Best Business Phone Systems for Restaurants

Phones rarely stop ringing at restaurants, whether you run a full-service establishment or a small cafe. The best business phone system for your restaurant supports your communication needs, like handling take-out orders and reservations, transferring calls and paging the kitchen manager. It can streamline operations while improving the guest experience. We assessed voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services based on ease of use, pricing and features. See how the top-rated systems for the food industry stack up.

Cloud-based business phone systems like Oooma are compatible with tablets and mobile phones, making them ideal for use in busy restaurants. (Source: Ooma)

A business phone system is a modern technology solution that allows businesses to make and receive calls, transfer calls, host audio and video conferences, provide interactive voice response menus and virtual attendants, and more. Modern, cloud-based platforms are also capable of facilitating internal communications, text messaging, online faxing and other services; these are often referred to as unified communications systems. The most advanced systems today have a bevy of AI-powered tools, such as voice intelligence, that help businesses improve communications with employees and customers alike.

Any business with a permanent location and that deals with outgoing and incoming calls would benefit from using a business phone system. However, even mobile businesses can take advantage of these systems, thanks to VoIP technology that allows them to be used on mobile devices and with vendor-provided mobile apps.

In a restaurant, a business phone system would work as your means of facilitating incoming and outgoing communication. If a customer dials your restaurant’s phone number, the caller would be connected to your business phone system. Depending on how you’ve set up the platform, the customer might be greeted by an IVR menu that allows them to be directed to various extensions. Pressing 1, for instance, could connect the caller to the hostess stand. The second option might take them to the reservations voicemail, the third may provide the opportunity to submit a takeout order, the fourth could prompt information about hours of operation and parking, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Within your restaurant, a business phone system can connect front-of-house staff with the kitchen, allow you to text diners confirmation of their reservations, update customers on the wait time and respond to general inquiries. You can even use your platform to host a video chat with your food suppliers. The data collected by your business phone system can uncover valuable insights, such as what time of day you receive the most calls.

A business phone system can help your restaurant achieve goals such as streamlining communications, improving the guest experience and optimizing operations.

The best business phone systems allow you to transfer your calls and meetings to your smartphone, as RingCentral does. (Source: RingCentral)

Business phone systems modernize your communications. They help your restaurant meet guests’ expectations before they even step into your establishment. Below are some of the top benefits you can expect from implementing a business phone system at your food and beverage business.

Improved Caller Experiences and Wait Times

Busy signals and long hold times don’t bode well for restaurants when your callers are hungry or inquisitive. Business phone system features such as virtual receptionists, call queues and hold music can help take your restaurant to the next level. An auto-attendant can greet every caller before ringing lines or placing the caller in a queue. With the software’s analytics, you can see where there’s room for improvement in your communications and identify peak hours for callers and takeout orders.

Increased Staff Productivity

Certain tasks can slow your staff down, like placing calls on hold to hunt down a manager or answering endless questions about your hours or daily specials. With a modern phone system, callers can select a menu option for restaurant hours, promotions or directions, and get the information they need without an employee’s assistance. Likewise, the call-transfer function can send callers to your manager in the office or the kitchen. When your team isn’t stuck handling calls, they can spend more time focusing on in-person customers and completing essential restaurant tasks, such as inventory tracking and restroom cleaning.

Support for Additional Restaurant Income Streams

Increasing their restaurant’s profits is top of mind for many food business owners. You might be surprised to learn your business phone system can help you do just that. These solutions can help facilitate curbside pickup, delivery, takeout, catering and more services that boost your bottom line. For example, you can use your platform’s text messaging tools to coordinate to-go and delivery orders, ensuring seamless handoff. Plus, integrations with other business software, such as POS systems and CRMs, can aid your marketing and ensure you’re targeting the right customers with the right promotions.

Mobile Accessibility

Restaurateurs rarely get a break, especially in the early years of their establishment. However, with the rise of mobile POS systems, they can see real-time stats and monitor restaurant operations from anywhere. Similarly, with a cloud-based business phone system, restaurant owners can stay looped in remotely, accessing the platform and communicating as needed on any internet-enabled device. Many vendors provide iOS and Android apps that ensure uninterrupted communications and remote monitoring when you need to step away from the premises. [Read related article: Can You Run a Business via a Smartphone?]

The costs of business phone systems for restaurants range from $10 to $35 monthly for an entry-tier, cloud-based subscription. Higher-priced packages come with advanced features, which vary by provider. All of our top recommendations except Zoom offer unlimited inbound and outbound calling with every package. Zoom differs because it has a metered plan option, in which you incur per-minute fees for outgoing calls.

While vendor pricing information usually describes the monthly subscription fee as a “per user” cost, restaurants, where multiple team members will use the same phone during a shift, should consider this the price per phone location. In other words, you shouldn’t count each person using the phone as a user, but instead, count each phone. So, if you have three phone stations in your restaurant, it would be three users.

Beyond your monthly subscription fee, you may pay per-minute fees for international calling and extra fees for toll-free minutes and SMS/MMS texting. Several VoIP providers include a limited number of toll-free minutes or SMS messages with your plan, and you only incur fees after going over this amount. Many vendors offer discounts for restaurants that sign contracts or prepay for one year or longer. Others give deals for companies that purchase five or more lines.

Typically, a restaurant phone system does not require a setup fee, though some offer professional implementation and onboarding for an added cost. You may use compatible existing phone hardware or buy or lease new phones. Preconfigured cordless and desk phones from Nextiva start at $3.90 monthly or $160 outright.

When choosing a business phone system for your restaurant, you should start by identifying what you want to use it for and what features and tools you need the platform to have to fulfill those use cases. Your desired functionality may lead you toward an entry-level package or a more expensive advanced plan. Then, it’s a matter of making sure you can afford the associated monthly subscription cost.

Of course, there are a number of factors to keep in mind when deciding between vendors and systems. We recommend prioritizing the following criteria.

Cost & Budget

A cloud-based business phone system is a monthly recurring expense. Your restaurant needs to be able to afford the subscription fee month after month or have the funds upfront for an annual plan. In either case, you’re banking on the success of your food business to be able to afford your phone system, but you need the phone system in order to operate your restaurant and make it successful. In other words, these things go hand in hand. Also, it may not just be a base cost you have to keep in mind. If you choose a provider that charges extra for specific services or even per a text message, your expenses will increase.

Feature & Functions

The leading business phone systems have a lot of features in common, but some offer unique functionality. Also, what may be a standard function in an entry-level plan with one vendor could be packaged in a higher-priced subscription with another. Consider what are must-haves, deal-breakers and unnecessary for your objectives, then compare and contrast plans closely. If you don’t want to engage with diners via text, then a plan without that offering may suffice. If you want to be able to build custom integrations, then getting a system with an open API is nonnegotiable.

Scalability

Whether your restaurant is just starting out or has been open for a while may dictate whether you choose a basic business phone system package or a more advanced one. If you begin with a lower-level plan, you’ll want to have the option to expand it as your restaurant scales. Inquire about options to move to a higher service tier or add on features or phone lines (and equipment) as needed. Maybe, for example, standard analytics will suffice for now, but down the road, you want to get more granular with your call data and look at more metrics. Can your vendor provide the tools you’ll need now and later?

Integrations

Ideally, your business phone system integrates with the relevant business software your restaurant is already using. If you’re using the Salesforce CRM, for example, you should seek a phone system that can integrate with it and trade customer data back and forth. You may also want to set up integrations with your POS system, preferred marketing tools and other services. There’s a wide range across vendors in how many third-party apps they have in their marketplace — Zoom has thousands, while Ooma has very few. Investigate the prebuilt integration options and any Zapier possibilities with each solution you’re considering.

Unified inboxes like this one from Dialpad record your interaction history with each contact. (Source: Dialpad)

The best business phone systems for restaurants provide basic and advanced call management features. Most platforms offer several subscription packages, allowing owners to choose the combination of tools that best suits their budget and establishment. Below are the features we recommend looking for in your phone system.

Auto-Attendant and IVR

Modern restaurant phone services greet callers automatically with a virtual receptionist. For example, the auto-attendant menu may ask the caller to press 1 to place an order, 2 to speak with a manager or 3 to reach the host. Some providers offer an IVR system, which allows for self-service, such as letting customers hear that night’s dinner specials or the business’s hours.

Desktop and Mobile Apps

Softphone applications turn mobile phones, tablets and computers into communication devices that allow you to make and receive calls, join video or audio conferences, send faxes or share files while messaging with your kitchen manager. This makes communication more flexible than a traditional landline phone allows. [See how landlines and VoIP systems compare.]

Business Phone Number

Nearly all cloud-based phone system vendors servicing restaurants include a toll-free or local business phone number with their plans. VoIP numbers aren’t bound to a dedicated line, meaning you can log in to your account from any internet-connected device and access your phone service.

Call Forwarding

With call forwarding, you can automatically send inbound calls to another number, including your cell phone, landline or voicemail. This feature is invaluable for restaurant proprietors who need to handle an emergency or grab supplies midday but still must be available to accept incoming calls.

Ring Groups

Growing restaurants experiencing high call volumes can decrease caller wait times with the ring groups tool. When, for instance, a customer presses 1 for reservations or takeout, this feature rings all lines associated with the ring group, either in a sequence or simultaneously, so the caller can reach a staffer faster.

Overhead Paging

Cloud-based phone systems also support internal communications. Several VoIP providers offer intercom or overhead paging features. Aside from letting customers know when their tables are ready, an announcement service can help when a guest leaves their vehicle lights on in the parking lot, for example. During the dinner rush, it’s much easier to make a restaurant-wide announcement via your phone system than to ask your servers to go table to table.

Voicemail

Voicemail comes standard with restaurant phone systems, but it’s also common to see visual voicemail tools, like voicemail-to-email or voicemail-to-text options. Because many users expect transcribed voicemails today, VoIP platforms now transcribe voice messages so you can scan your messages behind the counter discreetly instead of listening to the audio.

Call Flip and Multiring

Call flip and multiring tools are must-have features for restaurant managers and owners. Suppose you start a conversation with a supplier in the back office but need to confirm details in the stockroom. In that case, you’d appreciate the ability to seamlessly switch a call from your desk phone to your cell phone. Call flip is the answer. With multiring, calls to your business number can ring your cell phone and office phone (or any device you choose) so you never miss a call. With either tool, you have the opportunity to take a business call wherever you are.

Hold Music and Messaging

Several restaurant phone systems have hold music or messaging capabilities. These features let you upload tunes that match your brand or insert a promotional message to play while a caller is on hold. While quickly answering a customer’s call is always ideal, on-point messaging and music are better than dead air in the interim.

Call Reports and Analytics

Business intelligence and reporting tools vary by provider. At a minimum, VoIP services provide call logs with records of inbound and outbound calls. Advanced systems can analyze call queues, customer sentiment and more. With insights gleaned from these metrics, restaurant owners can adjust business hours and labor to ensure phone coverage and maximum profitability.

Call Queues

Typically found on higher-priced plans, call queues are best for restaurants with high call volumes. This feature places callers in a waiting line until someone can speak with them. Sophisticated phone systems with call queues allow fast-paced eateries to manage multiple phone lines and guest needs (such as delivery, takeout, reservations, complaints, multilocations and catering) more easily.

Third-Party Integrations

Most internet-based phone systems connect to Microsoft and Google calendars and contact books. Some sync with point-of-sale (POS) or CRM systems, like HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk. However, most VoIP phone services don’t have built-in integrations for reservation platforms, online ordering systems or employee scheduling tools. One of the best restaurant POS systems can help with those needs.

Video Conferencing

Although restaurant owners and managers use video conferencing less than other business professionals do, this feature still comes in handy when, for instance, you want to negotiate pricing face-to-face with vendors or landlords. As another example, multilocation establishments can pull their management team together in one virtual room to prepare for upcoming events via a video call. Most VoIP services have basic video conferencing tools, including screen sharing and recording.

Team Messaging and SMS

A cloud-based business phone system often unifies several communication methods on a single platform so your staff and guests aren’t limited to voice calls. Consider using private and public chat messaging rooms via your phone system to improve employee onboarding, training and feedback experiences. You can use texting to communicate with both team members and guests.

Failover Solutions

Some VoIP providers offer failover options in case an internet outage takes your platform offline. You can configure lines to automatically forward to alternate phone numbers, an internet service provider or a failover connection.

If you’d like to consider additional options beyond our best picks above, the below business phone systems are alternative solutions that can potentially work well in restaurant environments.

GoTo Connect

If you operate multiple establishments, you may want to look into GoTo Connect for your restaurant chain’s business phone system needs. This solution is ideal for food and beverage businesses with more than one location, allowing you to manage communications at all service points with one unified system. With the central dashboard, you can get an overview of all your phone lines at each location and of every device. Find out more about the available features in our GoTo Connect review.

8×8

8×8’s business phone system plans can prove very valuable if you regularly need to call suppliers in other countries. The vendor allows unmetered global calls and provides international phone numbers. Alternatively, if you source particular ingredients overseas and want to give your contact access to your phone system for better-coordinated communication, 8X8 facilitates international deployments and boasts multilingual customer service teams. See our detailed 8×8 review for a breakdown of pricing and plans, as well as our 8×8 vs. RingCentral comparison for more insights.

Vonage

Rather not be locked into a preset package? Vonage’s a la carte model lets you choose the features you want your business phone system to have. By personalizing your solution, you only pay for what your restaurant needs. You can even customize the phone system at each station if you don’t need all your devices to have the same functionality. Vonage also lets businesses add and remove features as needed and even has a pay-as-you-go option where you’re charged based on usage (call minutes used, messages sent, etc.). Learn more in our Vonage review or visit the Vonage website.

To determine the best business phone systems for restaurants, our team of communications experts and software analysts started with an initial list of 75 platforms. To narrow the options, we identified which solutions would work best in different industries. The right business phone system for a restaurant may not be the same as the ideal solution for a nonprofit or law office. Focusing exclusively on unified communications systems well suited for food and beverage businesses helped us whittle our list down to eight.

We chose our five best picks after closely examining and assessing the solutions in that group of eight. As part of our investigations, we grilled vendors about pricing and features, tested the software ourselves and sought testimonials from real-life users. Ultimately, our experts and analysts studied each platform’s functionality and evaluated each system on more than 25 factors.

These factors were weighted differently in our overall conclusion. The weights were determined based on how much business owners prioritize these criteria when shopping for business software and services and making purchasing decisions.

• Pricing: (30%): Our experts and analysts compared and contrasted each vendor’s business phone packages, judging which offered the best value. We took into account service plans, subscription fees, add-on costs and contract terms.
• Features (25%): We looked for standard business phone system functions that would be useful in restaurant settings, like auto-attendants, call forwarding, IVR, hold music and paging. We also awarded extra points for advanced services, like AI-powered tools.
• Ease of Use (20%): We tested the platforms ourselves, gauging each system’s learning curve, user-friendliness and customization options, as well as how easy or difficult it was to configure each phone. We also considered whether there was a fully featured mobile app and softphone for accessing your business phone line from anywhere.
• Integrations (15%): We considered the number of built-in integrations that made it easy to connect to the other programs food and beverage businesses use, such as POS systems. In addition, we factored in whether an API was available for custom integrations.
• Customer Service (10%): We evaluated each vendor’s range of customer service options, including whether phone assistance was provided with all package tiers. We also examined each provider’s online resources for restaurateurs interested in self-guided help.

Based on these criteria, we not only determined which business phone systems restaurant owners could trust but also the ways in which each solution could best serve different business needs. Some platforms were better at certain tasks than others or more suited to a particular type of establishment. These takeaways informed the “Best for” use cases you see on this page.

To learn more about our methodology, see our full editorial process.