Takeout, catering, cafés, food trucks and dining rooms.
AI call answering for restaurants and food service
Restaurants receive the most calls during service, when staff are fully committed to guests. ReadyOffice answers questions on hours, reservations, catering and menus from your business profile, sends ordering links by text and routes catering inquiries to your team.
Industry challenges
Common challenges in food service
Peak service hours and peak call volume coincide. These gaps affect revenue and guest experience.
- Interrupted service
Staff leave the counter or the line to answer routine questions about hours and holiday openings.
- Lost catering inquiries
Catering requests left by voicemail are heard after close, after the client has booked elsewhere.
- Unanswered dietary questions
Allergen and dietary questions reach the kitchen at its busiest and go unanswered.
- Inconsistent marketing
Weekly specials, posts and review replies are postponed after long shifts.
How ReadyOffice addresses them
The AI Receptionist handles routine calls in English or French, Marketing keeps your Google Business Profile and campaigns current, and Daily Reporting summarizes the day after close. Each feature shows its availability.
AI Receptionist
- AI ReceptionistIncludedAnswers every call, identifies itself as an AI, takes messages and answers questions from your business profile.
- Call menuIncludedA one-level "press 1 for…" menu, set up in plain words.
- English and French callsIncludedThe receptionist hears which language the caller speaks and answers in it.
Sales Follow-up
- Links sent by text during callsIncludedDuring a call, the assistant texts the caller your booking, quote or payment link.
Marketing
- Google Business Profile postsIncludedYour hours kept up to date and posts drafted for your Google Business Profile.
- Review repliesIncludedReplies to your reviews, drafted for you to approve before they're posted.
- Email campaignsIncludedCampaigns sent only to people who agreed, with unsubscribe and your details, as CASL requires.
- Consent remindersIncludedA warning before a contact's permission to receive your emails or texts runs out.
Daily Reporting
- End-of-day reportIncludedThe day's leads, bookings and the calls the assistant handled, by text or email.
Sample call
A full transcript of how the AI Receptionist handles a typical call. Every call opens by identifying the AI assistant.
Copper Ladle Kitchen and the caller are fictional and used for illustration.
- AI assistant
You've reached an AI assistant for Copper Ladle Kitchen. This call may be recorded to get your catering order right. Say 'agent' to reach a person.
- AI assistant
How can I help?
- Caller
Hi, I'd like to order catering for a staff lunch, about forty people, a week from Friday.
- AI assistant
Certainly. I will take the details for the catering manager. May I have your name, your company, and a number or email for the quote?
- Caller
Marc Tremblay, from Harbourline Logistics. This number's fine.
- AI assistant
Thank you, Marc. Are there any dietary requirements to note, such as vegetarian, halal or allergies?
- Caller
Six vegetarians, and one person with a nut allergy.
- AI assistant
Noted. I will text you the catering menu now, and the catering manager will call you back with a quote and to confirm the allergy details. When is the best time to reach you today?
- Caller
Anytime after two.
Summary sent to the business
Catering request: Marc Tremblay, Harbourline Logistics. About 40 people, lunch a week from Friday. 6 vegetarian, 1 nut allergy. Menu link sent. Call back after 2 p.m. with a quote.
Recommended plan
Standard$149 a month
Standard is where most restaurants land: the AI receptionist answers the routine calls 24/7, a five-page website carries your menu and hours, and review requests go out when you choose. If you want social posts and a monthly email to your regulars written for you, look at Pro.
Compare all plans and pricesRegulatory considerations
Regulatory points relevant to this sector, each sourced from an official government page. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; requirements vary by province.
Food handler training (Ontario)
In Ontario, the operator of a food service premise must make sure that at least one food handler or supervisor who has completed food handler training is on the premises during every hour it is open. This is Ontario's rule; elsewhere, check with your province or local public health unit. [1]
Emailing your regulars
Under Canada's anti-spam legislation you need consent before you email or text an offer. Someone who bought from you or asked a question gives implied consent for a limited time: up to two years after a purchase, six months after an inquiry. Every message needs your business name, a mailing address and contact details, and an unsubscribe that you act on within 10 business days. [2]
Charging GST/HST
A restaurant becomes responsible for registering and charging the GST/HST once its taxable sales go over $30,000 in one calendar quarter, or across four calendar quarters in a row. Below that you are a small supplier and registering is optional. [3]
Common questions
Can it take orders over the phone?
It answers questions about your menu, hours and location from your business profile, and it can text the caller your online ordering or catering link. Full phone ordering into a point-of-sale system is not something we offer.
What if a caller asks about allergens?
It never guesses. It notes the question and the allergy and passes it to you or your manager, and you can set it to tell callers that a person will confirm allergen details.
Will it answer in French?
Yes. It hears which language the caller speaks and answers in it, English or French, from the same business profile.
Sources
- O. Reg. 493/17: Food Premises, section 32, Government of Ontario. checked
- Getting consent to send emails (Canada's anti-spam legislation), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. checked
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST, Canada Revenue Agency. checked
Last reviewed . Official sources only. If any information has changed, please contact us and we will update it.
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