose calls
Restaurant phones ring hardest during service, exactly when hosts and managers are seating guests. Unanswered calls are lost reservations and frustrated regulars.
An AI receptionist answers every call, takes bookings from your reservation rules and keeps your team on the floor.
What the AI receptionist handles, and what it hands over
| Caller says | AI receptionist does | Goes to your team when |
|---|---|---|
| “Table for four at 7:30 tonight?” | Checks availability under your rules and books | Fully booked nights or requests you want a manager to decide |
| “Are you open on Monday?” | Answers from your hours, including holiday changes you add | Never; routine |
| “Is the curry gluten-free?” | Gives your approved allergen statement and offers to pass the question to staff | Always for specific allergy safety questions |
| “Can I book for 20 people for a birthday?” | Captures the details | Always: large groups and events go to a manager |
| “Do you do takeaway?” | Gives your ordering link or process | Phone orders if you want staff to take them |
What we set up for you
- Your hours, holiday changes, location, parking and dress code.
- Reservation rules: party sizes, times and table limits, linked to your booking system where possible.
- An approved allergen statement and a handover rule for allergy questions.
- Event and large-group capture, with summaries to your manager.
Sir Marketer does not publish a fixed AI receptionist price yet. Every setup is quoted in writing, usually within 24 hours of a call, with our setup fee and the telephony usage (which varies by carrier and call volume) listed separately. See AI receptionist cost for typical price ranges.
Want to hear it with your restaurant script? Book a 30-minute call. We map your calls, your calendar and your handover rules, then send a written quote.
Rules to plan for in your market
- Allergies: the AI should never confirm that a dish is safe for an allergy; it should give your approved statement and pass the question to staff.
- Marketing messages: promotional texts and emails need consent and an opt-out under CAN-SPAM, CASL, the Spam Act and PECR (16 CFR 316; CRTC; ICO).
- Singapore: check the Do Not Call Register before marketing calls or texts unless you have clear consent (PDPC).
- Quebec: if you serve customers in Quebec, your commercial website must also be available in French (Éducaloi).
General information, not legal advice.
How every Sir Marketer AI receptionist works
- Answers 24/7 in your business’s wording, and tells callers they are speaking with an assistant.
- Answers only the questions you approve; anything else, or anything sensitive, goes to a person.
- Books into your real calendar and sends a confirmation.
- Sends your team a summary of every call, and follows up missed calls by text where you allow it.
- Usually works with your existing number through call forwarding or porting, depending on your carrier.
- Most call flows go live within one to two weeks after you approve the script.
Try the AI receptionist demo, a labelled sample.
Frequently asked questions
Can it take reservations into my booking system?
Often yes, depending on the system. If not, it can capture requests and send them to your team to confirm.
Can it take phone orders?
It can send callers to your online ordering. Taking full orders by phone depends on your POS and is quoted separately.
How does it handle allergy questions?
It gives your approved allergen statement and passes specific questions to staff. It never confirms a dish is safe.
Will it work during service when it is loud?
Calls come to the AI, not the restaurant floor, so noise in the room does not affect it.
Sources
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 316, CAN-SPAM Rule
- CRTC: Frequently asked questions about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation
- ICO: Advice for small organisations (UK GDPR and PECR)
- PDPC Singapore: Organisation’s guide to the Do Not Call provisions
- Éducaloi: Language laws and doing business in Quebec
Written by Utkarsh Arora, owner of Sir Marketer LLC. Last updated . Prices and rules are taken from the linked sources on 12 November 2026 and can change; Sir Marketer’s own prices are on the pricing page.