A busy restaurant phone is a leaky bucket. At peak, staff can't get to every ring, and each missed call is a $25–40 order walking to a competitor. AI phone answering — a voice agent that picks up 24/7, takes the full order onto your menu, and logs it to a dashboard — has become the standard fix. In 2026 there are more than a dozen options, and they are not interchangeable. This is a practical guide to choosing one.
How to evaluate restaurant voice AI
Ignore the marketing adjectives and score each option on the things that actually change your night:
- Order-taking depth. Can it take a complete, confirmed order with modifiers onto your real menu — or is it really a receptionist that takes messages and books reservations? These are different products.
- POS integration. Does the order actually land in your POS (Clover, Toast, Square) or just a dashboard? Ask for a live integration, not a roadmap.
- Pricing model. Flat monthly vs per-minute vs per-order changes the math enormously — usage-based plans punish your busiest, most profitable nights.
- Languages.Most tools do English plus Spanish. If your regulars speak Hindi, Hinglish, or another language, that's a hard requirement, not a nice-to-have.
- Can you try it yourself? A demo you can run on your own menu — without a sales call — tells you more in five minutes than any deck.
- Concurrency, transcripts & dashboard. It should answer several calls at once and log every call as a transcript and an order you can review.
The shortlist
Every product below is a legitimate option; the right pick depends on your call mix and how you like to buy. Descriptions reflect each provider's public positioning as of July 2026 — verify the current details on their site.
Depla
An AI voice employee built for independents and small groups. It takes the full order onto your exact menu, pushes to Clover, and runs at a flat, published $149/mo with no per-order metering. Two things set it apart: a live demo you can try on your own menu in the browser (no sales call), and native English + Hindi / Hinglish for South-Asian restaurants. Best for: owner-operators who want to see pricing, try it themselves, and get ordering depth without an enterprise process.
Loman AI
One of the most established restaurant voice AIs, with a broad POS ecosystem and strong operator marketing. A capable, general-purpose choice. Best for: operators who want a well-known name with a wide integration list. See the detailed Depla vs Loman comparison.
Slang.ai
A polished AI phone receptionist with a premium, highly customizable brand voice, strong at reservations, hours, and call handling. Best for: reservation-led restaurants and hospitality venues where bookings matter more than takeout order volume. See Depla vs Slang.ai.
Kea
A phone-ordering-focused voice AI that integrates with major POS ecosystems, with a footprint that leans toward multi-unit brands. Best for: larger groups running a sales-led rollout. See Depla vs Kea.
Others worth a look
Maple, VoiceBit, BiteBuddy, Hostie, and others are all active in this space, each with a slightly different lean (high-volume takeout, content-driven onboarding, upscale dining). Shortlist two or three that match your call mix and test them the same way.
How to decide
- Mostly takeout/delivery orders? Prioritize order-taking depth and a live POS integration. A receptionist-first tool will underperform here.
- Mostly reservations? A receptionist-focused tool may fit better than an order-taker.
- Watching costs?Favor a flat, published price so a busy Friday doesn't inflate the bill.
- Multilingual customer base?Confirm the specific languages your callers actually use — not just “multilingual” on a feature list.
- Always test on your own menu.If a vendor won't let you try it without a sales call, that's a signal in itself.
The fastest way to judge
Hear it for yourself. Try Depla's live demo on your own menu, see how AI order taking works, or read how it compares head-to-head with Loman, Slang.ai, and Kea.