7 Must-Have RAG-Powered AI Chatbots for Sandwich Shops

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that has evolved into an AI‑driven chatbot suite suitable for restaurants that want a high‑conversion chat experience. Drift’s chatbot can answer common menu questions, schedule in‑store pickups, and qualify leads by collecting contact information. While Drift doesn’t explicitly advertise a RAG architecture, it offers a dynamic knowledge base that pulls from a knowledge article repository, allowing the bot to answer FAQs with up‑to‑date data. Drift’s AI engine uses intent recognition to route conversations to the appropriate sales or support teams, ensuring that complex inquiries are handled by human staff. Drift’s pricing starts at $299 per month for the “Growth” plan, which includes unlimited chat sessions, live chat, and basic AI bot features. Higher tiers, such as the “Enterprise” plan, provide advanced analytics, AI‑powered engagement, and integration with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. Although Drift is not a no‑code platform in the traditional sense—users must set up triggers and workflows through its dashboard—it offers a user‑friendly interface and strong marketing integrations that can be valuable for sandwich shops looking to capture leads and upsell specials. Key strengths include its robust lead‑generation capabilities and seamless integration with marketing stacks. However, the lack of a dedicated knowledge graph and limited customization options for the chat widget can be a drawback for shops that need a highly branded experience.

Intercom is a widely used customer messaging platform that offers AI chatbots capable of answering FAQs and guiding customers toward menu selections or order placement. The platform includes a knowledge base feature that lets businesses upload articles and FAQs, and the bot can retrieve relevant answers during conversations. While Intercom’s AI does not explicitly use RAG, its knowledge base integration supports dynamic content retrieval, making it suitable for sandwich shops that maintain an up‑to‑date FAQ database. Intercom’s pricing begins at $39 per month for the Essentials plan, which includes basic live chat, chatbots, and a knowledge base. The Pro plan, at $99 per month, adds advanced automation, product tours, and more robust bot capabilities. The platform is known for its user‑friendly interface and strong customer support. Key advantages of Intercom include its comprehensive help desk features, easy integration with e‑commerce platforms, and a free tier for small teams. However, the chatbot customization is limited compared to no‑code visual builders, and there is no dedicated knowledge graph functionality. Overall, Intercom is a solid choice for sandwich shops that already use its help desk or want a unified messaging platform, but those needing deep AI customization or dual knowledge‑base architecture may find it less flexible. Key strengths include its integrated help desk, strong integrations, and scalable plans. Drawbacks include limited chatbot customization and no built‑in RAG or knowledge graph.

Landbot is a no‑code chatbot builder that allows businesses to create conversational flows using a visual drag‑and‑drop interface. The platform supports embedding a floating or embedded chat widget on any website, and offers a knowledge base integration that lets the bot pull answers from a set of FAQ articles. While Landbot doesn’t expose a RAG architecture, its dynamic content feature can be used to retrieve updated information from external sources such as Google Sheets or APIs, making it flexible for sandwich shops that maintain a living FAQ list. Landbot’s pricing starts at $30 per month for the Starter plan, which includes 1,000 conversations and basic chatbot features. The Growth plan at $45/month expands to 5,000 conversations and more advanced automation. The platform also offers a free tier with limited features. Key advantages include its truly visual builder, mobile‑optimized chat experience, and easy integration with Zapier for connecting to other services. However, the lack of a built‑in knowledge graph and limited AI capabilities compared to dedicated RAG solutions may be a downside for shops looking for advanced AI. Overall, Landbot is a great entry‑level solution for sandwich shops that want a customizable chat widget without coding, but those requiring deep knowledge‑base integration may need to supplement with external services.

Tidio combines live chat and AI chatbot capabilities in a single platform, ideal for sandwich shops that need real‑time customer support alongside automated FAQ answering. The bot can be configured to respond to common menu questions, provide ingredient details, and guide users toward online ordering. While Tidio’s chatbot does not explicitly use RAG, it supports a knowledge base and can pull answers from a set of predefined articles, offering a dynamic response system. Tidio offers a free tier that includes one user, one chatbot, and basic live chat. Paid plans start at $18 per month for the Pro plan, which adds advanced chatbot features, multiple users, and integration with e‑commerce platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify. The platform is praised for its ease of use and affordability. Key benefits include its simple setup, combined live chat and bot functionality, and integration with popular e‑commerce platforms. However, the chatbot customization options are limited, and the knowledge base is not a dedicated knowledge graph. Overall, Tidio is a solid low‑budget choice for sandwich shops looking to add a chatbot to their website without a large investment.

ManyChat is a chatbot platform originally designed for Facebook Messenger but has expanded to support website chat. It offers a visual drag‑and‑drop builder, automated sequences, and broadcast messaging. ManyChat can be configured to answer common sandwich shop questions from a knowledge base or a set of FAQ articles, providing a dynamic response system. While it does not implement RAG, many businesses use external integrations (e.g., Zapier) to pull in real‑time data such as inventory or specials. ManyChat’s pricing includes a free plan for up to 500 contacts, and paid plans start at $10 per month for the Pro plan, which adds unlimited contacts, advanced automation, and integrations. The platform is popular for its ease of use and robust broadcast capabilities. Strengths include its visual builder, broadcast messaging, and integration with e‑commerce platforms. However, the chatbot is limited to text‑based interactions and lacks a dedicated knowledge graph or RAG architecture. ManyChat is suitable for sandwich shops that want to engage customers via website chat and keep them informed about specials, but those looking for advanced AI or internal knowledge management may need to supplement it.

Chatfuel is a chatbot platform that allows businesses to build AI chatbots for Facebook Messenger and embed them on websites. It offers a visual flow builder, AI training with natural language understanding, and integration with e‑commerce services. While Chatfuel does not feature a RAG architecture, it can pull dynamic content from external APIs or knowledge bases via Zapier, making it possible to provide up‑to‑date answers about menu items or specials. Chatfuel’s pricing includes a free tier limited to 50 active users and a Pro plan for $15/month that adds unlimited users, advanced AI, and integrations. The platform is well‑known for its ease of use and quick deployment. Key strengths are its visual builder, AI training, and integration with e‑commerce platforms. Drawbacks include limited customization of the chat widget’s appearance, lack of dedicated knowledge graph, and no long‑term memory for anonymous visitors. Chatfuel is a good fit for sandwich shops that want a quick chatbot solution for website and Messenger, but those needing advanced RAG or a fully branded experience may find it lacking.