For restaurants

AI Receptionist for Restaurants

The reservation call during Saturday's rush rang out - and rang on to the place next door.

Vona answers every call during service, in English y espanol, books the table or the takeout order, and texts your host stand the details.

Customized to your business — when we're done, she'll know it almost as well as you do.

Dinner-rush reservation Takeout order Private-dining inquiry
See what your missed calls cost ↓ Put Vona on my line

Curious how she sounds? She's on the line now: +1 (561) 566-1668 · English y español

Vona is answering now · 24/7 · English y español, mid-sentence · several calls at once · live demo line
Demo line · live

“This call may be recorded. This is Vona at the front desk — how can I help?”

The demo line answers as a general front desk. Your Vona answers in your business's name, with your book.

The phone, before and after

One line in. Every call answered.

First, a normal day without Vona. Then, the same hour with Vona answering.

WITHOUT VONA
The phone rings. Nobody can pick up.
Illustration: A host stand with a line of waiting customers trailing out the door, a landline phone ringing unanswered…
RINGING · NO ANSWER
WITH VONA
Several calls at once — all answered. The booking lands on your phone.
Vona answers a reservation call while the host seats a table.
CALL 1 · ANSWERED
Vona answers a reservation call while the host seats a table.
A second caller books in Spanish, no wait, no transfer.
CALL 2 · AT THE SAME TIME · ESPAÑOL
A second caller books in Spanish, no wait, no transfer.
A to-go order is captured in full and sent to your phone and Front Desk log.
CALL 3 · HANDLED
A to-go order is captured in full and sent to your phone and Front Desk log.
Every reservation and order lands as a text, hands-free.
BOOKED · ON YOUR PHONE
Every reservation and order lands as a text, hands-free.
Read her

Read the call. Then dial it yourself.

Illustrative transcripts written to Vona's rails for restaurants. The number is live if you're curious.

Transcript · illustrative

The Saturday reservation rush

Dinner service is fully seated and the host can't reach for the phone; this is the first call, unedited.

Call it yourself — +1 (561) 566-1668

Read the transcript
CALLERHi, do you have anything for four people around 7:30 tonight?
VONALet me check — 7:30 for four, I can do 7:45, would that work?
CALLERThat's perfect.
VONAGreat — can I get a name for the reservation?
CALLERWhitfield.
VONAWhitfield, party of four, 7:45 tonight — you're confirmed. See you soon.
Transcript · illustrative

The allergy question she won't guess on

A caller asks about a specific allergen before booking; unedited.

Call it yourself — +1 (561) 566-1668

Read the transcript
CALLERDoes your mole sauce have peanuts in it? My son has a severe peanut allergy.
VONAAccording to our sheet, the mole does not list peanuts as an ingredient — but for a severe allergy, I don't want to be the only word you get on that. I'm flagging this so the kitchen calls you back directly before your visit.
CALLEROkay, that's fair, thank you.
VONAYou're welcome — I'll still get your reservation started while you wait for that call. What time works?
CALLERSeven, party of two.
VONASeven o'clock, party of two — noted, and the kitchen will call you before then about the allergy question.
A day on your line, handled

Excerpts from her call log.

The daily reality of a restaurants line — not a scripted happy path.

6:12 PM
Dinner-rush reservation
“"Anything for four around 7:30?"”
Checks real open times against the book, offers the closest honest slot, and confirms the name — no double-booking a table already seated.
6:40 PM
Takeout order captured
“"Can I order two enchilada plates for pickup?"”
Runs the order against the menu sheet, confirms modifications, and quotes pickup time from the kitchen's current pace.
7:05 PM
Allergen question — she won't guess
“"Does the mole have peanuts? My son's allergy is severe."”
States only what the sheet lists, refuses to promise beyond it, and flags the kitchen to call back directly before the visit.
7:38 PM
Solicitor / vendor
“"I'm calling about a POS system upgrade — got a minute?"”
Courteous and terminal, logs the number, never puts a sales call through during service.
8:02 PM
Bilingual reservation — Español
“"¿Tienen mesa para seis a las ocho?"”
Follows into Spanish mid-call, confirms party size and time against the real book, same rails, no transfer.
8:31 PM
Private-dining lead
“"We're looking at a rehearsal dinner for twenty-two people next month."”
Captures headcount, date, and budget range, and flags it for the manager to follow up on private-dining terms — not something she quotes herself.
She's holding your whole book

Test her on it.

The knowledge Vona carries for restaurants — verbatim, never invented.

Shown for a fictional restaurants business · your Vona carries yours
Full dinner menu — enchiladas, mole, carne asada, tacos family-style Lunch specials, weekdays only Kids' menu Family-style catering trays, pickup only Margaritas & full bar Private dining for parties of 15+ Fictional example

Menu items, ingredients, and hours are stated exactly as the sheet lists them — allergen and ingredient questions get the sheet's answer, never a guess dressed up as reassurance.

Service area
Dine-in and takeout only — no delivery. Reservations for the dining room, pickup at the counter for takeout.
Hours & after-hours
Open for dinner Tuesday–Sunday, lunch Thursday–Sunday; closed Mondays. After hours, the line still answers and takes next-day reservations.
Calendar rules
Offers only tables that are truly open on the reservation book — never double-books a table another party is already seated at, and never promises a same-night table it can't confirm.
Owner/manager
Private-dining and large-party inquiries, and anything a solicitor or vendor tries to route around her.
Host/floor manager
Same-night reservation confirmations and any seating conflict that needs a human call before confirming.
Kitchen lead
Allergen and ingredient questions flagged for a direct callback, and any modified large takeout order.

Requests outside the dining room's capacity, or dates fully booked, get a warm alternative time offered first, and the number is still captured either way — a full house tonight doesn't mean a table next month is off the table.

What she handles · the book
What's in the mole sauce?Do you have a kids' menu?Are you open for lunch?Do you take walk-ins?
What she handles · the calendar
Anything for four tonight?Can I move my reservation to eight?Do you have Saturday open for twenty people?
What she handles · the jargon
Party of sixFamily-style for the tableOn the rocks, no saltRehearsal dinner for the private room
What she handles · en español
¿Tienen mesa para seis esta noche?¿A qué hora abren para el almuerzo?¿El mole tiene maní?
Restaurants owners try to break her

That's the point.

Every answer below is scripted, approved wording — written into her rails and re-tested on the real line after every change.

No card numbers by voice
Can I just read you my card number for the deposit?
I can't take a card number over the phone — I'll text you a secure link, and no card details ever pass through me.
Applies to takeout, private-dining deposits, everything.
No time promises beyond what the book confirms
Can you just squeeze us in at seven even if it's full?
I can only offer what the book actually has open — I won't promise a table I can't confirm is free.
She checks real availability, never a hopeful guess.
Allergen questions, sheet only
Is the mole totally peanut-free? It's a severe allergy.
According to our sheet, peanuts aren't listed in that dish — but for a severe allergy, that's not something I can be the only word on. I'm having the kitchen call you back directly before your visit.
En españolSegún nuestra hoja, el maní no aparece en ese platillo — pero para una alergia grave, no puedo ser la única respuesta. Voy a pedir que la cocina le llame directamente antes de su visita.
Never a reassurance beyond the printed sheet; always flagged to the kitchen for anything severe.
Solicitor / vendor screening
Can you connect me with the owner about a POS partnership?
I don't put vendor calls through while service is running — leave your number and I'll pass it to the owner between rushes.
Courteous and terminal, no matter how many times they call back.
Banned phrases — everywhere
I'm sure that's totally safe for a severe allergy We can definitely squeeze you in, no problem Just give me your card number for the deposit That table's basically open, I'll just say yes Let me guess how long the kitchen will take No need to check, I'll just confirm it

And when a caller asks if she's an AI, she says yes. Every time.

Every call ends up in writing

A faithful recreation of the capture screen.

Saved mid-call — hang-ups still leave a lead. Texted and emailed the moment the call ends.

Demo data · all fictional
Leads Fictional example
Whitfield party561-555-0161
Reservation, party of 4, 7:45 tonight
reservationrush-hour
(no name yet)561-555-0172
Allergy question flagged — mole sauce, severe peanut allergy
allergenflagged
Familia Reyes561-555-0184
Rehearsal dinner inquiry, 22 guests, next month
españolprivate dining
Messages for the team
For Kitchen lead

Caller asked if the mole has peanuts — severe allergy in the party. Please call them back directly before their 7 PM reservation.

For Owner/manager

Vendor called pitching a POS upgrade during dinner rush — declined, number logged if you want to follow up.

Your whole front desk, on one screen. What you see here is a faithful recreation of that capture screen, drawn from fictional demo-call data.

On your website too

Your website gets a receptionist.

The same Vona — now in the corner of your site.

Tap once to talk — the same Vona answers in the browser, mic only, no phone required.

Intake chips let a visitor route themselves in one tap; every lead lands in your log the moment it's captured.

For food & retail: Vona hands the visitor to a secure checkout — never card data in the widget.

The demo is generic on purpose

Built around your business, not from a template.

We customize Vona's knowledge and capabilities to your requirements — your services and prices, hours, service area, team routing, calendar, the way you triage. When we're done, she knows your business almost as well as you do.

Share your menu and allergen sheet, hours, reservation rules, and private-dining terms — Vona answers on your floor plan, not a generic one.

01

You share

Your services/price sheet, hours, routing, and calendar — your calendar stays yours, revocable in one click.

02

Vona learns your book

Services, sheet facts, service area, hours, team routing, and referral policy — configured, not guessed.

03

Vona answers in your name

On your number, in your business's name, with your book — not the demo's.

Precedent

Restaurants is the newest desk Vona sits at.

The same receptionist already answers for working businesses — each vertical gets its own vocabulary, rails, and rig.

Real estate
Live demo line · Eva
Law firms
Live demo line · Carmen
Auto repair
Live today
Pet grooming
Live today
Restaurants
Live today
Restaurants
You are here
What your missed calls cost

Your line. Your numbers.

Change any number. The arithmetic is ours; the loss is yours.

default from Hostie AI, 2023 — directional

your estimate — set it to what you close

Missed calls / month
559
Jobs lost / month
195
$ lost per month
$16,617
$199,409 / year
Stop the leak — put Vona on my line
For reference

Independently cited industry figures — not our arithmetic above, but the pattern behind it.

43%
of restaurant phone calls go unanswered, costing the average venue up to $292,000/year
Based on a 500,000-call study across restaurant phone lines.
Hostie AI, 2023 Call Intelligence Report · 2023
vendor-published, directional
33%
of calls go unanswered specifically during peak hours
Drawn from over 1 million restaurant calls tracked 2023–2025.
Maple restaurant call-volume study · 2023–2025
vendor-published, directional
60%+
of callers whose call goes unanswered never try again
80% won't leave a voicemail, 85% won't attempt a callback.
Hostie AI / industry compilation · 2023–2026
vendor-published, directional
63%
of guests prefer calling as their primary contact method
35% still preferred phone ordering specifically as of 2023.
restaurant consumer-preference survey compilation · 2023
vendor-published, directional
1. Hostie AI, 2023 Call Intelligence Report (2023) — https://hostie.ai/resources/stopping-43-percent-revenue-leak-hostie-ai-recovers-292k-missed-restaurant-calls
2. Maple restaurant call-volume study (2023–2025) — https://hostie.ai/resources/peak-hour-accuracy-showdown-online-assistant-vs-live-host-500k-restaurant-calls-q4-2024-q2-2025
3. Hostie AI / industry compilation (2023–2026) — https://hostie.ai/resources/hostie-ai-500k-call-study-missed-calls-reduction
4. restaurant consumer-preference survey compilation (2023) — https://telvoip.io/blog/restaurants-turn-missed-calls-to-repeat-customers
En español, de nacimiento

Your callers switch languages. Vona keeps up.

The rails above hold in both languages — this isn't a thinner Spanish version.

CALLER

Do you have a table for six at eight?

VONA

Let me check — for six at eight, I have space at eight fifteen. Does that work for you?

CALLER

Sí, perfecto. ¿Pueden poner una silla alta también?

VONA

Claro, silla alta agregada. ¿A qué nombre hago la reservación?

No table gets promised that isn't truly open, and no allergen answer goes beyond the sheet, in either language.

Asked and answered

The questions restaurants owners ask first.

Every answer, no clicking required.

Does it actually book a real table, or just take a message?
It checks the real reservation book and confirms a genuinely open time — party size, date, name — on the same call. No callback needed for a simple booking.
What happens with allergy or ingredient questions?
It answers from your menu sheet only. For anything serious, like a severe allergy, it flags the kitchen to call the guest back directly instead of guessing.
Can it take a takeout order start to finish?
Yes — items, modifications, pickup time, and a callback number, the same details a host would ask for at the counter.
Is the Spanish a real conversation or a phone-tree option?
A live conversation. A guest can book, order, or ask questions entirely in Spanish, or switch mid-call, without a transfer.
What about a big group or private event inquiry?
It captures headcount, date, and budget range, then hands it to your manager — private-dining terms aren't something it quotes on its own.
Can I test it before it touches my real line?
Yes — call the live demo line and book a table or ask about the menu. You'll hear exactly what your guests would hear.

Request a walkthrough

A human replies — usually the same day.

Get started

Every unanswered call is a table someone else is filling.

Tell us your call volume and busiest nights - a human replies the same day and shows you what your line is leaking. Then Vona answers it.

Her knowledge and capabilities are built to your requirements.

Ask her anything a caller would.

Or hear her first: +1 (561) 566-1668

Prefer email? [email protected]