For restaurants and cafes
An AI receptionist for restaurants that answers the phone during service
Hello answers your restaurant's phone, website chat and email while your team is on the floor. It takes bookings, answers questions about hours, menus and dietary needs from the information you approve, and sends group bookings and catering enquiries to your manager. It never promises a dish is allergen-free and always tells callers to confirm allergies with your staff.
17,169
cafes, restaurants and takeaway businesses in New Zealand, February 2025
$15.99b
record hospitality sales in the year to June 2025
Source: Restaurant Association, media release 15 October 2025
40%
of revenue goes on labour costs on average, the highest on record
Source: Restaurant Association, media release 15 October 2025
61%
of venues surveyed estimate about 5% of weekly bookings are no-shows
Source: Restaurant Association, Reservations and Cancellations Snapshot Survey 2023
Facts checked 20 October 2026.
What diners ring about, and how Hello handles it
Table bookings
If you take bookings in a Google or Outlook calendar, Hello books the table straight in and sends a confirmation with a link to cancel. If you use an online booking system, Hello texts or emails the caller your booking link, or takes the details and emails them to you to confirm.
Dietary needs and allergies
Hello answers from the allergen and menu information you approve, and always asks the caller to tell your staff about any allergy when they arrive. It never says a dish is "allergen-free" unless you've told it you manage that allergen.
Hours, parking and directions
The questions that interrupt service the most. Hello answers them instantly, including public holiday hours and any surcharge you've set.
Groups, functions and catering
Larger bookings need a person. Hello takes the date, numbers, budget and contact details, then texts your manager or puts the call through.
Running late and cancellations
Diners can cancel or say they're running late by phone, chat or email. Hello updates the booking or emails the floor, so a late cancellation becomes a table you can resell.
Vouchers and BYO
Hello explains your gift voucher and BYO policy in your words. It only says BYO is welcome if you've told it your licence allows it.
What Hello does for restaurants
- Answers every call during service, so no one at the pass has to pick up
- Takes bookings into your calendar or sends your booking link
- Answers menu, hours and dietary questions from your approved information
- Mentions your public holiday surcharge when someone books for a holiday
- Passes group, function and catering enquiries to your manager with the details
- Emails a summary of every call, so the floor knows about special requests
What Hello won't do
- Guarantee a dish is safe for an allergy
- Take payments or card details over the phone
- Book into your online booking system on Solo or Team plans (it sends your booking link instead)
- Make up specials or prices you haven't approved
How it plays out
Example: Friday night
Between 6:30 and 8pm the phone rings nine times. Hello books four tables, answers two questions about parking and one about vegan options, and sends a catering enquiry to the manager's phone. Your front-of-house team doesn't leave the floor once.
Example: Christmas function season
In November and December, function enquiries arrive at all hours. Hello answers each one, takes the date, group size and budget, and emails your events lead a summary while the caller is still keen.
Example: Monday when you're closed
You don't open on Mondays, but people still ring to book for the weekend. Hello takes the bookings, answers their questions and emails you a list for Tuesday.
The rules that shape how Hello answers
You must be able to tell customers about allergens
MPI says restaurants and cafes must be able to tell customers about the allergens in their food when asked, verbally or in writing. Claims like "gluten-free" mean the allergen must be properly managed. Hello answers from your approved allergen information and sends the final check to your staff.
Public holiday surcharges must be disclosed up front
The Commerce Commission says a surcharge must be clear to customers before they decide to dine, and the reason given must be accurate. Hello mentions your surcharge when someone books for a public holiday.
BYO needs the right licence
BYO in New Zealand needs an on-licence endorsed for BYO under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Hello only offers BYO if you tell it you hold one, and quotes your corkage as you set it.
Tell diners why you're taking their number
Privacy principle 3 says people should know why you collect their details. Hello can say "we'll use your number to confirm your booking" when it takes one.
What an unanswered booking call costs
Labour now takes about 40% of hospitality revenue, according to the Restaurant Association, so pulling a server off the floor to answer the phone is expensive. A table for four that books elsewhere is worse. Hello Team is NZ$299 + GST a month, under NZ$10 + GST a day, for every call answered through service.
Source: Restaurant Association, media release 15 October 2025
| Calls a day | Plan | Price | About per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to about 5 | Hello Solo | NZ$149 + GST a month | NZ$4.90 |
| 5 to 30 | Hello Team | NZ$299 + GST a month | NZ$9.83 |
| 30+ | Hello Scale | Quoted | n/a |
Getting set up
- 01Upload your menu with allergen information. Hello sorts it and flags anything that needs your approval.
- 02Add your booking link, or connect the calendar you take bookings in.
- 03Set your public holiday hours and surcharge before the next holiday weekend.
- 04Add your manager to the phone tree for groups, functions and complaints.
Questions from restaurants
Can Hello take bookings in our booking system?
On Solo and Team plans Hello books into a Google or Outlook calendar, or sends the caller your online booking link. Connecting a booking system directly is a custom job on the Scale plan.
What does Hello say about allergies?
It answers from the allergen information you approve and always asks the caller to tell your staff about any allergy. It never promises a dish is allergen-free.
Can it handle several calls at once on a busy night?
Yes. Hello answers several calls at the same time. If you forward from a business line, check how many calls your line can forward at once.
Can it take takeaway orders?
Hello isn't a point-of-sale system. It can answer menu questions and send the caller your online ordering link, or put them through to the counter.
Will it mention our public holiday surcharge?
Yes, if you add it. Hello mentions the surcharge when someone books or asks about a public holiday.
Can it answer in other languages?
Yes. Hello can answer in other languages as well as English, which helps with visitors and tourists.
Written by Phil Dossett, co-founder of Leadica, the Auckland company that makes Hello. Facts checked 20 October 2026.
Sources
- Stats NZ business demography 2025, via Figure.NZ
- Restaurant Association, media release 15 October 2025
- Restaurant Association, Reservations and Cancellations Snapshot Survey 2023
- MPI, Checking food allergens when dining out
- Commerce Commission, public holiday surcharges
- Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner, Principle 3
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