# The catering inquiry becomes a typed event brief before service.

You automate restaurant intake by putting a conversational agent in front of the messages that arrive before staff answer the phone. It asks for the event, the headcount, the date and any allergy in the guest's own words, types it into a structured record, and posts it to your POS before anyone calls back.

## The process this page is about

Not "AI for restaurants". One process, the one that decides whether a party inquiry becomes a booking or goes to the next restaurant on the search results: the private event inquiry, the message that arrives before anyone has spoken to the coordinator.

- **Who starts it**: Someone planning a birthday dinner, an office party, or a rehearsal dinner, usually typing mid-thought, usually not during the coordinator's hours.
- **What it costs today**: A phone line answered between table service, or an inbox thread that starts with a PDF menu and takes four back-and-forth emails just to get the headcount and the date.
- **What it has to produce**: A typed event brief: who to call back, the date, the kind of event, roughly how many guests, and anything the group already knows it needs, before the coordinator ever picks up the phone.
- **of inbound restaurant calls go unanswered, and most of those callers never call back**: 43% (source: Hostie AI)

## What it asks, and what it never asks

You name the fields your intake form already has. It does the asking, in whatever order the story comes out, and it keeps asking until the required ones are filled.

| Field | Type | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| contact_name | text | yes | Who the coordinator calls back |
| phone | phone | yes | The callback number |
| email | email | no | Email if the guest prefers it |
| event_date | date | yes | The date the group has in mind |
| event_type | text | yes | Routes the inquiry to the right template |
| guest_count | number | yes | Sizes the room and the kitchen prep |
| budget_range | text | no | Feeds the coordinator's quote, never a promise from the agent |
| space_preference | text | no | Private room, patio, or a full buyout |
| dietary_needs_mentioned | text | no | Flags a group dietary conversation before anyone commits to a date |

### And what it will not do

- It never says a dish is safe, gluten-free, nut-free or dairy-free, in either direction. It records the allergy against the booking and sends it to the kitchen, and it never clears a dish.
- It never confirms a date, a hold, or availability. That is the events coordinator's call.
- It never quotes or estimates a price, a deposit, or a minimum spend.
- It never promises a specific refund or comp for a bad visit.
- It never discusses pay, tips, or promises an interview slot to a job applicant.
- It never invents a field. If they did not say it, the record says "Not captured" instead of a guess.

## Try the run yourself

Six situations a host stand actually handles, each running its own agent with its own fields. Pick one and answer it the way a real guest would, out of order and mid-thought, and watch it ask the follow-up instead of accepting the blank.

- [Planning something with us](https://joina.chat/l/mt-event): Chat widget. Private event and catering intake, in the corner of your restaurant's own site.
- [Our party just got bigger](https://joina.chat/l/mt-party): Conversation page. A same-day headcount change, escalated straight to a manager.
- [Is this dish safe for an allergy](https://joina.chat/l/mt-allergy): Conversation page. Recorded and routed to the kitchen, never answered by the agent.
- [I want to work here](https://joina.chat/l/mt-apply): Conversation page. A job application, read by the hiring manager, not a bot.
- [Last night wasn't right](https://joina.chat/l/mt-feedback): Conversation page. Private feedback a manager reads before it becomes a review.
- [Finalizing our event details](https://joina.chat/l/mt-event-details): Conversation page. The booking already exists; this is what the kitchen needs to know.

## Frequently asked questions

**How do I automate restaurant reservation intake?**

Name the fields your intake form already has, point the agent at your menu and events pages, and put the link on your site. The agent runs the conversation, produces a typed record, and posts it to your POS or reservation system through a webhook, Zapier or Make. Setup is minutes, not an implementation project.

**Will it ever tell a guest a dish is safe for their allergy?**

No. It is instructed never to say a dish is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free or safe for any allergy or intolerance, in either direction. It records exactly what the guest said, against their reservation, and tells them plainly that the kitchen confirms before they order. Every conversation is stored with the sentence each value came from.

**What happens if a party size changes the same day?**

The day-of change agent takes the new headcount, the arrival time and a callback number, and stops there. It never confirms whether the kitchen or the floor can seat more people; that is a manager's call, and it says plainly that someone is calling back before the group arrives.

**Can it take a negative review privately, before it goes public?**

Yes. The private feedback agent asks what happened, in the guest's own words, and what they'd want to happen next if they say. It never promises a refund or a comp amount itself; a manager reads every one and follows up directly, which is also the honest answer.

**Does it work with Toast or OpenTable?**

Through a webhook, yes. Gnosari posts a signed JSON payload the moment a record is complete, and Zapier or Make routes it into your POS or reservation system. There is no Gnosari app to install on either side.

## Five minutes from now your missed calls could be typing themselves up.

Build the agent, put it on your menu and events pages, and watch the first event brief arrive. Free to start, no card.

Full page: https://gnosari.com/for/restaurants