Hospitality
AI receptionist for restaurants
The short answer
Last updated
For restaurants
Mid-service, and the phone won't stop.
The phone rings hardest when you're busiest. Staff running food can't take bookings, and every missed call is a table someone else fills.
- Nobody can answer during service
- Large groups and functions need details before a manager can call back
- Guests ask about allergens, which only staff should confirm
- No-shows leave tables empty on busy nights
How FirstVoice fixes it
FirstVoice takes bookings during service, passes allergen questions to staff, and puts callers through to a person quickly when they need one.
- Takes bookings with the date, time, party size and occasion
- Records allergies and dietary needs for staff to confirm, and never guarantees a dish is safe
- Takes the details for group and function enquiries, and passes them to a manager
- Takes late-running and cancellation calls, so you can re-seat the table
- Tells anyone describing an allergic reaction to ring 111, and alerts the manager
Calls we handle
Calls restaurants get, answered.
Answered day or night, with the caller's details sent straight to you.
- Table reservations (tonight or weekend)
- Large group and function bookings
- Dietary and allergen questions
- Changing or cancelling a booking, or running late
- Opening hours and menu questions
- Gift vouchers
- Lost property
Urgent calls
Escalated to you.
These don't wait for the end-of-call summary. You're told straight away.
- Allergic reaction or suspected food poisoning after dining: 111 if severe, then alert the manager.
- Complaint about a booking lost on arrival.
- Supplier or delivery failure before service.
Software
Works with Square for Restaurants, NowBookIt, ResDiary, SevenRooms and more.
Square for Restaurants
Syncs every callCreates an order and looks up the customer by phone or email in Square during the call - AU only, no NZ Square site currently. Not a table-reservation system.
How it connects to Square for RestaurantsNowBookIt
Partner accessFirstVoice can connect straight to NowBookIt to check tables and take reservations. NowBookIt approves the connection first.
How it connects to NowBookItResDiary
Partner accessWe can pursue a ResDiary integration through their partner certification process, but no self-serve public API or automation route is confirmed yet.
How it connects to ResDiarySevenRooms
Partner accessCan integrate with SevenRooms once approved through SevenRooms' partnerships programme.
How it connects to SevenRooms
Also: me&u (incl. Mr Yum), OpenTable, TheFork.
What a missed call is worth
Typical prices for restaurants in NZ.
Rules we script around
Regulations for restaurants.
General information, not legal advice.
- NZ IPPs.Source
- Allergens: for unpackaged food, allergen information must be "displayed with the food or can be requested from the supplier" (covers NZ and AU). The AI must not guarantee a dish is allergen-free; it routes to staff.Source
- No-show fees must not be unfair terms.Source
- Card-guaranteed bookings by link only (PCI DSS).Source
Are missed calls during service costing my restaurant bookings?
Often, yes. A phone ringing out during a rush can mean a lost booking or takeaway order, because the caller simply tries somewhere else. An AI receptionist answers when your team can't, takes reservation requests and answers questions about hours, parking and dietary options, so staff can keep serving.
Will diners mind an AI answering the restaurant phone?
Some will, and plenty of people say they dislike it. It works best for quick jobs like opening hours, directions and simple booking requests. For large groups, functions or complicated dietary needs, make sure it passes the caller to a person or takes a message for a callback.
What does FirstVoice do with urgent calls for restaurants?
It follows the urgent-call rules you set and flags those calls to you straight away, or transfers them live on Growth and Scale. For restaurants that usually means calls like allergic reaction or suspected food poisoning after dining, complaint about a booking lost on arrival and supplier or delivery failure before service. Life-threatening emergencies are directed to 111.
Does FirstVoice work with Square for Restaurants?
Creates an order and looks up the customer by phone or email in Square during the call - AU only, no NZ Square site currently. Not a table-reservation system. It also works with NowBookIt, ResDiary, SevenRooms and me&u (incl. Mr Yum).
How much does an AI receptionist cost for restaurants?
Connecting Square for Restaurants is included from Growth at $597 a month. Starter is $297 a month with calendar booking.
Free 2-week trial for restaurants
Try it free for two weeks, on your real calls.
We set everything up for you and connect it to your calendar and the tools you already use. Then it answers your real customers for two weeks. No credit card, nothing to pay. If it's not for you, walk away.
- 01We build it for youYour greeting, your questions, your prices and your booking rules. You don't touch a thing.
- 02Connected to your systemBookings go into your calendar or job system, and summaries come to you by text or email.
- 03Live on your real callsForward your number and it answers your customers for real, day and night, for two weeks.
- 04No card, no costYou don't pay anything for the trial. Keep it after that from $297 a month, month to month, or walk away.