The 8 Best Restaurant AI Tools Every Restaurateur Should Know

As a restaurant operator, you’ve likely heard the AI buzz for months, and it’s probably been on your to-do list to see what all the hype is about. According to Toast data, 86% of operators say they’re comfortable using AI. Now that you know the benefits and feel ready to dive in, the next step is finding the right tools to make the biggest impact.

That’s why, in this article, we’re highlighting some of the best AI solutions for restaurants today and how they can help you work smarter, not harder. Let’s get into it.

Benefits of using restaurant AI tools

AI isn’t about replacing your restaurant staff. It’s about freeing them up to do more of what they do best.

Toast’s Annual Voice of the Restaurant Industry Survey shows that operators are ready to embrace new technologies that streamline operations and enhance the human side of hospitality. Not only do 86% of operators report they strongly or somewhat agree they are comfortable using AI, but many are already using it. 

Today, restaurants are using AI for marketing automation (28%), real-time insights (27%), and menu optimization (26%), turning data into action faster than ever before. By automating routine tasks and surfacing smarter insights, AI gives teams the ability to work more efficiently, make informed decisions, and focus their energy on delivering great guest experiences. 

What to look for in a restaurant AI tool

With so many new AI products hitting the market, it can be hard to know which ones will actually make a difference in your day-to-day operations. The right AI tool should simplify your life, not add more complexity, and should be designed specifically with restaurants in mind. 

Look for tools that integrate with your existing systems. AI is most powerful when it works with your POS, payroll, inventory, and marketing platforms to provide insights and take action without requiring extra steps. The less time you spend toggling between tools, the more time you can spend focusing on your guests.

You’ll also want a solution that offers actionable insights, not just data summaries. Great AI tools don’t just tell you what’s happening. They help you understand why it’s happening and what to do next. That might mean automatically suggesting menu adjustments, flagging a staffing issue before it becomes a problem, or recommending the best times to launch a marketing campaign.

Now, let’s meet the AI tools that can actually take something off your plate for once.

The 8 best restaurant AI tools every restaurateur should know

1. AI Assistant by Toast IQ 

Powered by Toast’s industry-leading data, Toast IQ doesn’t just understand what’s happening in your business; it anticipates what’s next in your local market and helps you act on it instantly. 

Toast IQ offers a personalized “For you” feed with timely recommendations; enables users to ask complex questions about their business in plain language, and receive proactive, tailored advice and insights; and take action, like updating menus or editing shifts, across the Toast platform, all within a single conversational interface.

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Best for: Restaurants of all sizes 

Key features: 

• “For You” feed that proactively surfaces key insights about your business and local market

• “Explore” tab offering proactive, data-driven suggestions

• Chat interface allows you to type natural commands like “86 the avocado toast.”

• Deep integration with menu, labor, marketing, and operations tasks across Toast

• Helps you manage menus, stock, staff schedules, marketing, and guest engagement all in one place

• Pricing: Toast IQ is included with a Toast subscription. Toast pricing varies; check out our pricing page for more information. 

Why we love it: Toast IQ doesn’t just understand what’s happening in your business — it anticipates what’s next in your local market and helps you act on it instantly.

2. AI phone answering by Popmenu 

Free up your phone line and your staff. AI Answering fields calls with custom responses and sends links for orders and reservations...so you never miss a sale.

Best for: High-volume full-service and quick-service restaurants 

Key features: 

• Answer hundreds of phone calls 24/7 so your staff doesn’t have to, while still giving your guests the ability to customize their orders

• Market your restaurant by promoting specials and events to entice guests to visit again

• Turn your phone into a money maker by instantly texting links for reservations and ordering.

Pricing: Popmenu prices range from $179 - $449+, depending on which tools you’re looking to use. For more information, check out their pricing page. 

Why we love it: When things get hectic in your restaurant, the ringing phone is easy to ignore. But every missed call could be a missed sale. AI phone answering makes sure that never happens.

3. Automated scheduling by Lineup.ai

Easily create and manage staff schedules in your restaurant without any of the guesswork, ensuring you're properly staffed at all times across all locations.

Best for: Restaurants of all sizes, even those with multiple locations 

Key features: 

• Fully integrates with Toast POS

• Automatically creates optimal shift schedules by taking into account employee availability, shift preferences, historical data, and business demand

• Generates suggested labor hours for each day

• Built-in shift swapping/employee self-service

Pricing: Pricing ranges from $79/location/month to $149/location/month. To learn more, check out their pricing page. 

Why we love it: Managers are used to spending countless hours scheduling and approving shifts, and Lineup.ai automates the process, saving them significant time and hassle.

4. Drive-thru voice automation by Presto.ai 

Presto is a full-service restaurant tech platform that uses voice and AI to automate things like drive-thru order taking, so restaurants can serve customers faster and more accurately.

Best For: Multi-location quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains with drive-thrus

Key Features: 

• AI-driven voice ordering for drive-thru service, automating order taking and upselling. 

• A multi-purpose front-of-house tablet device (“Flex”) that supports kiosk, pay-at-table, handheld server, and drive-thru applications. 

• Advanced analytics and menu-management tools, such as unified menu data and dynamic upsell prompts.

Pricing: Custom pricing 

Why We Love It: Presto helps large restaurant operators scale and streamline drive-thru and front-of-house operations with automation and intelligent upselling, freeing staff to focus on service.

5. Waste reduction tools by Topanga.io 

This kitchen intelligence platform helps large dining operations track reusable containers and uncover waste in food production, allowing teams to switch from guesswork to data-driven decisions and eliminate needless cost.

Best for: Mid-to-large scale commercial kitchen operations

Key features:

• A reusable container tracking system

• A production-data capture tool

• Seamless integrations with menu-management and kitchen systems

• On-demand training and dedicated onboarding support

Pricing: Custom pricing

Why we love it: Topanga gives culinary teams high-confidence data and automation to cut food & packaging waste, saving labor time and cost while helping sustainability goals.

6. AI playlist by Spotify 

While Spotify AI Playlist isn’t built specifically for restaurants, it’s a powerful tool for shaping your restaurant’s atmosphere. The right playlist can transform a meal into a mood, and this feature helps you achieve that effortlessly. Instead of spending hours hand-selecting songs, you can simply describe the energy you want: “cozy coffeehouse morning,” “lively dinner rush,” or “sunset cocktails”, and AI Playlist will instantly craft a playlist to match.

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Best for: Any business, including restaurants, cafés, and bars that want to create the perfect vibe without manually curating playlists.

Key features:

• Instantly generates playlists from a simple text prompt

• Allows customization — you can fine-tune by removing or adding songs until the playlist fits your exact atmosphere.

• Keeps music fresh by constantly updating and suggesting new songs that fit your vibe..

Pricing: Included in Spotify Premium (currently available in beta for Premium users)

Why we love it: Music sets the tone for every guest experience, but curating playlists takes time. Spotify’s AI does the heavy lifting so managers can focus on service, not song selection.

Pssst- check out our favorite Spotify Restaurant Music Playlists. 

7. AI-powered feedback summaries by SevenRooms

SevenRooms’ AI Feedback tool uses AI to streamline how restaurants manage guest feedback: draft responses instantly, automate the summarizing of reviews and survey comments, and standardize guest notes to make personalization easier.

Best for: Restaurants and hospitality venues

Key features: 

• Instantly drafts personalized, on-brand replies to guest emails, texts, and reviews, letting you respond quickly and consistently

• Automatically analyzes guest feedback across channels and provides a concise weekly summary of themes, opportunities, and service gaps

• Cleans up guest notes and unstructured data

Pricing: Custom pricing

Why we love it: This tool turns what used to be hours of manual work (reading feedback, writing responses, parsing comments) into minutes of meaningful action. 

8. Smart Pricing by Chowly

Chowly’s Smart Pricing tool uses AI and analytics to shift your menu prices intelligently so you can boost margins on busy delivery days and lean into value during slow periods.* 

Best for: Restaurants that offer delivery 

Key features: 

• Automatically adjusts prices based on factors like peak vs. slow periods, weather, holidays, and order channel

• Allows differential pricing for third-party platforms vs. direct orders

• Comes with reporting dashboards

Pricing: Custom pricing

Why we love it: Rather than passively accepting delivery commissions and flat menu pricing, this tool lets restaurants be more strategic. 

Potential challenges and how to overcome them

While restaurant technology can dramatically streamline operations, adopting new tools isn’t always smooth sailing. But with the right approach, these challenges can turn into opportunities for growth.

1. Staff resistance and learning curves

One of the biggest barriers to new tech adoption is getting buy-in from staff. Servers, managers, and kitchen teams are often comfortable with their existing systems or manual processes.

How to overcome it: Choose tools with strong onboarding support and mobile accessibility. Schedule brief team training sessions and highlight the personal benefits so employees see value right away. Remember, training isn’t just for new hires; seasoned vets can still use reminders.

2. Integration and data overload

Restaurants often juggle multiple tools, such as POS, scheduling,  and feedback systems that don’t always “talk” to each other. This can lead to disconnected data or double work.

How to overcome it: Look for platforms that offer open APIs or pre-built integrations with your POS or accounting systems. Centralizing your data in one dashboard, like Toast IQ, makes insights actionable instead of overwhelming.

3. Initial setup time and costs

Even cost-saving tools can require upfront investment, not just in dollars but in time. Rolling out new software during busy seasons or without proper planning can cause frustration.

How to overcome it: Implement new tools during slower periods or in phases. Start with one feature (like scheduling or waste tracking) and expand as your team becomes comfortable. Many vendors offer pilot programs or flexible subscriptions, so you can test before committing fully. Remember, a little short-term frustration can lead to major time savings in the long run.

4. Maintaining consistency across locations

For multi-unit operators, ensuring consistency in how tools are used can be tricky.

How to overcome it: Establish clear standard operating procedures. Regular check-ins or shared dashboards can also help maintain alignment across stores.

Start small, scale smart

Adopting new technology doesn’t have to happen all at once. Start with one or two tools that solve your biggest pain points. Each step you take toward automation can save your team time, reduce stress, and help create a better guest experience. Think of it like a new menu item. You test it out, tweak it, and soon you won’t know how you ran the place without it.

If you’re ready to bring your restaurant’s data, insights, and daily operations together in one intelligent platform, Toast IQ makes it simple. 👉 Request a demo and see how smarter insights can power every shift.

Restaurant AI Tools FAQs

What are the best restaurant AI tools?

The best restaurant AI tools are Toast IQ, Popmenu, and Lineup.ai. 

How can AI help restaurants increase profits?

Toast IQ uses AI to turn your restaurant’s data into actionable insights, identifying upsell opportunities, optimizing labor and menu changes, and automating tasks like shift edits and stock adjustments. This way, you can likely boost revenue and cut costs without adding extra work.

What’s the best restaurant AI tool for small businesses?

Toast IQ is the best restaurant AI tool for small businesses because it’s native to the Toast platform. Therefore, small restaurants with fewer resources don’t need to bolt on extra systems or hire data specialists. It works inside the platform that many already use.

Can AI improve customer experience in restaurants?

Yes. For example, Toast IQ’s Digital Chits feature pulls guest details (like past visits, preferences, or special occasions) and displays them at the server’s handheld or terminal. This helps staff tailor the experience (e.g., “Welcome back, we saved your favorite drink”) rather than rely on memory or guesswork.

Disclaimer

*The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. References to third-party products or services, including those offering dynamic pricing, do not constitute endorsement or partnership by Toast, Inc. Toast does not condone, encourage, or take responsibility for the use or outcomes of any dynamic pricing strategies or third-party tools mentioned. Restaurants should carefully evaluate their own operational, legal, and ethical considerations before implementing any pricing or technology solutions that may impact their guests or business practices.