AI for restaurants: answer booking and menu messages during service
Messages arrive when you are busiest: just before and during service. Table requests, menu questions and takeaway orders sit unanswered until the end of the night. An AI agent can reply to all of them straight away and leave the kitchen to cook.
What guests ask
These are the messages restaurants get most. An agent answers them from the notes you give it.
- Do you have a table for four at 8 tonight?
- Is there a vegan option on the menu?
- Are you open on public holidays?
- Can I pick up a takeaway order at 7?
- I need to cancel my booking for tomorrow.
An example conversation
This illustration shows a full conversation on Instagram. Names and details are examples.
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Ella | Do you have a table for 4 on Saturday at 8? One of us is gluten free. |
| AI agent | We have 8:15 for four. Most mains can be made gluten free, and I’ll let the kitchen know. Shall I book it? |
| Ella | Yes please, under Ella. |
| AI agent | Booked for Saturday at 8:15, under Ella. I’ll send a reminder on the day. |
Outcome: new booking. Table for 4, Saturday 8:15.
What the agent handles, and what goes to your team
Restaurant messages tend to arrive in bursts around service. An agent can answer common questions and take booking requests in the chat. If your booking system is connected to your agent, it can confirm bookings there. Anything sensitive, such as allergies, can be handed to staff.
The agent can handle:
- Table requests, including changes and cancellations
- Opening hours, holiday hours and location
- Menu questions, vegan and gluten-free options from your notes
- Takeaway order times and collection
It should pass these to a person, and then stay out of the chat:
- Serious allergy questions: the agent notes the allergy and passes it to the kitchen
- Complaints about a visit
- Large group and private event bookings
Which channels to connect
Most restaurant enquiries come through Instagram DMs and WhatsApp. Instagram allows replies to anyone who messages you, and Spaces keeps each account inside safe daily limits.
Set it up in four steps
- Give your agent your menu, hours, booking rules and table sizes.
- Decide what it can confirm itself and what needs a person, such as groups over eight.
- Connect Instagram and WhatsApp, and your booking system if your agent can use it.
- Check its replies after the first few services.
Who you message
Pricing
FAQ
Can the agent take bookings?
It can collect booking details in the chat. Confirming a booking needs your agent to be connected to your booking system. Spaces handles the messaging.
Can the agent handle allergy questions?
We recommend that your agent hands allergy and dietary-safety questions to a member of staff, rather than answering them itself.
What happens on a fully booked night?
The agent offers the nearest free times, or takes the guest's details for a cancellation list if you keep one.