The four options in plain terms
A landline is a phone line with a handset. VoIP sends calls over the internet and often adds features such as forwarding. A human answering service has people answer for you. An AI phone assistant answers the call itself and can book into your diary.
How each is paid for
A landline and VoIP are usually a line or per-user fee. A human service often charges by the minute, the call or a bundle, so check which. Tableline is a fixed monthly pack of calls with a one-off set-up fee, and no charge per extra call. We do not quote prices for other providers.
What each does at 7 pm on a Friday
A landline or VoIP phone rings until someone is free. A human service answers if its staff are free, and passes on a message or a call. An AI assistant answers each call and books or hands over. If your phone rings out in the rush, read what happens when a restaurant misses a call.
Questions to ask before you switch
Who answers, and what can they do? What happens when they cannot help? Is the price published? What happens at a limit? Can I keep my number? Can I hear it first?
Where AI answering fits, and where it does not
It fits when most calls are bookings and simple questions. It does not replace a person for complaints and unusual requests, so those go to your team. Plans are monthly in US dollars: $249 for 200 calls, $399 for 300 calls or $499 for 500 calls, plus a one-off $250 set-up fee. See the pricing page for what every plan includes. Compare AI and human answering services in our plain comparison.
Keep reading
- Tableline pricing
- Phone answering for restaurants
- Reducing restaurant no-shows: what you can ask on the booking call
- Holiday rush and your phone: preparing for the calls before a busy holiday
- Who answers the phone during service? Five ways restaurants cover it
- Missed calls at a clinic: why patients call elsewhere and how to cover the phones
- Phone or online booking for a salon: why you still need someone to answer
- Garage phone calls: booking service slots when the whole team is under a car
- AI phone answering or voicemail: what happens to the caller who wants a table
- Taking reservations by phone: a simple process that does not lose bookings
- Handling allergen questions on the phone: what staff should say and when to hand over
- Slang, Loman, Hostie, Bite Buddy or Tableline: how to compare restaurant phone agents
- AI receptionist for dental and physio clinics: handling booking calls
- AI receptionist for salons: stop losing bookings while your hands are busy
- AI phone answering for auto repair shops: booking slots and quote calls
- What a good restaurant booking call sounds like
- Voice AI for restaurants: what it does and what it does not
- What happens to a booking call you miss during a Friday rush: a checklist
- How to set up call handover to a human: a checklist
- AI receptionist pricing: what a restaurant should expect to pay
- AI phone answering or a human answering service? A plain comparison for restaurants
- What happens when a restaurant misses a call
- What a good phone handover looks like
