AI chatbot for restaurants and cafes.
Restaurants and cafes field the same questions all day while the team is busy on the floor: are you open Monday, can you seat eight, is there oat milk, can I work on my laptop. A chatbot trained on your menus, hours and private dining pages answers instantly, links to the reservation or ordering page you already use, and sends allergy questions and event requests to a person.
14 days free, then a free plan or from $8 a month. No card required.
Visitor: Can I bring a group of 12 for brunch on Sunday?
Chatbot: Yes, we seat groups of up to 14 on the back patio for brunch. Our Large parties page says groups of 8 or more book by phone, order from a set brunch menu at $38 per person, and have a 20% service charge added to the bill.
Large parties page
Visitor: My son has a tree nut allergy. Is the French toast safe?
Chatbot: I can't confirm any dish is safe for an allergy. Our kitchen uses tree nuts, including in the granola and almond croissants, so cross-contact is possible. Please tell your server when you arrive, or call (503) 555-0129, and the kitchen will walk you through what they can do.
Allergen policy
Visitor: Okay. Can you book the 12 of us for 10:30?
Chatbot: I can't book tables myself, and groups of 8 or more are arranged by our events coordinator. Leave your name, phone number and the date, and she'll call you back today to confirm.
Human handoff
Powered by ChatBento
12 questions customers ask restaurants and cafes
The questions restaurants and cafes hear most. Copy them as a Q&A template, add your answers, and the chatbot answers them in your words.
- 1Do you take reservations, or is it walk-in only?
- 2Can you seat a party of 10 on Friday night, and is there a set menu for large groups?
- 3Do you have a private dining room, and is there a minimum spend?
- 4Is there an automatic gratuity for large parties?
- 5Is the fryer shared? I have a severe peanut allergy.
- 6Which dishes are vegan or can be made gluten free?
- 7Do you do catering or boxed lunches for an office meeting?
- 8Can I preorder a birthday cake or a dozen croissants for Saturday pickup?
- 9Is there wifi, and are laptops okay on weekends?
- 10Do you have oat milk or other non-dairy milk, and is it extra?
- 11Is there a corkage fee if I bring my own bottle of wine?
- 12Do you have patio seating, and are dogs allowed out there?
Set it up in four steps
- 1
Point it at your website
Enter your site's address and ChatBento reads your pages. For restaurants and cafes, make sure these are on the site or added as docs:
- Current menus: lunch, dinner, brunch, drinks, kids and seasonal, with dietary labels
- Hours, holiday closures and when the kitchen stops taking orders
- Reservation and large party policy: deposits, cancellation window, set menus, service charge
- Private dining and events packet: rooms, capacities, minimum spend, packages
- Catering, cake and pastry preorder menu with lead times and pickup rules
- Allergen policy, plus parking, patio, dog, wifi and laptop policies
- 2
Answer the 12 questions
Copy the questions above, paste them into ChatBento as Q&As and write your answers. These are what visitors ask first, so a clear answer here covers most chats.
- 3
Set the greeting and handoff
Add the email that receives handoffs and a greeting that sets expectations, for example: “Hi! Ask me about the menu, hours, reservations, catering or ordering ahead. For allergies, please talk to our staff.”
- 4
Paste one line on your Squarespace site
Many restaurants and cafes use Squarespace for its menu and photo templates, with links out to their reservation and online ordering providers. The install guide shows where the snippet goes.
Install on Squarespace
What it answers, and what it hands to you
Hand these to a person
The chatbot collects the visitor's name and email or phone, then sends you the whole conversation.
- Any allergy or dietary question beyond what the menu labels say
- Large party and private event bookings, changes and cancellations
- Catering orders and custom cakes
- Complaints about a visit and refunds on online orders
- Lost items and gift card balance questions
Never confirm a dish is allergy safe
Recipes and suppliers change, and kitchens share fryers, boards and prep space, so cross-contact is always possible. The chatbot can say which dishes your menu labels vegan or gluten free, and which major allergens a dish contains if your menu lists them, but it never tells someone a dish is safe for their allergy. It sends every allergy question to your staff, by phone or at the table.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. ChatBento answers only from the content you give it, and says so when it doesn't know.
Which plan fits restaurants and cafes
Typical volume: 400 to 1,500 AI replies a month. A busy single-location restaurant or cafe with 6,000 to 15,000 site visits a month, where 2 to 4% of visitors open the chat and ask two or three questions each.
Start on the Free plan (50 messages a month) to try it, then move up when the chat gets busy.
Restaurants and cafes questions. Answered.
Can the chatbot take reservations or online orders?
No. It doesn't connect to reservation or point-of-sale systems. It answers questions, links to the reservation or ordering page you already use, and takes contact details for large parties and catering so your team can confirm.
What does it say when a guest asks about an allergy?
It can share what your menu labels say, then explains that cross-contact is possible and asks the guest to talk to staff before ordering. It never says a dish is safe.
How do I keep it right when the menu changes?
Retrain it after you update your menu page. Daily specials and sold-out items change too fast to train on, so for those it tells guests to ask the team or call.
Is it worth it for a small cafe that doesn't take reservations?
Cafes get the same handful of questions: hours, wifi, laptops, non-dairy milk, preorders for pastries and cakes. Answering them on your site saves phone calls during the morning rush.
How much does an AI chatbot for restaurants and cafes cost?
ChatBento has a Free plan with 50 AI messages a month, then Hobby at $8/month (2,000 messages), Standard at $30/month (10,000 messages), Pro at $100/month (40,000 messages). At typical volume for restaurants and cafes, 400 to 1,500 AI replies a month, Hobby at $8/month covers it. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.
Related industries
- AI chatbot for event venues“How many guests can you seat for a plated dinner, and how many for a standing reception?”
- AI chatbot for hotels“What time is check-in, and can I get early check-in or a late checkout?”
- AI chatbot for local retail shops“Do you have 3/8" galvanized carriage bolts in stock before I drive over?”
Use cases for restaurants and cafes
- FAQ automationTurn a static FAQ page into answers visitors can ask for. An AI chatbot uses your FAQ and Q&As to give exact answers to common questions, worded however visitors ask them.
- Booking and appointment questionsAnswer questions about availability, prices, cancellations and what to bring before visitors book. An AI chatbot trained on your site replies 24/7 and points people to your booking page.
Terms to know
Answer visitors while you're closed. Free to start, then from $8 a month.
14-day free trial. No card required.