24/7 Voice AI Receptionist for Restaurant Reservations

Client's Goal: A busy restaurant owner wanted to fully automate their phone reservation process—handling bookings, availability checks, and customer questions around the clock, all without hiring extra staff.

Challenges: They struggled with missed calls during peak hours, manual errors in reservation tracking, and frequent interruptions for basic questions about the menu or hours. They needed a reliable system that could manage high call volumes, update availability in real time, and escalate to a human only when needed.

Solution & Approach: I delivered a turnkey voice AI receptionist powered by VAPI, n8n, and Airtable. The system answers every call 24/7, interacts with customers using natural, human-like (or cloned) voices, and manages reservations directly in Airtable. It pulls data from the restaurant’s knowledge base to answer questions about the menu, hours, or special occasions. If a caller needs human help, the system seamlessly transfers the call with all context preserved. All calls and reservation details are logged for easy follow-up.

24/7 automated phone answering and reservation handling via VAPI’s AI voice engine

Real-time table availability checks, bookings, updates, and cancellations in Airtable

Natural conversational responses, including support for custom or cloned voices

Dynamic info delivery from a custom knowledge base (menu, hours, FAQs)

Seamless call transfer to human staff when escalation is needed

Automated call and reservation logging for reporting and compliance

Results: The system now handles thousands of calls per month, with response times under 2 seconds and call costs at just a few cents per minute. Over 90% of routine reservation and info calls are resolved without human intervention, freeing staff to focus on service and reducing missed bookings.