AI Assistants & Copilots for Food Businesses
19 products listed
Introduction
Artificial intelligence tools in this category take on a specific chore that a busy team struggles to cover. The largest group answers the phone for the restaurant: they take bookings, take pickup orders, answer questions about opening hours and pass orders to the till. A second group does the same job at the drive-through. Others produce a daily forecast of what to prep and order, read reviews and guest messages, or act as an assistant that watches labour and food cost across systems. They differ in what they replace. A phone agent covers a staff task, while a forecasting tool informs a decision you still make.
Who needs it
Restaurants that miss calls at peak times, takeaway-heavy businesses, drive-through operators, and groups that struggle to act on their data. It becomes worth testing when missed calls or waste can be measured. Check how each tool handles mistakes, and whether it hands over to a person.
Written 30 September 2026
What to look for
Phone, drive-thru or back office. Slang.ai, Hostie and Kea answer phones. Hi Auto and Presto take drive-thru orders. ClearCOGS and 5-Out forecast. Match the tool to the task.
Hands over to a human. Hi Auto describes handing off to a human supervisor when unsure, and Hostie offers live takeover. Ask what happens when the system misunderstands.
Which till it sends orders to. Kea lists Toast, Square, Clover and Olo. A voice agent that cannot pass orders into your till still leaves work for staff.
Per location, per minute or quote. Slang.ai lists per location prices, PolyAI charges per minute, and most others are quote only. Usage-based pricing is harder to budget.
Guest data and call recording. Voice tools handle customer calls and payments. Ask where recordings are kept and how customers are told, as rules differ by country.
At a glance
Of the 19 profiled products, 14 are quote only and two charge per location. One is priced per minute and one adds transaction fees to a per location fee. Only a handful publish any price.
Compare products
19products with a profile. Ordered by how many columns are filled, then by name. Select a column heading to sort.
| Product | Best for | Starting price | Free plan | Free trial | Platforms | Integrations | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toast restaurants wanting self-serve forecasts | USD 50 per location per month | Yes | Not stated | Web | 4 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Multi-location quick-service and fast-casual restaurants | $79 (currency not stated) per location per month | Not stated | Yes | Web | 14 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Independent full-service restaurants | Not published | Not stated | Yes | Web | 11 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Multi-unit and franchise restaurant groups | Not published | Not stated | No | Web, iOS, Android | 26 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Full-service restaurants that miss calls | USD 399 per location per month | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 6 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Independent restaurants with 1 to 3 outlets | Not published | Yes | Not stated | Web | 16 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Quick-service and fast casual operators | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 15 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Pizzerias and takeout-heavy restaurants | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 5 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Restaurants that miss phone orders at peak times | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 11 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Multi-location restaurant brands and franchises | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 5 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Multi-location restaurant and cafe groups | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web, iOS, Android | 16 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Full-service restaurants and restaurant groups with heavy phone traffic | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 3 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Fast-casual and quick-service chains | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web, iOS, Android | 3 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Quick-service chains with drive-thrus | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 3 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Food brands selling into restaurant chains | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | 12 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Pizza and quick-service chains with heavy phone orders | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Not published | 9 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Quick-service chains with drive-thrus | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Not published | 3 | 29 September 2026 | |
| Restaurants that miss phone orders at busy times | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Web | None named | 29 September 2026 | |
| Restaurant operators drowning in separate dashboards | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Not published | None named | 29 September 2026 |
Related categories
- Voice AI & Phone Ordering 14
- Demand Forecasting 7
- Drive-Thru Technology 14
- Reviews & Reputation Management 15
- All-in-One Restaurant Management Platform 34
- Equipment Monitoring & Maintenance 34
- Multi-Unit & Enterprise Restaurant Operations 30
- Business Intelligence & Analytics 28
- Integration Middleware & iPaaS for Restaurants 15
- Computer Vision & Operations Monitoring 11
- Customer Self-Service & Table Technology 11
- Energy, Utilities & Facilities Management for Food Businesses 8
- Menu Data, Nutrition Data & Food Product Databases 6
- Pricing, Revenue Management & Dynamic Pricing 4
- Music, Audio & In-Venue Entertainment for Hospitality 1
- Site Selection & Location Intelligence 1
Figures come from vendors' own published information, last reviewed on 29 September 2026. See how we list products.