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How to Use Dinevate Voice AI

Learn how to use Dinevate Voice AI, the AI phone assistant that answers every call to your restaurant. It takes pickup and delivery orders, books reservations, captures catering requests, and transfers callers to your staff when they need a person, 24/7 in a natural human voice.

What Is Dinevate Voice AI?#

Dinevate Voice AI is an assistant that answers your restaurant's phone for you. When a customer calls, the AI picks up right away, greets them by your restaurant's name, and has a natural conversation, just like a friendly employee at the counter.

It knows your menu inside and out, so it can take real orders over the phone:

  • Pickup and delivery orders: added straight to your kitchen, no typing needed from your team.
  • Reservations: callers can book a table by phone (when you have Dinevate Reservations turned on).
  • Catering requests: big-order inquiries are captured with the caller's details so you can follow up.
  • Everyday questions: hours, location, "do you have gluten-free options?", and more.
  • Transfers to your staff: if a caller says "can I speak to someone?", the call is sent to your phone.

It never puts a caller on hold, never gets overwhelmed, and can handle any number of calls at the same time, even during the Friday night rush. And it works around the clock if you want it to, so late-night callers can order ahead for the next day instead of hanging up on a voicemail.

What It Can Do on a Call#

Your AI assistant is built for how real people actually talk on the phone:

  • Finds items from vague descriptions. A caller can say "that spicy chicken thing" and the AI finds the right item on your menu.
  • Handles messy orders. Multiple items at once, changes mid-sentence, and special requests.
  • Knows your regulars. It recognizes repeat callers by their phone number and greets them with their name and saved details.
  • Lets callers fix mistakes. Forgot the fries? A caller can ring back within a few minutes and the AI updates or cancels the order before the kitchen runs it.
  • Checks order status. "Is my order ready?" Callers can check on a recent order right over the phone.
  • Applies loyalty automatically. If your customer has rewards, they are applied without anyone having to ask.
  • Quotes delivery on the call. Delivery fees and timing are worked out while the customer is still on the phone.
  • Takes scheduled orders. Customers can order now for later today or another day.
  • Tunes out background noise and stops talking when interrupted: it listens like a person, not a robot menu.

How Customers Pay#

No card numbers are ever spoken over the phone. Instead:

  • Card: the AI texts the caller a secure payment link. They tap it and pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or any card in seconds. The order is confirmed the moment they pay.
  • Cash: if you allow it, callers can choose to pay cash when they pick up. (Delivery orders are always paid by card.)

You can turn cash on or off anytime. See the Voice Settings guide.

Where Orders Go#

Placed Voice orders appear with your restaurant's other orders:

  1. The customer places the order and completes any required payment.
  2. Open Order list on Order Manager Home to see it. Automatic acceptance and printing depend on your tablet settings and connected printers.
  3. Open the order to check its source, payment status and fulfillment details. For a cash order, check the amount to collect before completing it.

The tablet does not show live calls. A call in progress is not proof that an order has been placed or paid. If a placed order is missing, pull down on Order list to refresh and follow When an order is missing. See Automatically accept orders for acceptance settings.

Getting Started#

Dinevate Voice AI is managed from your merchant dashboard, and only the restaurant owner account can set it up.

  1. Go to dinevate.com and log in with your owner account.
  2. Open your Merchant Dashboard.
  3. In the left sidebar, click "Dinevate Voice AI".

If Voice is not set up yet, you'll be guided through a short setup wizard:

  1. Restaurant: Confirm your restaurant details.
  2. Settings: Enter your Fallback/Forwarding Phone Number. This is the number the AI transfers calls to when someone asks for a person, so make sure it's a phone your staff actually answers.
  3. Phone: Choose how you want your Voice phone number: Get New Number, Port Existing Number, or Skip for Now. (More on this in the Phone Numbers guide.)
  4. Terms: Review and accept the service terms.
  5. Review: Double-check everything and click "Complete Setup".

That's it. You'll get a welcome email, and your dashboard's Dinevate Voice AI section unlocks with Home, Analytics and Settings pages.

On your tablet? Open Dinevate Voice from Order Manager Home. The owner can choose Request Voice setup when available, then Send setup request. Follow any payment-method instructions first, or use Talk to Dinevate for help. After updating billing at dinevate.com, select Refresh on the tablet. See Voice on Order Manager for status, hours and setup controls.

After Setup: Point Your Callers at Voice#

Once Voice is live:

  • Your website updates itself. The phone number shown on your Dinevate website automatically becomes your Voice number, so web visitors who call get the AI.
  • Update Google. If you got a brand-new Voice number, change the phone number on your Google Business Profile (and any other listings, menus, or flyers) so customers calling from Google reach your AI assistant.
  • Or keep your old number. If you ported your existing number to Voice, nothing changes for your customers: same number, now answered instantly every time.

Good to Know#

A few honest notes so there are no surprises:

  • The AI is very good, but not perfect. Like any employee, it can occasionally mishear or make a mistake. Callers can always ask for a person, and calls that need help are transferred to your fallback number.
  • Review real orders and summary reports. The merchant portal and tablet do not offer conversation history, transcript browsing or recording playback. Use Order list for individual orders and the dashboard's Analytics for overall results.
  • Keep a working staff phone. Dinevate Voice is not a phone company and can't handle emergency calls (911). Always keep a real phone line your staff answers as your fallback.
  • You stay in control. You can pause the AI anytime. One switch sends all calls straight to your restaurant instead.

The Rest of the Voice Guides#

Need Help?#

If something is not working or you have a question, head to your Support Center in the dashboard sidebar and create a new case. Our team will get back to you fast. The full process is covered at the bottom of the Getting Started guide.