AI phone ordering for restaurants, compared
Six tools that answer your phone, take the order and send it to your POS. Compare order channels, POS support and published prices, then pick the one that fits how your restaurant takes orders.
GrubDial publishes this page and is one of the options. Each fact links to the vendor's own site, checked October 24, 2026. Where another tool fits better, we say so.
Which one fits your restaurant?
The short answer, by situation. Each pick comes from the published features and prices below.
Your phones are slammed at rush hour and quiet the rest of the day
GrubDial
No monthly fee. Pay 5% of AI orders only while it's switched on, or 0% if you pass the 5% on through menu prices.
Customers already message you on WhatsApp or by text
GrubDial
Phone, WhatsApp and SMS orders share one number and one POS queue.
You want the lowest fixed monthly bill for ordering
Certus AI
$250 a month with ordering, billed monthly.
You take a lot of reservations on OpenTable
Maple Pro
Phone orders into your POS plus OpenTable bookings, from $220 a month billed yearly.
You want one fixed bill and no change to menu prices
Kea
$450 a month with unlimited calls and no per-order costs.
You run a chain with drive-thru lanes, apps and kiosks
ConverseNow
Phone, drive-thru, text and an ordering API for apps and kiosks from one vendor.
Side by side
Channels, POS support and prices as each vendor publishes them, checked October 24, 2026. Prices exclude card processing, tax and phone line costs.
| Option | Order channels | POS systems named | Published price | Pricing model | Best fit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GrubDialPublishes this page | Phone, WhatsApp and SMS on one number | Square, Toast, Clover, SpotOn and 20 other popular POS systems | 0%* or 5% of AI order total + 3% if order paid by credit card. 30 days free, no contract. * 5% passed on to customers as menu price increase | Per order | Busy operators who like flexibility without commitments and want WhatsApp/Text ordering | grubdial.ai |
| ConverseNow | Phone, drive-thru, SMS, plus an Order Injection API for mobile apps and kiosks | Enterprise systems such as Brink, NCR Aloha, PAR and Olo (per third-party roundups) | Not published. Book a consultation | Quote only | Quick-service and pizza chains buying phone, drive-thru and kiosk ordering together | conversenow.ai/products |
| Maple | Phone, with order confirmation texts. Drive-thru and kiosk in early access | Toast, Square, Clover, Shift4 Dine and more on the Pro plan | Pro: $350/mo billed monthly or $220/mo billed yearly. Voice (no ordering): $150/mo or $85/mo yearly | Flat monthly | Independents who want a printed flat price and OpenTable reservations | maple.inc/pricing |
| Certus AI | Phone orders and reservations | Toast, Square, Clover, SkyTab and Aloha NCR | $250/mo with ordering, billed monthly, with a 30-day money-back guarantee | Flat monthly | Independents who want the lowest printed flat price with ordering, month to month | certus-ai.com |
| Loman AI | Phone, with outbound SMS | Toast, Square, Clover, SpotOn, Shift4, Olo and more (per third-party roundups) | On request. Says no per-minute fees | Quote only | Operators who want ordering and reservations in one agent and are fine getting a quote | loman.ai/pricing |
| Kea | Phone and text ordering | 11+ direct POS integrations, including Toast, Square, Clover and Olo | $450 a month. Unlimited calls, no per-order costs | Flat monthly | Busy takeout and pizza restaurants that want one flat price with unlimited calls | kea.ai/technology |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Phone, WhatsApp and text orders in one POS queue
GrubDial takes restaurant orders by phone, WhatsApp and text on one number, 24/7 in 60 languages, and sends every order to your POS and kitchen printer in one shared queue.
Phone
Answers every call, takes the order with its modifiers, and takes payment on the call, by texted link or at pickup.
Guests order in the chat they already use. It confirms items and modifiers and sends a payment link if needed.
Text
Plain SMS ordering for customers who prefer it, with payment links over chat.
Kitchen queue
- Paid on the call
Phone
2 large pepperoni pizzas, extra cheese
- Payment link sent
WhatsApp
Double cheeseburger, no onion, fries
- Pay at pickup
Text
Margherita pizza, garlic knots
Works with Square, Toast, Clover, SpotOn and 20 other popular POS systems. Keep your current number or get a new one.
Example orders.
Of the six options on this page, GrubDial is the only one that lists WhatsApp ordering. Kea lists text ordering and ConverseNow lists SMS conversations. The others describe phone ordering with texted confirmations or payment links. Checked October 24, 2026 on each vendor’s own site.
WhatsApp ordering depends on your region and Facebook Business verification.
What does your restaurant pay each month?
Flat plans bill your restaurant the same amount every month. GrubDial bills 5% of the AI order total, or 0% if you pass the 5% on to customers through menu prices. Slide to your monthly sales from orders the AI takes.
GrubDial: 0%* or 5% of AI order total + 3% if order paid by credit card
* 5% passed on to customers as menu price increase
- Paying the 5% yourself, GrubDial costs less than Maple Pro below $7,000 a month in AI orders.
- Paying the 5% yourself, GrubDial costs less than Certus AI below $5,000 a month in AI orders.
- Paying the 5% yourself, GrubDial costs less than Kea below $9,000 a month in AI orders.
$4,000
Billed to your restaurant each month
GrubDial0%*, 5% passed on to customers
$0
With this option, customers pay $200 more through the 5% menu price increase.
GrubDial5% of AI order total, you pay
$200
Maple ProFlat, billed monthly
$350
Certus AIFlat, with ordering
$250
KeaFlat, unlimited calls
$450
Before card processing, tax and phone line costs. GrubDial charges 3% on orders paid by credit card, and other vendors' processing fees vary. Maple Pro is shown at its monthly rate; it is $220 a month billed yearly. ConverseNow and Loman AI don't publish prices.
Each option, up close
Same questions for every tool, ours included: who it suits, what it does well, and what to check before you sign.
GrubDial
Best for: busy operators who like flexibility without commitments and want WhatsApp/Text ordering.
0%* or 5% of AI order total + 3% if order paid by credit card. 30 days free, no contract. * 5% passed on to customers as menu price increase
Where it's strong
- Phone, WhatsApp and text orders run on one number and land in the same queue, so a chat order can't double-fire a phone order.
- Orders from every channel go straight to your POS and kitchen printer with their modifiers. No re-keying.
- Keep your current restaurant number or get a new one.
- No monthly fee. Pass the 5% on to customers through menu prices and the restaurant pays 0% of the AI order total.
- Takes orders in 60 languages.
- Callers pay by card on the call, by a texted payment link, or in cash at pickup.
- Switch it on for rush hour and off when it's quiet. When it's off, you don't pay.
Watch out for
- If you pay the 5% yourself, cost grows with sales. Above $9,000 a month in AI orders, Kea's $450 flat plan costs less before card fees.
- Paying 0% means customers pay 5% more on AI orders through menu prices.
- Drive-thru, kiosk and reservations are not listed on its site.
- WhatsApp depends on your region and Facebook Business verification.
Source: grubdial.ai
ConverseNow
Best for: quick-service and pizza chains buying phone, drive-thru and kiosk ordering together.
Not published. Book a consultation
Where it's strong
- Covers the most channels here: phone, drive-thru, text, apps and kiosks.
- Upsell logic, coupons, tone and menus can be set per brand, region or store.
- 24/7 AI with 24/7 live support, and it reports 2,000,000+ conversations a month.
Watch out for
- No published price, so you can't compare cost before a sales call.
- Its site speaks to brands and multi-unit operators more than single locations.
- WhatsApp ordering is not listed.
Source: conversenow.ai/products Read the full ConverseNow review
Maple
Best for: independents who want a printed flat price and OpenTable reservations.
Pro: $350/mo billed monthly or $220/mo billed yearly. Voice (no ordering): $150/mo or $85/mo yearly
Where it's strong
- Pro takes phone orders into your POS, with payment over the phone.
- Books, changes and cancels reservations on OpenTable.
- Prices are printed, with no per-minute fees.
Watch out for
- The Voice plan answers calls but does not take orders. Ordering needs Pro.
- The $220 rate needs yearly billing.
- WhatsApp and text ordering are not listed.
Certus AI
Best for: independents who want the lowest printed flat price with ordering, month to month.
$250/mo with ordering, billed monthly, with a 30-day money-back guarantee
Where it's strong
- Lowest printed monthly price for ordering among these options.
- Callers pay on the call, by text link or at pickup.
- Monthly billing and a stated 30-day money-back guarantee.
Watch out for
- Its homepage comparison of rivals doesn't always match their own pages. Loman, for one, says it has no per-minute fees. Check rival claims at the source.
- WhatsApp and text ordering are not described.
Loman AI
Best for: operators who want ordering and reservations in one agent and are fine getting a quote.
On request. Says no per-minute fees
Where it's strong
- Premium covers takeout and delivery orders, phone reservations and payment over the phone.
- Handles up to 50 calls at once and lists 24 to 48 hour onboarding.
- No per-minute fees, per its pricing page.
Watch out for
- No published price.
- Ordering is on Premium. Starter handles calls and questions only.
- Text and WhatsApp ordering are not described.
Kea
Best for: busy takeout and pizza restaurants that want one flat price with unlimited calls.
$450 a month. Unlimited calls, no per-order costs
Where it's strong
- One flat price with unlimited concurrent calls.
- Orders go straight to the POS and kitchen display.
- Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus reservation and waitlist handling.
Watch out for
- The $450 is the same in a slow month as a busy one.
- WhatsApp ordering is not listed.
Questions restaurant owners ask
Straight answers on cost, POS support and channels.
An AI agent answers your restaurant's phone, takes the order with its modifiers, reads it back, collects payment or marks it pay-at-pickup, and sends it to your POS and kitchen printer. Some tools also take orders by text or WhatsApp, book tables, or run drive-thru lanes.
Hear GrubDial take an order
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