AI phone answering for your business

AI Receptionist for Restaurants

An AI receptionist for restaurants is a phone answering service that answers calls for your restaurant around the clock using the business details you save. It can answer common questions like your hours from the details you provide, take messages for things it does not know, book new reservations on a calendar, and transfer calls to you when you set up transfer rules. You keep your existing restaurant phone number by forwarding calls to AllDayDesk, and the forwarding steps depend on your phone carrier. Setup involves choosing your business or entering its website, checking the details it found, hearing a personalized sample call, and choosing how to set up your phone. The sample is a demo and does not create a real reservation.

Hear it answer for your business No credit card to try it

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How it works

Set up your business receptionist

Add your business

Choose your business or enter its website. Check the services, hours, and details callers need.

Hear your receptionist

Listen to a sample for your business and check its answers. The sample does not create a real booking.

Connect your phone

Follow the steps for your phone service. Set up booking availability and any call transfers you want to use.

Review calls, messages, and bookings in your dashboard.

What an AI receptionist does for a restaurant

Restaurant phones ring at the worst times: during the dinner rush, while you are plating food, and long after the dining room closes. An AI receptionist answers those calls using the business information you save, so callers get a response instead of a ringing phone or a full voicemail box.

It is software, not a person. It answers questions from your saved details, records messages, and books new reservations on a calendar. When a caller needs you directly, it can transfer the call if you have configured a transfer destination and rules. Transfers are not guaranteed to connect, and if the AI does not know an answer, a price, or whether a time is open, it takes a message so you can follow up.

Answers calls using the restaurant details you save, such as hours, location, and menu basics
Takes messages with the caller's name, number, and reason for calling
Books new reservations on the built-in AllDayDesk calendar once you have set up your services and availability
Transfers calls to you when you configure a destination and rules for when transfers happen
Shows you calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in your dashboard

For a broader look at how AI receptionists work and how they differ from a human receptionist, read the main overview. what an AI receptionist is

Common restaurant calls and how they get handled

Most restaurant calls fall into a few buckets, and it helps to decide ahead of time which ones the AI should handle on its own and which ones should become a message or a transfer.

Hours and location questions are answered directly from your saved business details, so keep those current. Reservation requests can be booked on your calendar once you have configured your availability. Requests to change an existing reservation are different: the AI records them as requests for you to review, not confirmed changes, because it does not rewrite bookings you already made. Large-party inquiries, catering questions, or anything it cannot verify become messages with the caller's contact information.

Hours, address, and general questions: answered from your saved details
New reservation requests: booked on your configured calendar
Changes to existing reservations: captured as requests for you, not confirmed changes
Catering, large parties, or unknown details: message taken for your follow-up
Caller asks for the owner: transferred if you set up transfer rules, otherwise a message

Reservation booking has specific rules about calendars and double-booking prevention, covered in detail on the booking page. how AI appointment booking works

Reservations and your calendar

By default, new reservations go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar. This works once you have configured your services and availability, such as the seating times you want callers to be able to book.

If you already run your restaurant's schedule in Google Calendar, you can optionally connect it. You do this in Settings after connecting and authorizing your Google account. Google Calendar is the supported external calendar connection; other calendar tools and restaurant scheduling software are not part of AllDayDesk. Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings all appear in your dashboard so you can review everything from the dinner rush or the next morning.

Default: new reservations go on the built-in AllDayDesk calendar
Optional: connect Google Calendar in Settings after authorizing your account
Existing reservation changes arrive as requests, not automatic edits
All calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings are visible in the dashboard

Once you know which calls the AI should handle, the cost guide helps you compare monthly plans, included minutes, and overage math. what an answering service costs

Keep your restaurant's phone number with call forwarding

You do not need a new number. You keep your public restaurant number by forwarding calls to AllDayDesk. The exact steps depend on your phone service, so check what your carrier supports before you start.

There are two main kinds of forwarding. All-call forwarding sends every incoming call to the AI receptionist. Conditional forwarding sends calls only when your line is busy or unanswered, which lets you or your staff keep answering as usual and use AllDayDesk as backup coverage. Not every carrier or plan supports conditional forwarding, so if yours does not, all-call forwarding is the alternative. Google Voice is a special case: Google says forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported, so a Google Voice number is not a workable path to AllDayDesk.

All-call forwarding: every call goes to the AI receptionist
Conditional forwarding: calls forward only when busy or unanswered, where your carrier supports it
Steps vary by carrier; use your carrier's own instructions, not another company's codes
Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated system like AllDayDesk

Sources: Google Voice linked phone setup · Google Voice: send cell phone calls to voicemail

This guide explains star codes, the difference between unconditional and conditional forwarding, and how to pick a destination number. business phone forwarding basics
If you want to keep answering calls yourself and only forward when the line is busy, the overflow page walks through that setup. overflow answering service

How setup works

Setup starts by choosing your business or entering your restaurant's website. AllDayDesk checks the details it finds, and you review them for accuracy before anything goes live. Then you hear a personalized sample of the receptionist answering for your restaurant. The sample is a demonstration only and does not create a real reservation.

After that, you choose your phone setup, which means following your carrier's forwarding instructions so calls reach AllDayDesk. Once your services and availability are configured, new reservations can be booked on the dashboard calendar, and you can optionally connect Google Calendar in Settings.

Choose your business or enter its website
Review and correct the business details it found
Listen to a personalized sample call (demo only, no real booking)
Choose your phone setup and forward your existing number
Configure availability so reservations can be booked

For the full setup sequence including greeting and transfer rules, the setup guide covers each step in order. step-by-step setup guide

Honest limits to know before you sign up

AllDayDesk is available around the clock, but that describes when the service can take calls, not a promise that every call connects. Phone carriers can fail, and transfers depend on your configured destination and rules, so neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed.

The AI is not a person and does not replace everything a human does. It does not connect to restaurant POS systems, reservation platforms, or dispatch software. Its only external calendar connection is the optional Google Calendar setup. It does not take payments or collect sensitive financial details over the phone. When it does not know something, it takes a message rather than guessing.

Around-the-clock availability is not a guarantee that every call connects
Transfers require your configured destination and rules, and connection is not guaranteed
No integrations with POS systems, reservation platforms, or calendars other than optional Google Calendar
Unknown answers, prices, or times become messages, not guesses

If you are weighing an AI service against a human receptionist, this comparison lays out where each one wins. AI vs human receptionist comparison

After-hours coverage for restaurant calls

Many restaurant calls come in outside service hours: someone planning tomorrow's dinner, a caller checking whether you are open on a holiday, or a regular wanting a weekend table. With all-call forwarding, those calls reach the AI receptionist whenever they come in, and it answers from your saved hours and takes reservation requests on your calendar.

With conditional forwarding, after-hours calls typically reach the AI because your line goes unanswered, while calls during service reach you first. Which setup fits depends on how much of your phone you want to keep answering yourself. If you currently rely on a voicemail greeting for closed hours, forwarding replaces that with an interactive answer that can capture a reservation request instead of just a recording.

After-hours callers hear answers to hours questions from your saved details
Reservation requests made after closing are booked on your configured calendar
Anything the AI cannot confirm becomes a message for the next morning
Conditional forwarding lets you keep answering during service and route missed calls to the AI

This page covers how to plan after-hours coverage, what is safe to share, and how to review calls when you return. 24/7 answering service planning

Pricing

Choose a plan that fits your calls.

Solo $99/moBusiness $199/moGrowth $349/mo

Each plan includes call minutes. Extra minutes cost more. See your estimate before you start. Your first 30 calls are free, with no credit card. Paid plans are monthly; cancel anytime.

Hear the receptionist answer for your restaurant

Enter your restaurant's name or website, check the details it finds, and listen to a personalized sample call. The sample is a demo with no real booking, and it shows you exactly how your callers would be greeted before you change anything on your phone.