It's 7:30 on a Friday and the phone is ringing. Who's picking up?
Most restaurants lose reservations they never even hear about. Hively puts an AI phone host on your line that answers every call, texts guests your booking link and connects to the systems you already use. Here's how it works for one of the biggest and most competitive restaurants in downtown St. Pete.
From missed calls to a full book
- 01
The phone rings hardest when you're slammed
Every restaurant owner we sit down with tells us the same thing. The busiest hour for the dining room is the busiest hour for the phone, and nobody has a free hand. The host is seating a party of eight while the line rings out.
- 02
So they buy more software, and none of it talks
A new POS, a reservation app, a texting tool, a calendar for events. Each one does its own job, but the phone isn't plugged into any of them. The guest who called at 7:30 never shows up anywhere.
- 03
And the reservations still walk out the door
A guest who gets no answer doesn't wait for a callback. They call the next place on the map. Because the phone isn't connected to anything, you never find out who they were or what they wanted.
- 04
What we do instead: put an AI host on the phone
We build an AI phone host that answers every call, day or night, in a warm, natural voice. Then we connect it to the systems you already pay for, so the phone becomes part of the restaurant instead of an island.
- 05
Trained on your restaurant, not a script
Your menu, your hours, your events, what you say about parking and allergies, which calls go to a manager, and how your regulars talk. Then our team keeps tuning it from your real calls.
Guests still pick up the phone. They won't wait for you to.
of Americans say calling is how they prefer to reach a restaurant.
Harris Poll, 2025 (2,065 US adults)say they're likely to give up on a restaurant if nobody answers the phone.
Harris Poll, 2025 (2,065 US adults)of restaurants run on four or five separate systems that don't share data.
DoorDash Restaurant Operations Trends, 2026How one of downtown St. Pete's busiest restaurants stopped letting calls ring out
Our client is one of the biggest and most competitive restaurants in downtown St. Petersburg: a full service restaurant and lounge, a separate café and live jazz on Sundays, in a dining scene where a missed call goes straight to the place next door. Calls the staff couldn't grab went to voicemail, and their phone service didn't connect to anything else. Their busiest call hours turned out to be 5 to 7 PM, right in the middle of service. We put an AI host on both lines and wired it into their systems.
real guest calls answered by the AI host
of calls sent to the AI host picked up
reservation and jazz booking links texted mid call
spam and robocalls blocked before staff saw them
Toast POS · numbers from the restaurant's call logs, Aug 13 to Oct 22, 2026, spam and test calls excluded.
- An AI host on both lines
The restaurant and the café each get their own greeting.
- Connected to Toast
It reads the real menu and prices, so answers are never stale.
- Reservations by text, mid call
The guest gets the booking link before they hang up.
- Events synced to the calendar
Sunday jazz, private events and hours stay in one place.
- Hands off to staff when it matters
Big parties and special requests get transferred to a person.
- Robocalls and spam blocked
Staff only ever see real guests.
The phone finally talks to the rest of your restaurant
Every call is logged with a short summary of what the guest wanted and what happened next. You see your busiest call hours, how many people asked about reservations and the questions that come up again and again. Most restaurants have never had that data.
AI receptionist for restaurants FAQ
Will guests know they're talking to an AI?
It introduces itself honestly, and the voice is natural enough that most guests just ask their question. What they care about is that someone picked up, knew the menu and got them a table.
Does it replace my host stand or my reservation app?
No. It works with what you already have. It answers the calls your staff can't get to, sends guests your real booking link and hands the call to a person when it should.
What happens with big parties or special requests?
You decide. Large parties, private events, complaints or anything else you name can be transferred to a manager, or sent to you as a text with the caller's number and a short summary.
Which POS and reservation systems does it work with?
The St. Pete restaurant in our case study runs on Toast. Tell us what you use in the form below and we'll tell you straight what connects and what doesn't.
How much does it cost?
Every restaurant is set up around its own menu, phones and systems, so we quote after a short call. Send your details below and we'll reach out personally.
Tell us about your restaurant
Fill this out and we'll reach out personally. Every setup is built around your menu, your phones and your systems. Rather talk now? Call us at (321) 604-1285.