Best 7 Onboarding Chatbots for Restaurants

Chatfuel is a well‑established chatbot builder that has been a favorite among small businesses, including restaurants, for many years. It offers a visual flow builder that allows users to create conversational paths without coding, making it accessible for owners with limited technical skills. Restaurant owners can use Chatfuel to set up reservation prompts, menu browsing, and even loyalty program sign‑ups. Key strengths of Chatfuel include its integration with Facebook Messenger, which remains a popular channel for customer engagement. The platform also supports external API hooks, so you can connect to reservation systems or point‑of‑sale software to pull real‑time availability. Additionally, Chatfuel provides a library of pre‑built templates that can be customized for the hospitality sector. While Chatfuel’s pricing is competitive, it’s primarily geared toward Facebook and Telegram channels, which may limit its reach on restaurant websites that rely on direct web chat. The platform’s analytics are basic, and there is no built‑in long‑term memory or knowledge‑graph functionality. However, its user‑friendly interface and large community of developers make it a solid choice for restaurants seeking a quick, low‑cost chatbot.

ManyChat has positioned itself as a versatile chatbot platform that supports both messaging apps and web chat. Its drag‑and‑drop builder allows restaurant owners to create conversational flows for reservation confirmations, menu inquiries, and promotional offers. ManyChat’s visual builder is intuitive, making it straightforward for non‑technical users to deploy a chatbot on a website or within Facebook Messenger. The platform excels in broadcast messaging, enabling restaurants to send timely updates about daily specials, events, or reservation reminders. ManyChat also provides a robust tagging system that helps segment guests based on their interactions, which can be leveraged for personalized marketing. Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other e‑commerce platforms is available, allowing restaurants that sell merchandise or gift cards online to sync inventory data. Despite its strengths, ManyChat’s free tier is limited to 1,000 contacts and 90 days of activity, which may be insufficient for larger establishments. The pricing model can be confusing, with separate plans for contacts and features. Additionally, ManyChat’s focus on messaging apps means its web widget is less polished compared to dedicated web chat solutions.

Landbot offers a no‑code chatbot builder that turns conversational experiences into interactive web pages. Restaurants can use Landbot to create engaging menu tours, reservation forms, and customer feedback surveys. The platform’s visual builder allows users to design conversational flows as if they were building a website, which can be a refreshing alternative to traditional chat widgets. Landbot’s strengths lie in its robust data collection capabilities. Users can embed forms directly into the chatbot, capturing guest preferences, dietary restrictions, and contact details. The platform also supports integrations with Zapier, allowing restaurants to push data to Google Sheets, email marketing tools, or CRM systems. Additionally, Landbot offers a “lead capture” mode, which can be useful for gathering potential customer information. However, Landbot’s pricing can become steep as the number of conversations increases. The free tier is limited to 10 flows and 1,000 messages per month, which may not suffice for high‑traffic restaurants. The platform also lacks advanced knowledge‑base features or AI chat capabilities; it relies on scripted responses unless integrated with external AI services.

Tars is a chatbot platform that focuses on creating lead‑generation and customer‑service bots through a drag‑and‑drop interface. Restaurants can deploy Tars bots on their websites to answer menu questions, take reservations, and gather feedback. The platform emphasizes quick setup, offering pre‑built templates that can be customized to match a brand’s tone. Tars’ key advantage is its conversation analytics, which provide insights into how users interact with the bot, including drop‑off points and completion rates. This data helps restaurants refine their chatbot flows and improve conversion rates. The platform also supports integration with Google Sheets and Zapier, enabling the automation of reservation data into existing systems. On the downside, Tars doesn’t offer a dedicated web widget that feels native to a restaurant’s site; instead, it relies on an iframe embed, which can affect page load times. The platform also lacks advanced AI features such as knowledge‑base search or long‑term memory. Pricing is based on the number of conversations, which can become costly for high‑traffic sites.

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that blends chatbots with real‑time messaging for sales and customer support. Restaurants can use Drift to schedule reservations, answer FAQs, and capture leads directly on their website. Drift’s visual builder allows for the creation of personalized flows and supports integration with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs. Drift excels in its live chat capabilities, enabling a human agent to step in seamlessly when a conversation requires more nuanced assistance. The platform also offers robust analytics and A/B testing for messaging, helping restaurants optimize their chatbot performance. Drift’s pricing is tiered, with a Pro plan that includes advanced features such as custom branding, email follow‑ups, and multi‑channel support. However, Drift’s pricing is relatively high compared to other no‑code platforms, and the platform is geared more toward B2B sales than hospitality. The chatbot’s script‑based nature can limit flexibility for casual conversation, and its focus on live chat may not align with restaurants that prefer a fully automated experience.

Intercom offers a suite of messaging tools, including a chatbot component that can be embedded on a restaurant’s website. The platform’s visual builder allows restaurants to automate responses to common questions such as menu items, hours, and reservation policies. Intercom’s strength lies in its integration with various e‑commerce and marketing platforms, enabling a single tool to handle support, sales, and marketing. Restaurants can leverage Intercom’s automation to send personalized messages, trigger emails, and create targeted campaigns based on customer interactions. The platform also offers a knowledge‑base system, though it is more of a static FAQ hub rather than an AI‑driven search. Intercom’s analytics provide insights into user engagement and conversion rates. The main drawbacks are its expensive pricing for small businesses and the fact that the chatbot is primarily designed for customer support rather than proactive marketing. Additionally, while Intercom supports web chat, it lacks advanced AI features such as long‑term memory or knowledge‑graph search.