Tables and large parties
Explains your reservation policy, takes the request with name, party size and time, and texts the confirmation. If you use a booking platform, it points guests to it and logs the request.
How the receptionist worksThe week
The calls that go unanswered today
Each one is a client, a claim or a job that went to whoever picked up.
- FRI 19:04A party of six asking about tonight
Goes to the restaurant next door that picked up.
- SUN 10:30"Are you open? Do you take reservations for brunch?"
Fifteen identical calls while the host is seating a line.
- TUE 15:20A company asking about catering for 40
The highest-ticket call of the week, missed during a delivery.
- SAT 17:45"I left my credit card there last night"
A twenty-second answer that becomes a bad review.
Setups by size
How restaurants run Ody, at every size
Pick the shape of your business. Every feature below links to its own page; every setup is one you can build in an afternoon.
The host stand answers first, the receptionist takes the rush
One number on the door and on Google. It never rings out.
The restaurant number rings the host stand; during the rush, the receptionist answers with hours, directions and menu details from your notes, takes reservation requests and texts the menu link. Outside hours it answers every call and takes the large-party request for the morning.
- AI receptionistRush-hour overflow and after-close answering
Set hours on the line. Inside them the host stand rings first and the receptionist picks up after a few rings. Outside them it answers first ring, gives hours and takes reservation and catering requests.
- Business textingMenu, directions and confirmations by text
"Here's tonight's menu and the garage address" from the restaurant number, replies in the guest's thread. One-time 10DLC registration at onboarding.
- Business voicemailVoicemail transcripts for the morning manager
Every number gets voicemail with a transcript on every plan, so "I left my card" is a two-second read at open. Or route the line to the receptionist and skip voicemail.
AI receptionist
The calls a restaurant gets, answered during the rush.
You describe hours, menu highlights, reservation policy, parking, dietary notes and who handles catering. The receptionist answers from that and takes requests for the rest.
"Are you open? Do you deliver?"
Answers from your hours and service notes, including holidays, and texts the address and parking details.
Business textingAllergies, vegan options, specials
Answers from the menu notes you keep in its instructions and never guesses about ingredients it wasn't given.
How the receptionist worksOffice lunches and private events
Collects headcount, date, budget and contact, and routes to the catering manager or creates a task.
Shared inbox"I left my card last night"
Takes the description and contact details and creates a task for the opening manager.
How the receptionist worksAfter close and before open
Answers first ring, gives hours, takes reservation and catering requests, texts back anyone who hung up.
How the receptionist worksThe record
Every request written down for the opening manager.
Voicemail transcripts are on every plan. On Growth and above, recorded calls are transcribed and summarized into the guest, the request and what they were told, so the morning manager reads a list instead of listening to a queue.
- Voicemail transcripts on every plan
- Recording, transcript and AI summary on every answered call on an enabled line
- Search by guest name or phrase
- Catering requests posted to Slack or pushed to your booking system through Make
Call summaryGenerated by Ody
- Caller
- Ramirez · +1 (512) 555-0711
- Request
- Party of six tonight around 8:00 PM; asked about parking.
- Told
- 8:45 PM requested. Bar walk-ins available. Garage on 5th, validated. Menu texted.
- Next action
- Host to confirm the 8:45 in the book.
Your stack
Works alongside your reservation and POS systems
Native integrations are listed as such. Reservation and POS platforms have no native connection yet, so Ody reaches them through Make, webhooks or the REST API.
- OpenTable, Resy, Toast, SquareMake, webhooks or APIAPI docs
Push reservation and catering requests via Make or the REST API webhooks
- SlackNativeIntegration
catering requests and lost-and-found posted to the managers' channel
- StripeNativeIntegration
catering deposit status on the client thread
- Mailchimp, KlaviyoNativeIntegration
guests who opt in added to your list
- MakeNativeIntegration
connect the rest of your stack
Browse all 43 integrations, or connect anything else through Make and the REST API.
Rollout
Live in an afternoon, not a quarter
No hardware, no consultant, no call-flow diagram. Four steps and the line is answered.
- 01
Port the restaurant number
The one on Google and the door. Porting is free and the old line keeps working until cutover.
- 02
Describe the restaurant
Hours, menu highlights, allergens, reservation policy, parking, who handles catering. Plain sentences.
- 03
Set the routing
Host stand first, receptionist on overflow and after close; a menu key for catering forwarded to the manager.
- 04
Read a week of transcripts
Add the questions guests actually ask, then let the receptionist handle more of the rush.
Resources
Guides for restaurants
The concepts behind this setup, explained without the jargon.
What businesses need to know about voicemailLearn how greetings, no-answer timers, transcription, and shared boxes work, and why ringless voicemail is regulated as a call.Read guide What businesses need to know about IVRLearn how auto-attendants, DTMF digits, and multi-level menus route inbound callers before a person answers.Read guide What businesses need to know about call forwardingLearn the difference between unconditional, busy, and no-reply forwarding, and how SIP 302 and simultaneous ring actually behave.Read guide
FAQ
Restaurants: common questions
More industries
Also in local & hospitality, and nearby
Businesses whose busiest hour is when nobody can pick up.
Local & hospitalitySalons & spasBooking calls answered mid-blowout, reminders texted, no-shows down.Local & hospitalityFitness studios & gymsTrial-class calls booked during the 6am rush, membership questions answered, front desk freed.Local & hospitalityAuto repair shops"Is my car ready?" answered, estimates approved by text, every call recorded.Local & hospitalityHotels & vacation rentalsGuest calls answered at check-in time, lockout texts at midnight, international guests reached for $5/mo.Local & hospitalityRetail shops"Do you have it in stock?" answered, order status from Shopify, one number per store.
Comparing options? Ody vs Slang.ai · Ody vs Google Voice · Ody vs Grasshopper
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