Reservations come through, even when the staff are at the tables.
Anyone who calls a restaurant and reaches nobody calls the next one. Your agent answers immediately, takes table reservations and answers allergy questions from your menu.
Notice under EU AI Act Article 50:The preset greeting says right at the start that an AI is speaking. If a transfer number is on file, the agent hands callers over to a person on request.How we use AI
What does the AI phone assistant do for restaurants?
The AI phone assistant for restaurants takes reservation calls around the clock, enters table reservations in your calendar, answers questions about menu, opening hours and allergens from your menu and escalates groups of 8+ or special requests.
Servers in Germany · no US corporations
Stored in Germany. Processed in the EU, without US providers.
GDPR-compliant on EU servers
Many host in the EU and still send the data to US corporations like OpenAI. We don't. Calls, transcripts and knowledge data sit on servers in Germany, and the AI processing runs with European providers in the EU. A DPA under Art. 28 GDPR is in place.
Hosting in Germany, in data centres with ISO 27001 certification
AI processing runs with European providers in the EU, not with US corporations like OpenAI, Google or Amazon. No training on your data.
Speech recognition with EU processing and speech synthesis from a German provider, customers receive the named provider list in the dashboard.
Auto-deletion: 90 days by default, adjustable from 7 days
AI Act Art. 50: AI notice on by default
Since 2 August 2026, people must be told no later than first contact that they are talking or writing to an AI. With rinqo this notice is on by default in every channel.
Phone: the preset greeting says it is an AI; calls the agent places itself always open with it
Chat: notice always visible in the window. Email: notice below every reply from the agent
Generated images: AI label in the metadata, plus a visible label that is on by default
Penalty: up to €15M or 3 % global annual turnover, the lower amount for SMEs
Sources: GDPR Art. 28 + 32 · EU AI Act Regulation 2024/1689 · DSK guidance on artificial intelligence and data protection (German data protection conference, 2024). This overview does not constitute legal advice.
Why restaurants need an AI agent.
DEHOGA counts 153,545 restaurant businesses in Germany, and 206,105 across hospitality as a whole, 16,337 fewer than in 2019. Reservation calls come at lunchtime and in the early evening, exactly when the service staff are at the tables. Marketplace tools like OpenTable or Quandoo bring reach, but cost per cover plus a monthly fee. An agent that answers the phone charges no fee per reservation.
Lunch and dinner peaks: service is at the table, phone rings out
Allergy questions need menu knowledge, every new staff member must be trained
Marketplace fees per cover add up over the month
Reservation calls after 10 PM for the next day go to voicemail
How the phone agent works for restaurants.
Your agent picks up immediately, with a natural voice, without 'please hold'. On reservation it checks availability in your calendar or, if connected, in your reservation system (such as OpenTable, Quandoo or resmio), asks party size, occasion, allergies and special requests, and enters the reservation in your calendar, with email confirmation. It answers allergy questions with the details from your allergen table (food information regulation, 14 main allergens) and asks guests with an allergy to confirm on site. On uncertainty it hands over to you, better no risk.
153,545
food-service businesses in Germany, VAT statistics 2024
Move the sliders. The starting values are rough orientation, not a measurement — put your own numbers in.
100
25%
€250
30%
~108Missed calls per month
€8,063Lost revenue per month
€96,756Lost revenue per year
rinqo answers calls around the clock. At night, at weekends too.
What your agent does for restaurants
Table reservations with party size, occasion, allergies
Reservation changes (date, time, party size)
Allergy, diet and vegan questions from the menu
Opening hours, closed days, holiday service
Group inquiries 8+ with escalation
Qualify catering inquiries (date, party size, budget)
What the Phone agent can do
Answers common questions automatically
Books appointments directly in your calendar
Qualifies inquiries and captures contact details
Routes complex cases to your team
Main language from 17+ languages
Answers from your website and documents
Honest answers to real concerns.
The questions that come up before the start.
How does the agent handle allergy questions?
You upload the allergen table (food information regulation, 14 main allergens). The agent reports what is definitely free (e.g. 'Risotto Funghi: gluten-free, may contain traces of celery'). On uncertainty it escalates, better no risk.
What if a caller asks about delivery?
Outside service hours the agent tells callers where they can order (your page on Lieferando or Wolt, or your own delivery), exactly as you set it up. During opening hours it clarifies whether you deliver yourself or only take table reservations.
How does the agent handle large groups or events?
Groups above a threshold you define (default 8 people) are escalated. The agent records date, time, party size, occasion, special requests, sends you an email and arranges a callback for personal terms clarification.
Frequently asked questions for restaurants.
Yes. OpenTable, Quandoo and resmio offer interfaces for availability and bookings, and we set up the connection with you.
Reservation portals usually charge a monthly fee plus a fee per cover; the current terms are on each provider's site. rinqo costs a fixed monthly price for your plan, with no commission per reservation, and on the phone it also answers service questions.
Yes, the agent is 24/7. Reservation calls at 11 PM for the next day are processed directly, not pushed into voicemail.
Multi-channel for your industry
rinqo for Restaurants, all channels
Telephone, chat and email from one platform: business case, ROI, GDPR and integrations.
Founder of rinqo. Builds a company memory where an organisation's knowledge comes together and stays available, and the AI agents that work from it: on the phone, in the inbox, in chat, in marketing and in further roles. Writes here about bringing AI into companies, about data protection, and about what holds up in daily operation. Developed in Germany, processed in the EU, no US providers.
