AI Receptionist for Restaurants: What It Should (and Shouldn't) Handle on Your Phone

A restaurant phone has terrible timing. It rings hardest between 5 and 8 p.m., exactly when every person on staff has their hands full. The host is seating a table, the manager is on the floor, and the kitchen certainly isn't picking up. So the call rings out, or someone grabs it, says "can you hold?" and forgets.

An AI receptionist answers those calls instead. But "AI for restaurants" covers a lot of ground, and not every call should be handled the same way. This guide breaks down which calls an AI receptionist handles well, where a person still needs to step in, and how to set one up for a Canadian restaurant without creating new problems. If you're mostly interested in bookings and no-shows, our earlier piece on restaurant reservation automation goes deeper on that.

What restaurant callers actually ask

Spend one evening writing down every call and you'll see the same handful of questions over and over:

• "Are you open right now?" and "What time does the kitchen close?"
• "Can I get a table for four at 7:30?"
• "Do you have gluten-free or vegan options?"
• "Is there parking? Is the patio open?"
• "Can I order for pickup?"
• "We're 20 people for a birthday next month. Do you do groups?"
• "Do you sell gift cards?" or "I think I left my scarf there last night."

Most of these have a fixed answer that doesn't change from one night to the next. That's exactly the kind of call an AI receptionist handles well, and exactly the kind that pulls staff away from guests who are already in the room.

What to hand to the AI, and what to keep

The pattern is simple: the AI handles the repeatable part of every call and passes along anything that needs judgment, money, or a promise.

Reservations: three setups that work

How an AI receptionist handles bookings depends on where your reservations live today.

1. You use a calendar tool. If your bookings run on Google Calendar, Calendly or Acuity, Aria connects to them on every plan and can book the table during the call.

2. You use a dedicated reservation platform. Many restaurants run bookings through a specialized system. Ask any AI vendor whether it can write directly into yours. Aria doesn't connect to dedicated restaurant reservation platforms today, so in this setup she answers the caller's questions, takes the full request (name, party size, date, time, occasion, allergies) and sends it to your team to confirm, or points the caller to your online booking link. On the Pro plan she can also text that link to the caller during the call.

3. You use a paper book or a spreadsheet. The AI takes the request with all the details and sends it to whoever manages the book. That's still a big improvement over a missed call: the guest hears a friendly answer, and your host confirms when there's a free minute.

Whichever setup you use, decide your rules in advance: the largest party the AI can book without a human, how far ahead people can book, and what to say when a night is full.

Allergies: the one place to be strict

Health Canada lists the priority food allergens as eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale. Your callers will ask about all of them.

An AI receptionist can and should answer factual menu questions: "Our pad thai contains peanuts," or "We have three vegan mains." What it should never do is promise that a dish is safe for someone with a severe allergy. Only your kitchen can speak to cross-contact, shared fryers and that night's substitutions.

A good allergy script sounds like this:

"The salmon dish doesn't list sesame as an ingredient, but because our kitchen handles sesame, I'd like our chef to confirm before you visit. Can I take your number so the restaurant can call you back today?"

Write that rule into your setup explicitly, and test it with a few allergy calls before you go live.

Takeout, catering and private events

For takeout, the cleanest setup is usually to send callers to your online ordering page if you have one, or to take the order details and send them to the kitchen if you don't. Decide which one you want before going live; an AI receptionist that takes orders your kitchen never sees is worse than voicemail.

Private events and large groups are where an AI receptionist really earns its keep. These calls are long, they tend to come in when the manager is busy, and they're worth more than any single table. Have the AI collect everything you need to send a quote:

• Date, start time and flexibility
• Headcount and the occasion
• Budget per person, or set menu versus à la carte
• Dietary needs and allergies
• Whether they need a private room, AV, or a deposit policy explained

You get a summary in your inbox, and the guest gets a clear answer about when to expect your call.

Running a restaurant in Quebec? French comes first

Quebec has specific language rules that touch restaurants directly. The Charter of the French Language says that inscriptions on products must be in French and that "this rule applies also to menus and wine lists" (section 51). Section 50.2 adds that a business serving consumers must respect their right to be informed and served in French.

On the phone, that means your receptionist has to work in French, not just "transfer to French." At the same time, a Montréal or Québec City restaurant gets plenty of calls from tourists and anglophone locals. Aria detects the caller's language and answers in English or French on every plan, so the Plateau regular and the visitor from Toronto both get the same service. If your restaurant is "apportez votre vin," make sure that's in the AI's notes: it's one of the most common questions callers ask, and a surprising number of visitors don't know what it means.

What to give the AI before you go live

An AI receptionist is only as good as the information it has. Before launch, give it:

1. Your current menu with prices, and which dishes contain the common allergens.
2. Regular hours, kitchen hours, and holiday hours for the next few months.
3. Reservation rules: largest party, deposit policy, cancellation policy, how long you hold a table.
4. Practical details: parking, patio season, accessibility, high chairs, corkage or BYOB.
5. What to do with complaints, media requests, supplier calls and job applicants.

Then update it when the menu changes. Most wrong answers come from out-of-date information, not from the AI itself.

What it costs

Aria's plans are flat monthly prices in Canadian dollars:

• Starter, $59/month: up to 150 voice minutes, voice and website chat, booking through Google Calendar, Calendly or Acuity, message taking, spam detection, English and French, 24/7.
• Pro, $189/month: up to 600 voice minutes, plus live call transfers, texting during calls, full SMS conversations, call recordings and live handoff alerts.
• Premium, $389/month: up to 1,200 voice minutes, plus custom training files, advanced analytics, a white-label chat widget and custom voices.

Annual billing lowers each plan, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial with no setup fee. Restaurant calls are usually short, so many restaurants fit comfortably in their plan's minutes; if a busy month runs over, you can add a minute pack. See the pricing page for the current details, and our restaurants page for how Aria is set up for food service.

Compare that with the alternatives: a host who spends part of every shift on the phone, or an answering service billed per minute or per call that can take a message but rarely knows your menu.

FAQ

Will guests know they're talking to an AI?

Some will, and that's fine. What guests care about is getting a clear answer quickly. You can set the greeting to say upfront that it's the restaurant's virtual assistant.

Can the AI tell callers about tonight's specials?

Yes, if you keep that information updated. Specials that change daily need a quick daily update, or a rule that says "ask the restaurant" for anything not in the notes.

What if the caller wants to speak to the manager?

On Pro and above, Aria can transfer the call to a number you choose. On any plan, she takes a detailed message so the manager can call back.

Does it work if we only want help during service?

Yes. You can forward calls only at certain times, for example during dinner service and after closing, and keep answering yourself the rest of the day.

How long does setup take?

Most restaurants are live the same day. Gathering your menu, allergen notes and reservation rules is the longest part.