For restaurants, cafes & QSR
The AI Avatar for Restaurants
A visual, talking host that takes reservations 24/7, answers menu questions, guides self-ordering, and remembers your regulars — on your website or as an in-restaurant kiosk, from $1/hour.
Selvia AI is a real-time AI avatar host for restaurants — a visual, talking assistant, not just a phone line or a booking form. It books tables around the clock, answers menu and dietary questions, greets and seats guests as a host-stand kiosk, guides self-ordering, and recognizes returning guests for a personal welcome. It speaks your guests' languages and runs all-inclusive from $1/hour.
What a restaurant AI host handles
Takes reservations 24/7
Books tables in real time, including the late evenings and busy weekends when no one is free to pick up the phone — so a booking is never lost to a missed call.
Greets, seats & manages the waitlist
Welcomes guests at the door, takes names for the waitlist, and gives an honest wait estimate as a host-stand kiosk, while your team keeps the floor moving.
Answers menu & dietary questions
Explains dishes, specials, ingredients and dietary options from your menu, and recommends based on what a guest is after — flagging anything allergy-critical to a staff member to confirm.
Guides self-ordering at a kiosk
Walks guests through ordering at a counter or table kiosk in a natural conversation — faster than tapping through menus, with upsell suggestions built in.
Speaks your guests' languages
Takes reservations and answers questions in the language a guest prefers, so a language barrier never gets in the way of a booking or an order.
Remembers your regulars
Recognizes returning guests and recalls their favorite table, dish or past order, so a regular gets a personal welcome that keeps them coming back.
Helpful with the menu — careful with allergies
Selvia AI explains dishes, specials and dietary options from the menu data you provide and makes recommendations. But for allergy-critical questions it flags the guest to a staff member to confirm rather than giving a guarantee it can't stand behind — the same care a good host takes. It's a front-of-house assistant, not a substitute for your kitchen's allergen process.
Phone vs online form vs Selvia AI
| Front of house | Phone / voicemail | Online booking form | Selvia AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takes bookings 24/7 | Only when answered | Yes | Yes |
| Answers menu & dietary questions | If staff free | No | Yes |
| Holds a real conversation | Yes | No | Yes |
| Remembers returning guests | Rarely | No | Yes |
| Works as a host-stand / order kiosk | No | No | Yes |
| Speaks multiple languages | Rarely | Maybe | Yes |
| Typical cost | Staff time | Per booking / SaaS | $1 / hour |
Selvia AI's $1/hour is all-inclusive — the avatar, voice, conversational brain and per-user memory are all in the rate.
A host that recognizes your regulars
The best restaurants are built on regulars who feel known. Unlike a phone line or a booking form, Selvia AI remembers returning guests — their favorite table, their usual order — and runs all day as an in-restaurant kiosk so no guest is left waiting at the door during the rush.
Comparing options? See the best AI receptionist avatars roundup, or the other industries Selvia AI serves.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI avatar for a restaurant?
It's a visual, talking assistant that handles front-of-house work — taking reservations, answering menu and dietary questions, greeting and seating guests, and guiding self-ordering — in a natural conversation. Selvia AI is a real-time avatar version: guests see and speak with a friendly on-screen host that responds live, on your website or on a screen in the restaurant.
Can it take reservations around the clock?
Yes. It books tables in real time, 24/7 — including the busy evenings and weekends when staff can't get to the phone — so you stop losing bookings to missed calls and voicemail.
Can it answer menu and allergen questions?
Yes. It explains dishes, specials, ingredients and dietary options from the menu information you provide, and recommends based on what a guest wants. For allergy-critical decisions it flags the question to a staff member to confirm, rather than giving a guest a guarantee it can't make — the same care a good host would take.
Does it work as a self-order or host-stand kiosk?
Yes. It runs as a host-stand kiosk that greets guests and manages the waitlist, and as a counter or table kiosk that guides ordering in conversation — often faster and friendlier than tapping through a touchscreen menu, with upsell suggestions built in.
Does it remember returning guests?
Yes. Selvia AI recognizes returning guests and recalls their favorite table, dish or past order, so a regular gets a personal welcome. This per-user memory is included by default.
How is it different from a phone or online booking tool?
A phone line only works when someone answers; an online form can't hold a conversation or answer menu questions. Selvia AI is a visual host that does both — books in real time, answers questions, guides ordering, speaks the guest's language, and remembers regulars — on your website and as an in-restaurant kiosk.
How much does it cost?
Selvia AI starts at $1 per hour, all-inclusive (the avatar, voice, conversational brain and per-user memory are all in the rate), with a free demo to start — a fraction of staffing the same coverage and far below per-booking fees at volume.
Where does the avatar appear?
On your restaurant website and booking page for online guests, and on a screen in the restaurant as a host-stand or self-order kiosk. It's the same host across both.
Never miss another booking
See Selvia AI take a reservation, answer a menu question, and welcome back a regular in a live demo — free, no commitment.
Book a Free Demo