Restaurant phones never stop ringing, but you cannot afford to miss a single call. In this episode of Restaurant Leaders Unplugged, Randall Hom from Hosty AI shares how he went from stressed-out operator in San Francisco to building an AI voice assistant that answers calls, protects hospitality, and turns missed calls into real revenue.
Randall walks us through:
- Growing up in a family of operators and launching his own restaurant, Backpack
- The pain of having calls forwarded to his cell, even on closed days
- Why phone answering is one of the biggest hidden bottlenecks in restaurants
- How Hosty acts like a virtual host - answering questions, handling reservations, and capturing event leads
- A case study with Flour + Water and how sharing walk-in availability drove more traffic
- What it really takes to integrate with tools like Perfect Venue and reservation platforms
- The biggest fears operators have about AI and how to keep hospitality at the center
- Why AI will be an assistant, not a replacement, for great front-of-house teams
- How smaller independent restaurants can use AI to compete with big groups
If you are tired of missed calls, burned-out managers, and lost revenue, this conversation will give you a practical look at where AI voice tech is already working today - and what is coming next.
Connect with our guest:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hostie_ai
Website: https://hostie.ai/
Restaurant Leaders Unplugged with Sebastian Stahl
Follow us on social media to stay updated:
Instagram: @sebastian_stahlb | @breadthrestaurantmarketing
YouTube: @SebastianStahlb
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