AI Receptionist for Restaurants
When the floor is full and the pass is loud, the phone still gets answered. Guests book a table, ask about the menu and hear about private dining without your host leaving the door.
It follows your seating rules and hands off anything unusual to your team.
What your receptionist handles
The calls behind a full book, kept tidy and consistent.
Table reservations
Takes the name, party size, date and time, then confirms it against your availability.
Changes and cancellations
Finds the booking, moves or cancels it and releases the table.
Private dining and group enquiries
Collects headcount, occasion, date and any set-menu preferences for your events lead.
Menu and dietary questions
Answers from the information you provide and notes allergies on the booking.
Opening hours and location
Covers parking, dress code, kids' seating and holiday hours.
Takeaway and delivery questions
Tells callers how to order or takes a message for the kitchen.
What the phone costs you at the busiest times
The calls that matter most come in exactly when your team cannot take them.
Ringing phones during the dinner rush
The host is seating a queue at the door and the call goes unanswered. That guest books somewhere else.
Guests call once the kitchen has closed
People plan tomorrow's dinner late in the evening, when there is nobody to take a booking.
Reservation juggling on paper
Fitting covers to tables, times and turn lengths by hand invites double bookings and gaps.
Big parties arrive without details
A vague message about a birthday or work dinner tells you nothing about numbers, allergies or budget.
Four call types, ready to go
Each follows the rules your host stand already uses.
Standard reservation
Books everyday tables without interrupting service.
- Ask date, time and party size
- Check availability against your floor plan rules
- Note seating requests and allergies
- Text a confirmation to the guest
Large party or private room
Captures the detail an events manager needs.
- Ask the occasion and estimated headcount
- Record date, budget range and menu preferences
- Explain deposit or minimum policies you set
- Send the enquiry to your events lead
Change or cancel
Frees up the table quickly.
- Find the booking by name and date
- Offer another time or confirm the cancellation
- Release the table for new guests
- Send an updated confirmation
Menu, dietary and walk-in questions
Answers the questions that eat host time.
- Explain what is on offer and what is not
- Share your walk-in and waitlist policy
- Log any allergy the guest mentions
- Offer to book a table before ending the call
What it does for the room
Full tables, calmer host stand
Reservations are taken by phone while your team looks after guests in person.
Fewer no-shows and double bookings
Every booking is confirmed and recorded the same way.
Bigger events do not fall through
Group enquiries arrive with the details your events lead needs.
Kitchen sees allergies early
Dietary notes are logged on the booking, not remembered from a hurried call.
From setup to service
- 01
Share your seating rules
Tell us about table sizes, turn times and blackout dates.
- 02
Add your menu and policies
Include dietary options, deposits, dress code and private dining details.
- 03
Connect bookings and phone
The agent checks real availability and answers your existing number.
- 04
Test and open the doors
Try sample calls, adjust the tone and go live.
A guest books a Saturday table during service
Hi, do you have a table for six on Saturday night?
Thanks for calling Olive & Ember. Let me check. What time were you thinking?
Around 8:00 pm.
I have a table for six at 8:15 pm, or 7:30 pm if that's better. Which would you prefer?
8:15 works. It's a birthday.
Lovely. May I have a name for the booking?
Marco Ricci.
Thanks, Marco. Any allergies or dietary needs the kitchen should know about?
One guest is gluten free.
Noted. You're booked for six on Saturday at 8:15 pm under Ricci, with a gluten-free note for the birthday. A text confirmation is on its way.
Fits into your front-of-house tools
Viyo works with what your team already trusts on the floor.
Call a Viyo agent as a restaurants customer would
Pick up the mic and talk to a live voice agent. No signup needed.
You'll say: “Do you have a table for six on Saturday night?”
Then listen as the agent checks availability, confirms the details, and wraps the call - the way it would on a real call.
Live call via the Viyo Voice SDK · mic access required
Restaurants: what you'll want to know
How does it avoid double-booking a table?
It checks your live availability and the seating rules you set before confirming anything.
What happens when a guest mentions a serious allergy?
It writes the details on the booking and can flag the call for a manager to follow up, based on your rules.
Can it handle a full house or a walk-in only night?
Yes. It explains your waitlist or walk-in policy and offers alternative times where available.
What if a question is outside what it knows?
It tells the guest plainly, takes a message and passes it to your manager.
Can it transfer a call to someone on the floor?
Yes. You choose which calls go through to a person and what happens when nobody is free.
Do we need a new number for reservations?
No. Guests keep dialling the number they already have.
Keep the phone answered while you serve
Try the live demo, then set Viyo up as the voice of your host stand.