How an Edmonton Restaurant Cut Waste and Missed Calls with AI

Starting point

Phones rang during dinner service, walk-ins stacked up, and callers often waited for answers on hours, menu, or dietary notes. Reservations landed in notebooks, so reminders were inconsistent and no-shows spiked on busy weekends.

What we implemented

• • Web and social assistant answering menu, hours, parking, and taking bookings in real time.
• • SMS reminders with a one-click reschedule option to backfill empty tables quickly.
• • Simple demand cues: day-of reservations, weather, and local events to flag prep quantities and staffing.
• • A single view of bookings so front-of-house and kitchen shared the same numbers.

Outcomes to aim for

Targets are conservative and based on similar Alberta rollouts—actuals vary by menu, season, and channel mix.

• • Response times under 30 seconds for web/social inquiries.
• • No-show rate lowered by roughly 12% with automated reminders.
• • Prep waste trimmed 8–12% using simple demand signals.
• • Owner time freed by 4–6 hours per week from reduced phone tag.

Timeline & effort

Week 1: intake, menu FAQ, and booking flow. Week 2: SMS reminders and shared calendar. Week 3: demand cues and staff training (two 45-minute sessions). All on month-to-month tools—no new hardware.