Setup checklist for a restaurant AI receptionist
A complete checklist for deploying the 365agents Restaurant Host — reservation system integration, menu and dietary knowledge base, private event routing, and hours configuration.
Written By Rick Garcia
Last updated 14 days ago
Restaurants are among the fastest verticals to deploy. Most concepts are fully live within 2–3 days of kickoff. The work is mostly gathering menu content, loading reservation rules, and integrating with your existing table management system.
Before the kickoff call
- Reservation system — OpenTable, Resy, Tock, SevenRooms, Yelp Reservations, or direct Google Calendar
- Hours — by day of week; kitchen hours and bar hours if different; special hours for holidays or events
- Menu overview — current menu, vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options, chef's special handling, allergen protocol
- Reservation rules — max party size online, deposit requirements for large parties, cancellation policy
- Private event capacity — room options, menu minimums, contact person for events
- Takeout / delivery setup — online ordering URL, phone ordering line, third-party delivery partners
- Gift card info — how sold, denominations, restrictions
- Location details — parking, valet, accessibility, dress code, kid-friendliness
- Manager on duty contact — for escalations
- Top 10–15 FAQs
Decisions you'll need to make
- Voice — Nova (warm, energetic) is our default for hospitality
- Disclosure — we recommend proactive disclosure
- Hours coverage — AI always on, or only when the host stand is busy?
- Takeout flow — refer to online ordering only, refer to phone line, or both
- Party-size limit — what size party the AI can book directly vs. route to the events coordinator
- Cancellation policy enforcement — does the AI charge no-show fees (requires PCI setup) or just capture the cancellation?
- Waitlist integration — if your host system supports waitlist, connect it
Reservation system integration
- OpenTable — direct integration via their connect API
- Resy — API-based integration for availability and booking
- Tock — integration for reservations and ticketed events
- SevenRooms — full API integration for reservations and guest profiles
- Direct Google Calendar — simpler setups where each seating block is a calendar entry
Menu and dietary knowledge base
- Current menu including seasonal or weekly rotations
- Clear vegetarian / vegan / gluten-free labeling
- Common allergen information (nuts, dairy, shellfish, soy, egg, gluten)
- Chef's flexibility on modifications
- Wine list highlights if relevant
- Happy hour and tasting menu info
Call forwarding
- Your current phone provider — setup in our Call forwarding collection
- Forwarding rules — ideally always-forward during service hours
- Manager escalation path for complaints or urgent matters
Go-live sequence
- Day 1: kickoff, requirements, reservation system integration begins
- Day 2: menu loaded, hours configured, test calls
- Day 3: soft launch on a slow weekday, monitor, tune
- Week 2: full rollout, daily transcript review for the first week
What to measure after go-live
- Reservation booking rate (% of calls resulting in a booking)
- No-show rate (did the AI capture enough to confirm?)
- Private event lead capture
- Host stand distraction reduction (team feedback — are they less interrupted?)
- Complaint escalation accuracy
- Wait list conversion
Related articles
- How 365agents works for restaurants
- Common calls a restaurant AI handles
- How long to set up an AI receptionist?
Start the process
Book a demo and our team will walk through this checklist and configure a live Restaurant Host against your reservation system. Most restaurants are booking reservations with the AI within 48–72 hours.