Customer Support and Voice AI
AI receptionist for small business: calls, bookings and handoffs
What an AI receptionist does on a real call, the rules that apply, a sample greeting and a pass/fail checklist to launch one safely.
WhatsApp Agents
WhatsApp AI Support Agent for Restaurants & Food
Diners get hours, menu, allergen and booking answers on WhatsApp during service, without anyone leaving the pass.
During service nobody has time to answer WhatsApp, yet that is exactly when diners ask about tables, opening hours and whether a dish contains nuts. This agent replies straight away from your published menu and your booking platform, so questions are answered while your team stays on the floor. Large parties, special requests and anything unclear go to the manager.
- Allergen questions answered only from your published menu
- Table requests handled inside your party size and booking rules
- Diners get replies even during your busiest covers
$3,500
20–30 working days
Optional maintenance $249/mo
What it is
WhatsApp AI Support Agent for Restaurants & Food answers diners on WhatsApp while your team is busy with service: opening hours, menu and allergen questions from your published menu, reservation requests through your booking platform, and anything unusual passed to the manager.
Why businesses buy it
Unanswered messages during service turn into lost tables. A diner who asks about a booking early in the evening and hears nothing for an hour has already gone somewhere else, and staff who stop to type replies slow the pass. This agent handles the repeat questions about hours, menu and allergens, and takes table requests within your rules, so the floor keeps moving. Because the scope is written down first, you know which flows are built, which systems connect and where every unusual question goes before you place the order.
Problems this solves
WhatsApp messages pile up unread during lunch and dinner service
The agent answers diners on WhatsApp while your team is busy with service. Questions about opening hours and location get an instant reply. Your staff can stay with the guests in the room.
Diners ask about allergens and staff are unsure what to say
Menu and allergen questions are answered only from your published menu. If a question goes beyond it, the agent says so and passes it to the manager. Nobody has to guess.
Reservation requests by message need someone to check the book
Reservation requests go through your booking platform during the chat. The diner gets a clear answer on availability, and the booking appears where your team already looks.
Unusual requests and complaints get buried among routine questions
Anything unusual, such as a large party, a complaint or a special occasion, is passed to the manager. The chat history goes with it, so the manager can reply with full context.
A good fit if
During lunch and dinner service nobody has time to answer messages, and diners asking about a table or the menu go elsewhere.
The same questions arrive every day: opening hours, parking, children's options, dietary needs and whether there is space tonight.
You publish a menu with allergen information, and want answers to come strictly from it rather than from a busy server's memory.
You take reservations through a platform that could be connected, and want large or special bookings sent to a manager.
Not the right fit if
Taking and confirming food orders on WhatsApp is the main job. See WhatsApp AI Order Agent.
Most bookings come by phone. See AI Voice Booking Agent for Restaurants & Food.
You want replies drafted for Google and other public reviews. See AI Review Response Agent for Restaurants & Food.
You run several sites with different menus and hours. The build covers one; add Multi-Location Setup.
How it works
- A diner messages your WhatsApp Business number and gets an instant reply in your restaurant's tone, with a short note that it is automated.
- Questions on hours, location, parking and house policies are answered from your approved information.
- Menu and allergen questions are answered only from your published menu; if a dish or ingredient is not covered there, the agent says so and passes the question to staff.
- With your reservation platform connected, the agent checks availability and requests or confirms a table inside your booking rules.
- Large parties, private events and special requests go to the manager with the details gathered, rather than being confirmed automatically.
- Approved templates send booking confirmations or reminders, and the Restaurants & Food template also covers order taking and review replies, chosen at intake within five flows.
What you provide within 72 hours
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
- Admin access to your WhatsApp Business Platform account and verified Meta Business account, and the number to use.
- Access to your reservation platform, and POS exports if used, shared securely and never by email.
- Your current published menu with allergen information, opening hours and house policies.
- Booking rules: party sizes, deposit policy and what counts as a large or special booking.
- Wording for booking confirmation and reminder templates for Meta approval.
- The manager who receives special requests, Restaurants & Food examples, and one decision-maker.
- An API key for your own AI model account (for example OpenAI or Google Gemini), created for this build with a spending limit.
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.
Timeline
Start
Intake verified; menu, booking rules and manager contact agreed.
Weeks 1–2
Menu, hours and booking flows built from the Restaurants & Food template.
Week 3
Reservation platform connected; confirmation templates sent to Meta.
Weeks 3–4
Forty end-to-end diner conversations tested, allergen questions included.
Week 4
Your review and two rounds of changes.
Go-live
Live on WhatsApp, recorded handoff session for the team, support begins.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20–30 working days | $3,500 |
| Express | 15–25 working days | $4,100 |
| Rush | 10–20 working days | $4,750 |
What you receive at handover
- The Restaurants & Food WhatsApp support agent, live on your WhatsApp Business number
- The Restaurants & Food intent library and workflow templates for hours, menu, reservations and manager handoff
- Up to five message templates submitted for Meta approval
- Connection to up to two agreed systems, such as your booking platform, with answers from your published menu
- A test report from 40 end-to-end restaurant support conversations
- An admin guide, recorded 60-minute handoff session and 30 days of post-launch support
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Diners can get answers even at the busiest point of service.
- Allergen answers can stay tied to your published menu.
- Managers can see the messages that need them, without wading through routine ones.
- Messages answered during service
- Compare chats answered within the service window, from your WhatsApp inbox, for a month before and after launch.
- Reservations from WhatsApp
- Count bookings made through the agent on your booking platform each month.
- Manager handoffs
- Track how many chats reach the manager each week, and the main reasons why.
Before you start: Count WhatsApp messages per service and how many wait until after closing. Note how reservations by message are handled today.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
The build is one fixed payment. Running it costs Meta's WhatsApp conversation fees, in your own account, plus roughly $30 to $150 a month for AI model usage and hosting. Your reservation platform and POS plans stay the same.
AI usage during the build and testing is billed to your accounts as well, so the restaurant holds every provider relationship.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
If you need more than five flows, for example ordering, reservations, catering, events and reviews all at once, or a third connected system, add a note at checkout. A written Change Quote follows, and work starts only once you accept it.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
Monthly maintenance is recommended: monitoring, fixes and monthly change hours, enough for seasonal menus, new allergen information and holiday hours. It starts after the 30 days of support.
$249/mo (the minimum fee, includes 2 change hours)
Optional. Starts after the post-launch support period. Cancel any month.
How maintenance worksHow this compares
| Do it yourself with a SaaS tool | Hire a custom agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | A restaurant messaging app bills monthly per location | A call-handling service bills per call or booking | Ours is one fixed price, shown on this page before you buy |
| Allergen answers | A generic bot may improvise | Depends on who answers | Ours answers only from your published menu and hands gaps to staff |
| Bookings | Often sends a booking link | Staff enter bookings by hand | Ours checks availability inside your booking rules |
| Delivery | Quick to install, generic answers | Usually several weeks, set per project | Ours has a fixed delivery time shown before you buy, with faster options |
Questions about this product
How does WhatsApp AI Support Agent for Restaurants & Food handle allergen questions?
Strictly from your published menu and its allergen information. If a diner asks about a dish or ingredient the menu does not cover, the agent says it cannot confirm and passes the question to your staff. It never guesses, and you should update the menu document whenever recipes change.
Can the restaurant edition take table bookings?
Yes, when your reservation platform is one of the two connected systems. It checks availability and requests or confirms a table inside your rules, such as party size limits and booking windows. Large parties, private dining and special requests go to the manager instead of being confirmed automatically.
Can diners order food through it?
Yes, as one of your five flows, since order taking is part of the Restaurants & Food template. If ordering is the main reason diners message you, WhatsApp AI Order Agent is the narrower build made specifically for taking and confirming orders on WhatsApp, and it leaves this agent free for questions about menus, hours and bookings.
Will it work during our busiest service?
Yes. It replies to every message as it arrives, so diners are not left waiting while your team is on the floor. Messages that need a person are passed to the manager's inbox with the details gathered, ready for when someone has a moment between covers.
What is the price of the Restaurants & Food edition, and how fast can it go live?
Look at the price and delivery panel on this page. It lists the fixed price for each delivery speed before you order. Whichever speed you pick, the restaurant build is the same: your menu and allergen document loaded, the booking platform connected, 40 test conversations using diner scenarios, two rounds of changes, a recorded handoff and 30 days of support.
What does a restaurant pay each month to run it?
Meta's WhatsApp conversation fees in your own account, plus roughly $30 to $150 a month for AI model usage and hosting. We charge nothing per booking, cover or message. Monthly maintenance is optional and covers seasonal menu and hours updates.
Guides on this topic
All guides Answer the table question while the kitchen is full.
Order WhatsApp AI Support Agent for Restaurants & Food today and it goes live on a fixed delivery date. The scope above is exactly what you get, in writing, before you pay.
Works well with
Reviews & Reputation
AI Review Response Agent
Drafts on-brand replies to Google and platform reviews for approval.