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How DACHA Projects is Using Hostie’s Multilingual Capabilities to Serve its Diverse Clientele
Case Study
Stop missing calls. An AI phone answering system for restaurants captures bookings, answers guests 24/7, and eases strain on your team.
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Guide
In restaurants, every call counts. Whether it’s a guest looking to book a table or ask about dietary options, that phone ringing is an opportunity. But when staff are slammed and calls often go unanswered, every unanswered call is lost revenue and one more burden on your front-of-house team.
That’s why many operators are turning to an AI phone answering system for restaurants.
It’s a modern upgrade to the traditional restaurant phone answering service – one that uses artificial intelligence to:
But that’s just the beginning. Let’s break down what an AI answering service for restaurants is, why it matters, how it works in real-world settings, and how to choose the right solution for your business.
An AI phone answering system is a smart service that uses artificial intelligence to pick up, manage, and route calls for your restaurant. Unlike outsourced call centers that don’t understand your operation, an AI solution is built around your guest experience. It can:
The result is a restaurant phone answering system that feels like an extension of your front-of-house (FOH) team. It makes sure every call is answered, every guest feels taken care of, and your staff can focus fully on the dining room.
Phone calls still drive business, but too many calls go unanswered, and the costs are steep. Restaurants miss an average of 150 calls per month, with 60% tied to orders or reservations. This can potentially add up to more than $27,000 in lost revenue a year.
Staffing shortages make the problem worse. Nearly 82% of restaurants were hiring in 2024, and the National Restaurant Association reports that 45% don’t have enough employees to meet demand.
An AI phone answering service makes sure every call is answered, revenue isn’t lost, and your front-of-house team can focus on hospitality instead of ringing phones.
From cutting down on missed calls to easing the load on your front-of-house team, an AI phone answering system delivers clear, measurable benefits for restaurant owners.
An AI answering service never sleeps. It picks up calls during service, after hours, and even on holidays. This means that late-night catering requests, last-minute reservations, and takeout orders don’t end up in voicemail. That’s business you keep without adding another host to payroll.
No more mixed answers about tonight’s hours, menus, or parking. Because AI phone answering systems sync directly with your POS and reservation platform (e.g. Toast, OpenTable, or Resy), guests always get reliable, up-to-date information.
Hosts and servers should focus on greeting tables, not juggling ringing phones. By offloading repetitive calls like “Do you take walk-ins?” or “What’s the wait time?”, an AI phone answering system gives your FOH team the bandwidth to deliver true hospitality in the dining room.
Hiring another restaurant host isn’t cheap. The average hourly wage is about $14 per hour, which adds up to $2,437 per month for full-time coverage. That’s before benefits or turnover costs.
By comparison, an AI phone answering system provides 24/7 coverage at a fraction of those costs – with no overtime, no training, and full control over your restaurant’s guest experience.
Unlike a missed call, AI logs every interaction. You can track peak call times, see which questions come up most often, and monitor booking conversions to understand how guests engage with your restaurant.
These insights help you staff smarter during busy hours and identify trends that would otherwise slip through the cracks.
With solutions like Hostie.ai, you get these insights built in, making every call not just an interaction, but a source of data to improve your operations.
An AI restaurant phone answering system isn’t one-size-fits-all, it adapts to different formats and service models:
We’ve already seen how powerful this can be in practice. At The Stinking Rose Group, Hostie.ai managed 24,000 incoming calls over six months, fully resolving 80% without staff intervention, boosting phone reservations by 117%, and freeing up more than 400 staff hours.
It’s a clear example of how AI can streamline communication, protect revenue, and give front-of-house teams the breathing room to focus on guests in the dining room.
Choosing an AI phone answering system is about finding a solution that fits your operations, supports your team, and grows with your restaurant. Here are the factors to keep in mind:
Hostie.ai ticks every one of these boxes. Just look at The Slanted Door Group, where AI answered nearly 1,200 calls in a single month, resolved 74% without staff help, and boosted over-the-phone covers by 56%.
The phone is still one of your restaurant’s most valuable tools if every call gets answered. With rising labor costs and higher guest expectations, an AI phone system gives your team a smarter way to ease the pressure and deliver great hospitality 24/7.
Hostie.ai was built by restaurant people, for restaurant people. From recovering missed reservations to freeing up hundreds of staff hours, it’s the simplest way to protect revenue and delight guests.
Never miss a call again and start your Hostie.ai free trial today!
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