January 17, 2026
Let’s be real: when you’re in the weeds, phone orders get ignored or rushed, and that leads to lost sales and frustrated customers. AI phone ordering systems for restaurants are solving this by answering every call instantly and handling the full order flow from greeting to payment, without pulling staff off the floor. Instead of missed calls and messy tickets, restaurants get clean orders sent straight to the kitchen while guests get faster service through a modern phone ordering solution that works around the clock.
TLDR:
An AI phone ordering system is a voice agent that answers restaurant phone calls and handles the full conversation: taking orders, processing payments, booking reservations and answering questions about menus, hours, and policies. Instead of staff picking up the phone or calls going to voicemail, the AI greets callers, understands what they want and completes the transaction by syncing directly with your POS and reservation software.
These systems use conversational AI trained on restaurant-specific scenarios. They recognize menu items, handle substitutions and modifiers, quote wait times, and upsell add-ons. When a caller says "I'd like a large pepperoni pizza for pickup," the system confirms the order, takes payment over the phone and sends a clean ticket straight to the kitchen.
For restaurants, this solves a real problem. When your dining room is slammed, phone calls get ignored or rushed. Missed calls mean lost revenue, and distracted staff make mistakes. AI-driven restaurant operations are rising because labor is expensive and customers expect instant service.
We tested each system on criteria that convert missed calls into revenue without adding staff overhead.
Order taking capability separates basic assistants from full transaction systems. The AI needs to handle complex orders with modifiers, substitutions, and special instructions, on top of the reservations or simple inquiries.
POS integration determines whether orders flow directly into kitchen systems or require manual ticket entry. Native sync eliminates transcription errors and cuts order processing time.
Concurrent call handling capacity matters during peak hours. Systems that answer unlimited simultaneous calls prevent busy signals when call volume spikes, while limited concurrency recreates the same missed call problem.
We also reviewed payment processing compliance, multilingual support for diverse customer bases, setup timelines, built-in upselling capabilities, and channel coverage across phone, drive-thru, and digital ordering.
Loman is a complete AI phone ordering solution that handles full menu orders, payment processing, reservations, FAQs, and upselling through one system that connects directly to your POS.
Loman works for single-location restaurants and multi-location chains, completing full transactions instead of limiting functionality to reservations or requiring enterprise-level scale.
ConverseNow provides voice AI automation for high-volume QSR chains focusing on drive-thru and phone ordering channels. The system handles order taking with conversational capabilities and has been deployed across more than 1,200 restaurant locations nationwide, primarily serving major fast-food brands and multi-unit franchises.
Good for: Large QSR chains and major franchises with high drive-thru volumes that can dedicate resources to enterprise-level implementations and ongoing menu management.
Limitation: ConverseNow requires weeks to months for implementation and menu training, lacks native integrations with many mid-market POS systems, and pricing is structured for enterprise scale. Independent restaurants or small multi-unit operators who need rapid deployment will find the barrier too high.
SoundHound offers voice AI across ordering channels including phone, drive-thru, kiosk, and in-car ordering through vehicle infotainment systems. The company powers over 10,000 restaurant locations and serves major brands including Chipotle, Church's Texas Chicken, Jersey Mike's, and White Castle.
Good for: Large national chains and QSR brands pursuing omnichannel voice automation across drive-thru and channels like in-vehicle ordering who can invest in enterprise deployments.
Limitation: SoundHound focuses on drive-thru automation for major chains and requires integration with multiple channel systems beyond basic phone ordering. Independent and smaller multi-unit restaurants need simpler phone ordering with payments, reservations, and POS integration that can be implemented quickly without complex omnichannel infrastructure.
Slang.ai provides AI phone answering for full-service restaurants handling reservations and guest inquiries. Founded by former Spotify data scientists, the system connects with OpenTable and SevenRooms to manage table bookings and answer menu questions across hundreds of restaurants.
Good for: Full-service and fine dining restaurants where reservations drive most phone volume and takeout orders stay minimal.
Limitation: Slang.ai doesn't take menu orders or process payments. Restaurants generating takeout or delivery revenue through phone calls need staff to handle those orders separately.
Kea uses a hybrid model where AI handles phone orders while human representatives monitor calls and step in when needed. Founded in 2017, the company serves hundreds of restaurants including Hopdoddy, Blaze Pizza, and Via 313.
Good for: Pizza chains and QSR operators with standardized menus who already use Olo for delivery and prefer human backup on every call.
Limitation: Kea requires four weeks for menu training and implementation. The human-in-the-loop model adds ongoing cost compared to fully autonomous systems that route edge cases intelligently without constant supervision.
Hostie provides AI phone and text answering built by restaurant operators for full-service restaurants handling reservations and guest communications. Serving over 200 locations, with a strong presence in markets like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the system connects with OpenTable, Resy, and Tock to manage table bookings and answer guest questions through phone and SMS.
Good for: Independent full-service restaurants and small hospitality groups in major metro markets where reservations drive most phone volume and guest communication matters more than high-volume order processing.
Limitation: Hostie handles reservations and basic inquiries but doesn't take full menu orders with payment processing. Geographic focus on coastal markets means less experience with diverse restaurant types nationwide.
We built Loman to handle phone orders, payments, reservations, menu questions, and POS integration in one system. Whether you operate a single pizzeria or a twenty-location chain, the AI answers every incoming call and goes live in under a day.
Restaurants using Loman see up to 22% more revenue from recaptured calls and reduce labor costs by 17%. The system handles 100% of phone volume while staff stays focused on guests. As voice AI becomes critical for restaurant operations, Loman delivers complete phone automation without forcing you to choose between order-only, reservation-only, or monitored hybrid models.
Loman is the strongest choice for independent restaurants because it goes live in under 24 hours, handles full orders with payment processing, and works with mid-market POS systems like Square, Toast, and Clover without requiring enterprise-level implementation resources.
Most modern AI phone systems support multiple concurrent calls, though true unlimited call handling is typically only available in fully autonomous platforms designed for high call volume.
Loman and Slang.ai can go live in under 24 hours with menu training and system connections. ConverseNow and Kea require four weeks or more for implementation, menu training, and enterprise-level integration work.
When your dining room is slammed, unanswered or rushed phone calls quietly drain revenue and wear down your staff. The right AI phone ordering systems for restaurants take full orders with payment, handle every call at once, and send clean tickets straight to the kitchen without adding pressure to the floor. Loman was built for this exact moment, giving restaurants a way to capture missed demand, keep teams focused on guests, and turn the phone into a reliable sales channel instead of a liability. The real decision isn’t whether phone automation makes sense, it’s how quickly you want missed calls to stop costing you money.
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