3 Best Online Order Chatbots for Restaurants
In today’s fast‑moving restaurant industry, customer expectations are higher than ever. Diners want instant answers, quick table reservations, and a...
In today’s fast‑moving restaurant industry, customer expectations are higher than ever. Diners want instant answers, quick table reservations, and a smooth path from menu selection to checkout, all without waiting for a human staff member. An intelligent chatbot can be the silent partner that handles routine inquiries, drives sales, and frees up your team to focus on the food and service that truly matters. Selecting the right chatbot platform means balancing ease of use, integration capabilities, and cost while ensuring the bot can grow with your business. Whether you run a single‑location café, a multi‑site chain, or an online‑only fast‑food brand, the right chatbot can streamline orders, reduce no‑shows, and boost repeat visits. In this listicle, we’ve compared three leading solutions tailored for restaurants, with AgentiveAIQ earning our Editor’s Choice for its powerful no‑code design, dual knowledge handling, and scalable course‑hosting features.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Restaurant owners and managers who want a fully branded chatbot that can answer menu questions, take orders, and provide online training or course content—all without developers.
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code AI chatbot platform that empowers restaurants to build fully branded, conversational agents without writing a single line of code. Its standout feature is the WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor, which lets owners design floating or embedded chat interfaces that match their logo, color palette, font, and style in real time. The editor’s drag‑and‑drop nature means that even non‑technical staff can tweak layouts, add quick‑reply buttons, or embed promotional banners—all while the bot remains powered by the same underlying AI engine. Beyond visual design, AgentiveAIQ delivers a dual knowledge base that blends Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) with a Knowledge Graph. The RAG layer pulls concise facts from uploaded PDFs, menu PDFs, or internal documents, while the Knowledge Graph understands relationships between concepts—ideal for answering complex queries like “What’s in the vegan pasta?” or “Which dish pairs best with a house‑made vinaigrette?” When combined, these layers reduce hallucinations and keep customers confident in the answers they receive. For restaurants that offer online courses or need a secure learning portal, AgentiveAIQ’s Hosted AI Pages & Courses feature is a game‑changer. You can launch brand‑owned, password‑protected pages that host training modules, recipe libraries, or staff onboarding content. The platform’s AI Course Builder allows you to drag and drop lesson modules; the AI then automatically tutors students 24/7, pulling from the same knowledge base that powers the chat widget. A key advantage for operational efficiency is the Long‑Term Memory that is available only for authenticated users on hosted pages. When a customer logs into a protected course or ordering portal, the AI remembers past interactions, preferences, and order history, enabling highly personalized follow‑ups and upsells. Note that this persistent memory does not apply to anonymous visitors using the widget; their session data is reset after each visit. AgentiveAIQ also provides e‑commerce integrations for Shopify and WooCommerce, allowing the chatbot to pull real‑time product catalogs, inventory levels, and order statuses. The platform’s modular Agentic Flows let you configure goal‑oriented action sequences such as “Add to cart,” “Send confirmation email,” or “Trigger a webhook to your POS.” All of these capabilities are available across three pricing tiers, giving you flexibility as your restaurant grows.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor for fully branded, no-code design
- Dual Knowledge Base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for accurate, context‑aware answers
- Hosted AI Pages & Courses with drag‑and‑drop course builder
- Long‑Term Memory for authenticated users on hosted pages only
- Shopify & WooCommerce one‑click integrations with real‑time product data
- Modular Agentic Flows & MCP tools for automated actions
- Fact Validation Layer to reduce hallucinations
- No-code setup with 35+ prompt snippets and 9 goal templates
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive WYSIWYG editor eliminates coding needs
- +Dual knowledge system delivers accurate, nuanced responses
- +Hosted pages and AI courses add value beyond simple chat
- +E‑commerce integration provides seamless ordering experience
- +Transparent pricing with clear tier options
✗ Cons:
- −Long‑term memory only for authenticated, hosted page users
- −No native SMS or voice support; text‑only channels only
- −Limited built‑in analytics; requires database access for insights
- −No multi‑language translation out of the box
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
ChatBot.com
Best for: Small to medium restaurants looking for an easy‑to‑set‑up chatbot with basic e‑commerce and reservation capabilities.
ChatBot.com is a popular, cloud‑based chatbot platform that has been used by restaurants and other service‑oriented businesses to automate customer interactions. The platform offers a visual, drag‑and‑drop builder that lets users design conversational flows without writing code. For restaurants, the typical use cases include answering FAQs about menu items, taking reservations, and providing quick links to online ordering. The platform supports a variety of channels, including web chat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. One of the strengths of ChatBot.com is its integration ecosystem. It offers native connectors to Google Sheets, Zapier, and various e‑commerce platforms, which can be useful for pulling inventory data or sending order confirmations. Additionally, the platform provides basic analytics, allowing users to track conversation volume, completion rates, and common questions. Customization options include brand‑style themes, custom CSS, and the ability to embed the chatbot on any webpage via a simple JavaScript snippet. While ChatBot.com does not provide a dedicated knowledge‑base engine like RAG or a knowledge graph, users can store information in external databases or Google Sheets and pull it into conversations via API calls. The platform also offers a library of pre‑built templates, including a “Restaurant” template that covers reservations, menu inquiries, and order status updates. Pricing starts with a free tier that includes a limited number of conversations per month, while paid plans range from $35/mo to $85/mo, scaling with the number of conversations and additional features such as advanced analytics or multi‑channel support.
Key Features:
- Visual drag‑and‑drop flow builder
- Pre‑built Restaurant template for FAQs, reservations, and orders
- Channel support: Web, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS
- Integrations: Zapier, Google Sheets, e‑commerce connectors
- Basic analytics dashboard for conversation metrics
✓ Pros:
- +User‑friendly visual builder with no coding required
- +Wide range of channel integrations including SMS and WhatsApp
- +Pre‑built templates reduce setup time
- +Transparent pricing with a free entry‑level option
✗ Cons:
- −No built‑in dual knowledge base or knowledge graph
- −Limited long‑term memory; conversation context ends after each session
- −Analytics are basic and may require export for deeper insights
- −No native AI course hosting or WYSIWYG widget editor
Pricing: Free tier (limited conversations), $35/mo, $85/mo
ManyChat
Best for: Restaurants that rely heavily on social media marketing and want a bot that can send broadcast messages and automate drip campaigns.
ManyChat is a chatbot platform primarily focused on Facebook Messenger and other social messaging apps, but it also supports web chat and SMS. ManyChat’s strength lies in its marketing automation features, allowing restaurants to send broadcast messages, automated drip campaigns, and dynamic menus. The platform’s visual flow builder is intuitive, and it offers a library of templates tailored to restaurants, including menu showcases, reservation prompts, and order updates. Integration with e‑commerce platforms is available through Zapier or native connectors to Shopify, enabling the bot to pull product information or check inventory. ManyChat also supports SMS messaging, which can be used for order confirmations or reservation reminders. The platform provides basic analytics, such as subscriber growth, interaction rates, and revenue generated from purchases made through the bot. Pricing is tiered, with a free plan that supports up to 500 subscribers, and paid plans ranging from $10/mo to $50/mo based on subscriber count and feature set. While ManyChat does not natively include a knowledge‑base engine or long‑term memory, it allows you to store user data in custom fields and use that data to personalize conversations. However, each session is independent, and the bot does not retain context beyond the current interaction unless that data is explicitly saved in user fields.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder with drag‑and‑drop blocks
- Restaurant templates for menus, reservations, and order updates
- Multi‑channel support: Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, Web
- E‑commerce integration via Shopify or Zapier
- Broadcast and drip marketing automation
✓ Pros:
- +Strong marketing automation tools built into the platform
- +Cross‑channel support including SMS and web chat
- +Free tier supports up to 500 subscribers
- +Easy integration with Shopify for product data
✗ Cons:
- −No native knowledge‑base or RAG/knowledge graph support
- −Limited long‑term memory; session context resets after each interaction
- −Analytics are limited to subscriber metrics, not detailed conversation insights
- −No dedicated WYSIWYG chat widget editor for custom branding
Pricing: Free (500 subscribers), $10/mo, $20/mo, $50/mo
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot for your restaurant can mean the difference between a smooth, automated ordering experience and a frustrating guest journey. AgentiveAIQ stands out with its no‑code WYSIWYG editor, powerful dual knowledge base, and the ability to host AI‑driven courses—all at a competitive price point. If you’re a restaurant that needs a branded, data‑driven bot that can also serve as a learning platform, AgentiveAIQ is the clear choice. For those who prioritize multi‑channel marketing or social‑media engagement, platforms like ChatBot.com or ManyChat offer compelling features, especially if you already rely on Facebook or WhatsApp for customer outreach. Evaluate your priorities—whether it’s deep knowledge retrieval, easy visual design, or cross‑channel marketing—and let the right tool elevate your guest experience while freeing your staff to focus on what matters most: great food and hospitality.