The AI assistant for restaurants
It's 8.15pm, the dining room is full, and the kitchen is sending out dish after dish. The phone rings for the sixth time this service, and nobody has a free hand to pick it up. The assistant answers, books the table or moves one that no longer works, and lets service carry on.
One sentence is enough. Nothing is sent, nothing is kept.
Today, 9:41 AM
- The client : Hi, could we get a table for four this evening, around 8.30? Is that possible?
- The agent : Hello. There's room for four at 8.30. Could I also take a number to reach you if anything changes?
- The client : 07123 456789, thanks.
- The agent : That's booked in: table for four at 8.30. You'll get a reminder tomorrow, just let us know if you need to cancel.
A message thread, not an app to learn.
Text it. Call it. Email it.
The answer lands in the same thread.
By text message
A guest texts to book a table or shift the time, and the assistant replies within minutes, confirming the party size. The exchange sits among their messages, next to the ones with friends.
By phone
When the floor is running flat out, the assistant takes the call, asks for the party size and a number to reach them, then leaves a written note for the team. Nobody hits a ringtone that just keeps going through service.
By email
Groups and companies write by email to book a meal for twelve or more. The assistant records the headcount, the date and any special requests, then passes the file to the team, who confirm.
Three channels already in use, no new login.
What you cannot answer right away
The difficulties we encounter most often — and where AI delivers a quick win.
Concrete use cases
What we actually put in place, under human supervision and in full respect of your data.
Why a restaurant loses bookings on the phone
A guest calling at 8.15pm for a table doesn't wait. If they hit a ringtone that keeps going, they dial the next number on their list, and the booking is gone before your phone rings a second time. It isn't about the menu or the reviews: at that moment, the only thing that matters is whether someone answers.
But a team that answers the phone is a team stepping away from the floor or the pass mid-service. Serving and answering don't happen at once, and that's exactly where an assistant fits: it holds the line while service carries on.
What the assistant doesn't do
It never answers on allergens. What goes into a dish can change from one service to the next, depending on what's in the kitchen that evening, and only the kitchen team knows for certain. The assistant logs the question and says it's passing it on; it never invents an answer on something that puts someone's health at risk.
It never books a table for a group without confirmation, and it never makes an offer on its own. Whether the room can take twelve on a Saturday night depends on the floor that day; that call stays yours, never a machine's.
Frequently asked questions
Can the assistant answer questions about allergens?
No, never. Only the kitchen team knows what's going into a dish that particular evening, and a mistake can put someone at risk. The assistant logs the question and passes it on; it never answers on the kitchen's behalf.
Can it book a table for a group of twelve without the team?
No. It passes the request to the team, who check how the room is laid out that evening before confirming or offering another date. No table gets booked for a group without that confirmation.
What happens if it doesn't understand a request?
It says so and passes it on. An assistant that invents an answer costs more than one that hands over, especially on a full night of service.
How long does it take to set up?
Allow two to three weeks: one to go through your floor plan and opening hours, one to tune it to how you phrase things, then a stretch where you check every exchange before handing it the phone.
And for your own business?
We start from your real requests, not from a template: two weeks are enough to know what an agent takes on and what it leaves to you.
See the NexeAI offerGot an AI project in mind?
Let's discuss your challenges in a first conversation, free and with no commitment. Together we identify the use cases with the strongest impact for your organisation.