How much does an AI answering service cost for a restaurant?
Hospitality
Conor Robinson
At a glance
Answering only: about $149–$150 a month per location for hours, menu and general questions.
With reservations or phone orders: about $349–$599 a month per location.
Per-call services: general AI receptionists like Smith.ai start at $150 a month for 75 calls, which a busy restaurant can use up fast.
Watch for: per-minute charges, setup fees, contract length and whether the price is per location.
"How much is it?" is usually the first question restaurant owners ask about AI phone answering. Fair enough. The good news is that prices have settled into a few clear tiers. The bad news is that the headline number doesn't always tell the full story.
Here's what restaurants actually pay in 2026, and how to work out whether it's worth it for you.
Quick note: Sadie publishes this guide. Prices come from each vendor's public pages as of November 2026, or third-party reports where marked, and are in US dollars.
What restaurants pay for AI phone answering in 2026
Sadie
Answering only: $149/mo (Answers)
With reservations: $349/mo (Reserves)
With phone orders: $349/mo (Orders)
How it's priced: Per location, billed yearly; unlimited calls
Slang AI
Answering only: –
With reservations: $399/mo (Core), $599/mo (Premium)
With phone orders: Not listed
How it's priced: Per location
Maple
Answering only: $150/mo (Voice)
With reservations: Pro plan ($350/mo) includes reservations
With phone orders: $350/mo (Pro)
How it's priced: Unlimited minutes; per-location basis not stated
Loman
Answering only: –
With reservations: –
With phone orders: From ~$199/mo
How it's priced: Its own pages differ; some plans include a set number of minutes
Smith.ai
Answering only: $150/mo for 75 calls
With reservations: General receptionist service
With phone orders: General receptionist service
How it's priced: Per call
VoiceBit
Answering only: –
With reservations: –
With phone orders: Not published
How it's priced: Month-to-month
Hostie doesn't publish prices; third-party reports put it at around $199 a month. Prices change, so always confirm with the vendor before you buy.
The three things that decide your price
1. What you need it to do. Answering questions about hours, parking and the menu is the cheapest tier. Putting reservations into your reservation system, or taking orders into your POS, costs more because the AI is doing real work in your systems.
2. How it's priced. There are three common models:
Flat monthly fee with unlimited calls. Easy to budget. Sadie works this way.
Monthly fee with a minute allowance. Fine until a busy month, when extra minutes add up.
Per call. Common with general AI receptionists. A restaurant that gets 30 calls on a Friday night can burn through a 75-call plan in a weekend.
3. How many locations you have. Most restaurant AI services charge per location. Groups can usually get a custom quote, so always ask.
Is it worth it? A quick way to check
You don't need a spreadsheet. Try this:
Count your missed calls. Check your phone system or carrier for a week's worth of missed and unanswered calls.
Guess how many were tables or orders. Be conservative. If you're not sure, assume one in four.
Multiply by your average spend. A table of two at $40 a head is $80. A takeout order might be $35.
Say you miss 40 calls a week, 10 of them were tables of two, and each table spends $80. That's $800 a week, or roughly $3,400 a month, if every one of those calls had been answered. Even winning back half of it covers a $349 plan several times over.
There's also the cost you don't see on a bill: the host who stops greeting guests to answer the phone, or the manager who spends an hour every afternoon returning voicemails.
Hidden costs to ask about
Before you sign, ask every vendor:
Is there a setup or onboarding fee?
What happens if we go over our minutes or calls?
Is the price per location?
Is it monthly or a yearly contract? Sadie's published prices are billed yearly.
Do integrations cost extra? For example, Sadie sells its Tripleseat events integration separately.
Do we need new phone hardware? Usually not, but check.
FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a restaurant?
Most restaurant-specific services cost about $149–$599 a month per location, depending on whether you need answering only, reservations or phone orders.
Is AI phone answering cheaper than hiring a host?
Usually. A $349 plan costs about the same as 15 to 20 hours of a host's time a month (at $17–$23 an hour), and it works every hour you're open. Most restaurants use AI alongside their team, not instead of it, so staff can focus on guests in the room.
Are there per-minute charges?
It depends on the vendor. Sadie and Maple publish unlimited calls or minutes. Some others include a set number of minutes, and general receptionists often charge per call.
Do I pay per location?
Usually. Sadie and Slang AI both price per location. If you have several, ask for a group quote.
Can I try it before I commit?
Ask. Most vendors offer a demo so you can hear real calls before you sign.
Want a price for your restaurant?
