AI phone agent taking orders and bookings for a restaurant
An AI phone agent built on a voice AI platform and trained on the restaurant's full menu and prices. It takes takeaway orders, books tables, upsells preparation ahead of arrival, checks allergies and writes everything into the restaurant's Google Calendar.
What was breaking
- During service, the phone competes with the room. Staff either leave the floor to answer it or let it ring, and both cost the restaurant.
- Rush hours are exactly when call volume peaks and when nobody is free to take a call — so takeaway orders were being lost at the busiest moments.
- Answering the phone properly means knowing the whole menu and current prices, which is a real load on whoever picks up.
- Allergy questions have to be handled correctly every time, not when someone remembers to ask.
- Bookings taken verbally still had to be written into the calendar afterwards, which is where they get lost.
How we approached it
Trained the agent on the full menu
The agent was built on a voice AI platform and trained on the restaurant's complete menu and prices, so it can answer questions about dishes and quote accurately without a human.
Handled takeaway orders and table bookings
The same agent takes takeaway orders and books tables over the phone, covering both of the reasons people actually call.
Built the upsell into the conversation
Callers are asked whether they want anything prepared for when they arrive. It lifts the order value and means food is ready sooner, so service is faster.
Made allergy checks part of every order
Allergy checks run on orders as a matter of course rather than depending on whoever answered thinking to ask.
Wrote straight into Google Calendar
Bookings and orders are written directly into the restaurant's Google Calendar, so there is no separate step where a booking can be forgotten.
Results
- Calls are answered during rush hours, when they were previously most likely to be missed.
- Front-of-house staff are no longer pulled off the floor to take orders over the phone.
- Takeaway orders and table bookings arrive in the calendar without anyone re-entering them.
- Every order gets an allergy check and an upsell prompt, consistently rather than when someone remembers.
Built with
Timeline
Trained on the menu, piloted on live calls, then left running through service
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