How we compared
Every fact below comes from a vendor's own public website, fetched in September 2026, or is marked "not published" where pricing sits behind a sales call. We did not create accounts, request quotes, or run demo calls, so negotiated pricing, contract terms, and real call-quality are outside what this guide can verify. Two names sometimes mentioned here, Hostie AI and Certus AI, could not be included: both domains were parked or for sale, with no live product site to check.
Loman AI and SoundHound's OASYS platform publish no price at all — both route every plan to a sales call. We list that as "not published" rather than guessing, and the same rule applies to Online eMenu's own pilot.
What an AI phone answering system actually does
"AI phone answering" covers three different jobs. The first is answering: picking up every call with accurate hours, location, and menu information so the line never rings out. The second is reservations: taking a table booking end-to-end into a platform like OpenTable. The third is order-taking: capturing a real food order against the live menu, with quantities and a total, and sending it somewhere a kitchen can act on.
Every vendor here does the first job. Fewer do the second well, and fewer still do the third at all. Know which job your missed calls represent before picking a tool — a system built for reservations will not take a pickup order, and one built to take orders may have no reservation integration at all.
The comparison table
Starting prices are each vendor's own published figure as of September 2026. Where none is published, that is stated directly.
| Option | Best fit | Starting price | Takes orders? | Reservations? | Human handoff | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slang.ai | Full-service, reservation-driven restaurants | From $379-399/mo per location (Core); Premium from $539-599/mo — per slang.ai, Sept 2026 | No | Yes | Forwards to human or texts contact info | Not stated on pricing page |
| Loman AI | Restaurants wanting phone order-taking plus reservations | "Contact Us" — not published, per loman.ai, Sept 2026 | Yes (Premium tier) | Yes (Premium tier) | Automated call transfer (Starter tier) | Not published |
| Alayic | Independent restaurants and takeaways wanting the lowest entry price | From £89.99/mo (Growth) — per alayic.com, Sept 2026 | Positioned for order-taking | Scale plan only (£199.99/mo) | Call forwarding to staff | No contract, pay-monthly |
| Popmenu (AI Phone Answering) | Restaurants already on the Popmenu website/ordering platform | From $149/mo — per popmenu.com, Sept 2026 | Sends an order link; caller completes it | Sends a reservation link | Not detailed on vendor page | Not published |
| SoundHound (OASYS for Restaurants) | Large multi-location QSR chains | Not published — enterprise, sales-led, per soundhound.com, Sept 2026 | Yes, directly (phone, drive-thru, kiosk) | Not a focus | Not detailed on vendor page | Custom enterprise |
| Human answering service | Low call volume, judgment-heavy calls | $2-5/call, or ~$20-60/mo bundled — publicly listed pricing, Sept 2026 | Message or manual booking only | Yes, as a message | Is human | Varies; often none |
| Missed-call text-back (no AI) | Any restaurant wanting a zero-AI fix today | Included in Ordering Suite, $9/mo or $90/yr | No — sends a link to order | No | N/A — not AI | No annual contract |
| Online eMenu AI phone ordering (pilot) | Single-outlet takeout, pizza, fast-casual wanting phone orders in one queue | Not published — pilot pricing shared on application | Designed to (in development) | Not a design focus | Built into the design | N/A — pilot |
Two notes: Slang.ai's pricing page shows two headline numbers depending on the currency toggle ($379/$539 in one view, $399/$599 in another) — confirm with Slang.ai. Popmenu sends a link for the guest to complete themselves, unlike Loman AI or SoundHound, which place the order directly.
The options, one at a time
Slang.ai
A mature, reservation-first phone-answering product for full-service restaurants, per slang.ai, September 2026.
- Deep OpenTable, SevenRooms, Yelp, Tripleseat integrations
- Under-30-minute setup, same-day go-live
- VIP call routing to staff
Watch for: no food-order-taking — reservations and guest questions only. Two headline prices appear depending on the currency toggle; confirm the exact figure in writing.
Loman AI
A phone agent that both takes orders and manages reservations, with integrations including Toast, Square, Clover, Olo, OpenTable, and Resy, per loman.ai, September 2026.
- Premium tier genuinely does orders and reservations
- Broadest published POS list here
- 24-48 hour onboarding
Watch for: both tiers are listed as "Contact Us" — no published price until a rep quotes you — and order-taking is Premium-only.
Alayic
A UK AI receptionist with a dedicated restaurant and takeaway page, per alayic.com, September 2026.
- Lowest published entry price here: £89.99/mo
- No contract, no setup fee
- Free tier to test the agent first
Watch for: reservation booking is a Scale-plan feature (£199.99/month), not the entry Growth plan, and minutes are metered.
Popmenu (AI Phone Answering)
A restaurant website and ordering platform with AI phone answering as a module, per popmenu.com, September 2026.
- Lowest published US entry price here: $149/mo
- Answers hours, location, and allergen questions
- Fits existing Popmenu customers
Watch for: it sends a link for the caller to complete the order themselves rather than placing it directly, and does not spell out a human-handoff path.
SoundHound (OASYS for Restaurants)
A voice-native AI platform for large, multi-location QSR chains, per soundhound.com, September 2026.
- Takes the order directly by voice, not a link
- Built for noisy drive-thru environments
- Proven at large multi-unit scale
Watch for: no published pricing anywhere — enterprise, sales-led, sized for chains, not a single independent restaurant.
Human answering service
Still the right tool for a meaningful share of restaurants at low call volume. Publicly listed pricing as of September 2026 runs $2-5/call, or ~$20-60/month bundled, detailed in our cost guide.
- Real judgment for large parties and complaints
- Zero AI risk — a person answers
Watch for: pricing scales badly past 100-150 calls a month, and it typically takes a message, not a POS order.
Missed-call text-back (no AI)
Worth trying before any AI vendor: an automatic text to any caller whose call rang out, carrying a link to your ordering page. The Ordering Suite sends this today for $9/month or $90/year outside India, no annual contract.
- Costs nothing beyond a subscription you may already have
- No training, no script risk
Watch for: only helps callers willing to order themselves, and it does not take a reservation.
Online eMenu AI phone ordering (early-access pilot)
In development, running as a small early-access pilot, not general availability. Designed to take the order directly and route it into the same Live Queue as WhatsApp, QR, and aggregator orders, with human handoff built in.
- One queue for every channel, including phone
- Human handoff built in from the start
Watch for the honest version: not shipped, no production call volume yet. Pricing not published; shared on application. Apply for it — do not treat it as a swap for a mature product like Slang.ai or Loman AI.
Comparing AI phone answering systems and want in on the pilot?
Online eMenu's AI phone ordering is in development as an early-access pilot; pricing is shared on application. The Ordering Suite is live now at $9/month or $90/year, no annual contract, with missed-call auto-reply, WhatsApp ordering, a QR menu, and one queue for every channel.
Compare on WhatsApp See the pilot pageHow to choose: six questions
Run any option through these six questions before signing anything:
- Does it take the order, or just a message or a link? A different product from one that places the order itself.
- Does it handle reservations, or only hours and FAQ answers? Several vendors never touch a booking platform.
- Is the human handoff automatic? Asking twice for a person is already a bad experience.
- What is the all-in monthly price at your call volume? Ask about setup fees, overage, and integration costs, not just the headline number.
- Is there an annual contract? Several plans price their lowest tier only on annual billing.
- Does it land in one place staff already watch? A separate inbox is one more screen for a busy kitchen.
None of these has one right answer. They exist so you compare the same thing across every vendor, not a headline price on one and a feature list on another.
A cost example with your own numbers
Illustrative only, using numbers you plug in yourself: pick your average order value — say $28 — and estimate how many calls ring out on a busy weekend night, say 8. At a conservative 50% order-intent, that is 4 missed orders and roughly $112 in one night, or close to $896 across eight weekend nights a month.
Weigh that against what is on the table: Alayic's £89.99 (roughly $115) entry tier, Popmenu's $149/month, Slang.ai's $379-399/month, a human plan's $20-60/month bundle, or Loman AI, SoundHound, and the Online eMenu pilot, which all require a direct conversation to get a number at all. Run the math with your own ticket size and call count before deciding whether any paid option clears the bar.
What to do today, without AI
Before signing an annual contract above, there is a lower-cost step worth taking first: missed-call text-back automatically sends anyone whose call went unanswered a link to order themselves. The Online eMenu Ordering Suite sends that reply today, and most phone systems can do the same if you already run one.
Online eMenu provides the destination that text should point to: a WhatsApp ordering link or web page with no app download. Pair that with a QR menu on the counter, and you have a no-AI fix that costs nothing beyond the subscription while you evaluate the vendors above. See our guide on restaurant missed calls after 7pm, and our Slang.ai alternative comparison for one vendor in more depth.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI phone answering system for a restaurant?
There is no single best system — it depends on what the call is for. A reservation-driven restaurant fits Slang.ai's booking-first design. A takeout operator wanting the phone to place real orders fits Loman AI's Premium plan or SoundHound. Operators wanting the lowest entry price look at Alayic or Popmenu. Low call volume often suits a human answering service better than any AI. Match the tool to the call, not the other way around.
How much does an AI phone answering system cost for a restaurant?
Published prices as of September 2026 range widely. Alayic starts from £89.99/month and Popmenu from $149/month. Slang.ai's Core plan starts at $379-399/month per location and Premium from $539-599/month, depending on the currency toggle. Loman AI and SoundHound publish no price at all — both are quote-only. A human answering service typically runs $2-5 per call or $20-60/month bundled. Always confirm the current number with the vendor.
Do these AI systems actually take food orders, or just answer questions?
It depends on the vendor — check this first. Slang.ai centers on reservations and guest questions, not food orders. Loman AI's Premium tier and SoundHound are built to take the order itself. Popmenu sends the caller a text link to place the order themselves rather than taking it on the call. Alayic's restaurant solution is positioned around phone order-taking.
What is the difference between Slang.ai and Loman AI?
Slang.ai is built around reservations, integrating with OpenTable, SevenRooms, Yelp and Tripleseat, from $379-399/month per location. Loman AI does both order-taking and reservations, with POS integrations including Toast, Square, Clover, Olo and OpenTable, but lists both tiers as "Contact Us" with no published price. Choose based on whether your missed calls are mostly bookings or mostly food orders.
Is there a cheaper AI phone answering option than Slang.ai or Loman AI?
Yes. Alayic's Growth plan lists from £89.99/month with no contract, though reservation booking is only on its higher Scale plan. Popmenu lists from $149/month. Both are lower than Slang.ai or Loman AI's quote-only pricing, though each trades away some restaurant-specific depth — confirm what is included at the entry tier first.
What happens when the AI cannot answer a caller's question?
A well-built system hands the caller to a person rather than trapping them in a script loop. Slang.ai's FAQ says it forwards the caller to a human or texts contact information when it does not recognize a question. Loman AI lists automated call transfer as a Starter-tier feature. Not every vendor's page spells out the exact handoff, which is worth asking about directly before signing.
Can I fix missed calls without using AI at all?
Yes, and it is worth trying first. Missed-call text-back automatically sends a caller whose call rang out a text with a link to your ordering page, with no AI voice involved. The Online eMenu Ordering Suite sends that reply today, and most phone systems can do the same. It will not take an order the way a person or AI agent would, but it recovers callers willing to order themselves once they have the link.
Does Online eMenu offer AI phone answering today?
Not yet. Online eMenu's AI phone ordering is in development and runs as a small early-access pilot, not a shipped product, so it has no production track record to compare against the vendors above. What is live today is the Ordering Suite at $9/month or $90/year outside India, no annual contract, 14-day free trial, including missed-call auto-reply, WhatsApp ordering, a QR menu, and one queue for every order channel.