Why holiday calls bunch up
Many guests decide at the same time, so calls arrive together, often when the kitchen is already busy.
Prepare a list of what callers ask
Write down the answers before the rush: opening hours, any set menu, deposits or minimum spend, large-party rules and cancellation terms. Put it by the phone.
Staffing the phones or setting a call limit
You can put a person on the phone, or have an assistant answer. Each Tableline plan has a monthly call limit. At the limit, calls go to a person on your team and we ask whether you would like a bigger plan. Check your plan before a busy month.
Handover rules for large parties
Decide which bookings need a person, for example large groups or special requests, and tell us so those calls are passed to your team.
A pre-holiday checklist
Update the hours and the menu you give callers. Check who is on the phone and when. Test the phone line. See our Friday rush checklist and the pricing page. 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.
Keep reading
- Tableline pricing
- Phone answering for restaurants
- Reducing restaurant no-shows: what you can ask on the booking call
- 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
- Choosing a restaurant phone system: landline, VoIP, answering service or AI
- 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
