Booking a table
„Hello, I'd like a table for 4 on Saturday at 7:00 PM.”
Agent: Hello, let me check availability. We have a free table, what name should I book it under?
Your team gets: Reservation booked and confirmed.
IndustriesRestaurants
Callivera · An industry-ready agent for your business
AI receptionist for restaurants
Handle table requests, group dining inquiries and approved venue information without interrupting dining-room service.
Where customers slip away today
Restaurants: what happens to your calls
Missed reservations
On Friday nights, the phone is constantly busy, meaning guests can't make reservations and choose another place.
Floor staff under pressure
Waitstaff have to drop everything to answer the phone, worsening the service for guests sitting at tables.
Missing reservation data
Reservations are often recorded chaotically, without full contact details, making later confirmations difficult.
A defined solution, not an empty builder
An industry agent. A concrete scope.
Start with an industry workflow: questions, intake details, and clear boundaries. Tailor knowledge, hours, and human handoff to your business.
You approve the scope. The agent does not invent prices, availability, or outcomes.
Restaurants / Incoming calls
What reaches your team?
Callback details, the reason for calling, and a next step for your team.
Collect party size, date and preferred service period. Ask whether the request needs an accessible seating arrangement, then let the venue confirm what it can provide.
AI Receptionist · €149/month
300 included minutes · €0.39 per extra minute.
What to prepare first
- Approved services and business answers
- Required inquiry details
- A person responsible for exceptions
This selection compares the offer; it does not save or activate an agent. AI Receptionist: €149/month, 300 minutes. Outbound and chat: scope and pricing confirmed separately.
6 calls the AI agent takes over from day one
Menu inquiry
„Do you have vegan options?”
Agent: Yes, we have special vegan dishes on our menu, like mushroom risotto.
Your team gets: Guest convinced to visit.
Large group booking
„We are planning an event for 20 people, is that possible?”
Agent: Of course, I will forward your number to the manager to work out menu details.
Your team gets: Manager has contact for a potential big booking.
Hours inquiry
„How late are you open today?”
Agent: Today we are open until 11:00 PM, and the kitchen serves until 10:30 PM.
Your team gets: Guest has clear information.
Cancellation
„Unfortunately, we won't make it at 8:00 PM today.”
Agent: Thank you for the info, I'm canceling the reservation.
Your team gets: Table free for another guest.
Takeaway order
„I'd like to order pizza to go.”
Agent: Of course, please give me your order and I will forward it to the kitchen.
Your team gets: Order accepted.
I want this agent Free consultation · reply within 1 business day
Know what you are buying
A ready-made starting point. A controlled deployment.
01
Industry workflow
Choose the agent’s job. Define intake fields, questions, urgent situations, and the person who handles exceptions.
02
Business knowledge
Your services, service area, hours, contact rules, and approved answers. Missing information goes to your team.
03
Test before launch
Review mistakes, opt-outs, unavailable slots, and human handoff. Activate services only after verifying connections.
No invented resultsPeople for important exceptionsChannel scope agreed before launch
What can an AI receptionist handle?
A restaurant AI receptionist can collect a party size, preferred date, time range and contact details while hosts serve guests. Table capacity depends on seating plans, service periods and group policies, not just an empty calendar slot. The restaurant confirms availability. Questions about allergens or safe food preparation belong with trained staff, not an automated guarantee.
01
Table requests
Collect party size, date and preferred service period. Ask whether the request needs an accessible seating arrangement, then let the venue confirm what it can provide.
02
Groups and events
Distinguish a regular table from private dining or catering. Record guest count, occasion and contact details for the events owner; do not invent minimum spends or deposit terms.
03
Menu and venue questions
Use the current approved menu, opening hours and directions. Route allergy-related questions to staff who can verify ingredients and preparation.
Is an AI agent right for your business (Restaurants)?
A good fit if
- The phone rings during lunch and dinner rush
- Guests ask about table reservations, menu, hours and pickup orders
- You want a complete reservation request instead of a busy line
- You keep the menu current and have approved reservation rules
Probably not yet if
- You expect table confirmations without a connected reservation system
- Menu and hours change and nobody updates the knowledge base
- You want the agent to handle food quality complaints
- Nobody takes over large group reservations
A sample conversation
Illustrative script, not a real call.
Guest
Could we arrange a table for eight on Saturday evening?
AI receptionist
Which time range would you prefer?
Guest
Around seven.
AI receptionist
I can send a group table request. What is your contact number? The restaurant will confirm seating and any group policy.
Boundaries and human handoff
- No allergen safety or ingredient guarantees.
- No invented table capacity or minimum spend.
- No card numbers in transcripts or unconfigured deposit collection.
Before going live
Approve business knowledge, data handling and routing rules. Test phone, calendar and staff handoff with fictional data. Saving a draft agent does not activate live calls.
Questions before implementation
Common concerns — and honest answers
Will the agent distinguish an important booking from a mistake?
Yes, the agent is trained to verify data and won't save a reservation without a contact number and party size.
What if the guest wants to discuss menu details?
In those cases, the agent provides key info, and for more complex questions, it routes the call to floor staff.
Will deployment take a long time?
The whole process takes just a few days. We prepare the agent based on info you provide, and launch after testing.
Won't it kill the restaurant's atmosphere?
Quite the opposite! Thanks to AI, floor staff can focus on building atmosphere instead of picking up the handset, which guests appreciate most.
How we check the agent before launch
- 01
Approved knowledge
The agent answers only from the offer, prices and rules you approve.
- 02
Test calls
We check common and difficult questions with fictional data before anyone calls.
- 03
Human handoff
We test when the agent stops and who receives the case.
- 04
Launch after approval
The number and calls go live only after you agree.
Free implementation consultation
Send an inquiry — we'll prepare an agent for your business.
No setup on your side. We'll get in touch, review your phone workflow, prepare the agent on approved knowledge and launch only after you approve.
- Reply within 1 business day
- A short call about your phone workflow
- No commitment; launch after approved tests
AI Receptionist from €149/month · 300 min included
Restaurants: a complete guide to AI phone agents
An AI receptionist for a restaurant answers calls about table reservations, takeaway orders, and opening hours while waitstaff and the kitchen are at full speed. The voice AI assistant works around the clock, so no call on a busy Friday night goes unanswered. The automated host line frees floor staff from constantly picking up the phone.
What calls the AI receptionist handles at a restaurant
The most common restaurant calls are about booking a table for a given time and party size, availability for special events, opening hours, menu questions, or gluten-free and vegan options. The AI receptionist answers these calls, checks availability in the reservation system, records the guest's contact details, and confirms the booking by SMS. This means floor staff do not need to step away from serving guests just to answer the phone.
Handling takeaway orders and delivery questions
The agent takes questions about takeaway orders, shares the current menu and an estimated wait time, then passes order details to the kitchen or staff according to the restaurant's process. For questions about allergens or ingredients requiring detailed culinary knowledge, the agent routes the call to on-site staff to avoid inaccuracies that matter for guest safety.
Handling weekend and lunch-hour peaks
Friday and Saturday evenings and lunch hours are when the restaurant phone rings the most, exactly when staff are busiest with guests in the dining room. The AI receptionist handles these calls without delay, takes reservations even outside opening hours, and logs booking requests for upcoming days. This means the restaurant doesn't lose reservations simply because the line was busy.
We'll prepare this agent for your business.
Send an inquiryWhat data reaches the restaurant's team
The voice AI assistant records the guest's name, party size, preferred time, any special notes such as a high chair or a window table, and a phone number for confirmation. This data flows into the reservation schedule or restaurant system, cutting down time spent on the phone. Decisions about large groups, private events, or special kitchen arrangements are passed directly to the manager.
Deploying the AI receptionist at your restaurant
Deployment starts when you submit an inquiry through the contact form. We get in touch, learn about your venue, booking rules, and common guest questions, then build the agent using the knowledge you approve. The agent is tested on realistic call scenarios and launched after your sign-off. The AI Receptionist plan is 149 EUR per month for 300 minutes of calls, with extra minutes at 0.39 EUR. Outbound order calls and chat are quoted separately.
A 30-day pilot plan for your restaurant
In week one, we configure the agent using the restaurant's menu, hours, and booking rules, then test it against typical scenarios such as booking a table, allergen questions, or inquiries about a private event. In week two, the agent starts taking a share of real calls alongside floor staff, while you review the bookings it logs and the notes it captures from guests. In week three, we refine the agent based on your feedback, for example sharpening how it asks about party size or special requests. By week four, the agent runs independently during peak hours such as Friday and Saturday evenings and the lunch rush, and the restaurant can assess whether the number of reservations handled and the quality of the logged details meet expectations.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the agent handles calls in parallel, so no reservation is lost because the line was busy.
For those questions, the agent transfers the call to on-site staff so allergen information is precise and safe.
The AI Receptionist plan is 149 EUR per month including 300 minutes of calls; each extra minute costs 0.39 EUR.
After you submit the form, we build and test the agent on your materials, then launch it once you approve.
Yes, during the first weeks the agent runs alongside your floor staff, so you can review the reservations it logs before deciding on full deployment.
Managing large groups and deposits
Reservations for large groups are an opportunity for high revenue but also an organizational challenge, often requiring deposits and menu coordination. An AI receptionist can handle the initial contact, gathering necessary data and sending it to the manager, who finalizes the process. This avoids chaos when writing things down on paper and ensures every large booking is secured and prepared, eliminating mistakes in serving those guests.
Direct delivery vs. platforms
Many restaurants want to be independent of external platform commissions by encouraging guests to order directly. An AI receptionist can play a key role in this model by taking phone orders, informing about promotions, or estimated delivery times. This makes the guest feel served directly, and the restaurant gains greater control over the ordering process and costs, avoiding margins imposed by intermediaries.
Weekend peak management techniques
Weekend evenings are when every restaurant experiences a rush. To maintain quality, it's worth using the 'AI as a filter' technique. An AI receptionist takes phone calls, so floor staff are not interrupted. Guests calling receive immediate info about table availability or estimated wait times. This allows for full management of phone traffic without sacrificing attention to guests already sitting at tables.
This page also answers:
- AI receptionist for restaurant
- automating table reservations
- how to better manage restaurant phones
- AI assistant for restaurant reservations
- automated reservation system for catering
- handling phone orders restaurant
What is an unanswered call worth?
Use your assumptions, not someone else’s promises. Compare potential customer contribution with the offered plan cost.
An estimate, not a forecast or ROI guarantee. Contribution is revenue minus the cost of serving that customer. Setup, other services and taxes are not included.
Your estimate appears when all four values are entered.
€149/month · 300 minutes included · €0.39 / extra minute
Continue reading
AI phone reservations for restaurants: how to set it up
How to set up AI phone handling of table reservations so the restaurant avoids double bookings and lost guests.
AI receptionist launch checklist: a controlled first rollout
A practical launch sequence covering business knowledge, access, call routing, action verification and fallback.
AI receptionist for restaurants: operational planning
Review required information, staff ownership and automation boundaries before making a decision.
Read the detailed planning notes
A table is not a generic calendar slot
Two tables of four do not necessarily create a suitable table of eight. Let the venue define seating combinations, turn times and service periods. Collect party size and time range, then keep the request pending until approved. Special seating requests should be passed to the host without guaranteeing an arrangement the room cannot support.
Treat groups and catering as separate inquiries
Ask whether the caller wants a regular table, a private event or off-site catering. Each needs a different owner and follow-up. Record guest count, date and contact details; use only published group policies for deposits or minimum spend. Allergy-related questions must reach staff who can verify preparation, rather than an AI promise of safety.
Test the busy-service failure cases
Include a full dining room, an unusually large party, a changed guest count and a caller asking about an allergen not listed in the approved information. Review confirmed reservations and unresolved requests separately. An answered inquiry is not proof of a seated guest; the host’s record is the source for completed reservations.