7 Best Ways to Use a Website Chatbot for Restaurants

Chatbot.com is a popular AI chatbot builder that offers a straightforward drag‑and‑drop interface for restaurants looking to automate FAQs, take reservations, and promote daily specials. The platform supports natural language processing powered by GPT‑style models, allowing it to handle complex queries about menu items, opening hours, and location. Restaurants can embed the chatbot on their website with a single line of JavaScript, and the bot can be configured to collect email addresses and direct customers to booking pages. One of Chatbot.com’s strengths is its integration ecosystem: it connects seamlessly with Google Calendar for booking, Mailchimp for email marketing, and Zapier for custom workflows. The visual builder is beginner-friendly, making it possible for non‑technical staff to set up conversation flows in minutes. The platform also offers pre‑built templates for restaurants, including a “Table Reservation” flow that auto‑confirms bookings. Pricing starts with a free plan that includes basic chatbot functionality and up to 500 interactions per month. The Starter plan at $59/month provides unlimited interactions, advanced analytics, and priority support. For larger restaurants, the Professional plan at $149/month adds additional integrations, custom branding, and advanced AI customization. While Chatbot.com is excellent for quick deployment and basic conversational needs, it lacks the deep knowledge‑base and persistent memory features that larger restaurants might require. It also does not offer AI course building or dedicated hosted pages.

Intercom is a comprehensive customer messaging platform that has expanded into AI chatbots, offering restaurants a way to automate customer support, collect orders, and promote specials. The platform’s chatbot builder allows for conversational funnels that can handle table reservations, menu inquiries, and even loyalty program enrollment. Intercom’s AI engine is powered by advanced NLP models, enabling it to understand context and respond with relevant information. Intercom excels in its robust integration capabilities. It connects with POS systems, reservation software, and email marketing tools, allowing data to flow seamlessly between the chatbot and the restaurant’s existing infrastructure. The platform also offers live chat support, which can be escalated to human agents if needed, ensuring that complex or sensitive requests are handled by staff. Intercom’s pricing is tiered: the Essential plan starts at $39/month, the Standard plan at $79/month, and the Premium plan at $159/month. Each tier adds more contacts, automation features, and advanced reporting. While Intercom offers a powerful chatbot, it is primarily focused on customer support and may require additional configuration for reservation handling. For restaurants that already use Intercom for email campaigns or customer engagement, adding the chatbot can streamline processes and increase conversion rates. However, the platform’s learning curve and higher cost may be a barrier for small businesses.

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that has broadened its offerings to include AI chatbots focused on lead generation and customer engagement. For restaurants, Drift’s chatbot can be programmed to capture reservation requests, field menu questions, and promote special offers. The platform’s AI model is designed to engage visitors in real time, asking qualifying questions and routing the conversation to the right department. Drift’s strengths lie in its advanced intent detection and multi‑step conversation flows. It can handle complex booking scenarios, such as selecting a date, time, party size, and seating preference. Drift also integrates with popular CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot, ensuring that reservation data is automatically logged and follow‑up emails are sent. Pricing for Drift starts at $400/month for the Starter plan, which includes basic chatbot functionality and up to 2,000 conversations. The Growth plan at $800/month offers more conversations, advanced AI features, and priority support. Larger businesses can opt for the Enterprise plan with custom pricing. While Drift is powerful for lead generation, it may be overkill for small restaurants that only need basic FAQs and reservation handling. Its pricing and focus on B2B lead capture can also be a mismatch for many food‑service businesses.

Ada is an AI‑powered chatbot platform that emphasizes self‑service and automation. For restaurants, Ada can be deployed to answer menu questions, guide guests through reservation steps, and collect feedback. Ada’s visual builder allows users to design conversation flows without coding, and its AI engine learns from previous interactions to improve responses over time. Ada offers integrations with reservation systems, POS platforms, and email marketing tools. It also supports conversational analytics, providing insights into common questions and conversion rates. Ada’s chatbot can be embedded on a restaurant’s website or mobile app, and it can operate in multiple languages, which is useful for tourist‑heavy locations. Ada’s pricing is not publicly listed; customers typically contact sales for a custom quote based on conversation volume and required integrations. This can be advantageous for larger restaurants that need tailored solutions, but it may be a barrier for small businesses that prefer transparent pricing. Overall, Ada is a solid choice for restaurants that plan to scale their chatbot interactions and want an AI that continuously learns from customer data.

ManyChat is a chatbot platform originally built for Facebook Messenger but has expanded to web chat widgets. For restaurants, ManyChat can be used to answer FAQs, promote daily specials, and collect reservation requests. The platform’s visual flow builder is easy to use, allowing non‑technical staff to create branching conversations. ManyChat offers integrations with email marketing services like Mailchimp, SMS platforms, and CRM tools. It also supports broadcast messaging, which can be used to send promotional offers or reservation reminders to subscribers. ManyChat’s free plan allows basic chatbot functionality, while paid plans add features such as unlimited broadcasts, advanced automation, and custom branding. Pricing: Free plan with limited features; Pro plan at $10/month for small businesses; Growth plan at $30/month for higher usage. ManyChat’s main limitation for restaurants is that it is primarily designed for social media and messaging channels, so the web widget may not be as polished as dedicated website chat solutions.

Tidio is a live chat and chatbot platform that combines real‑time messaging with AI automation. Restaurants can use Tidio to answer menu questions, guide guests through reservations, and send promotional messages. The platform offers a visual bot builder, AI assistant, and integration with e‑commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. Tidio’s strengths include its ease of use and the ability to switch between live chat and AI bot in real time. It also provides basic analytics and can be embedded on any website with a simple code snippet. The free plan supports up to 100 contacts and includes basic bot features; the paid plans add more contacts, advanced AI, and custom branding. Pricing: Free plan (100 contacts); Basic $18/month; Pro $37/month; Enterprise custom. While Tidio is suitable for small to medium restaurants, it does not offer dual knowledge bases or AI course building, which may limit its usefulness for businesses that need advanced knowledge retrieval.