For Restaurants Juggling Peak Shifts and Thin Margins

Stop Wasting Hours on Manual Inventory Checks and Peak-Time Chaos with Custom AI Built for Your Kitchen

Imagine cutting food waste by 25% and streamlining orders without the hassle of mismatched apps—our tailored systems make it happen, just like they did for a busy bistro that saved $12,000 in their first year.

Join 250+ restaurants boosting efficiency and delighting diners

Automate order routing to keep your front-of-house humming
Predict busy nights to staff smarter, not harder
Track inventory in real-time so nothing spoils unnoticed

The "Fragmented Ops" Problem

Endless manual inventory counts of perishables like fresh produce and proteins disrupting prep time for mise en place

POS systems clashing with supplier apps for ingredient deliveries during rush hour, delaying restocking of high-turnover items like sauces and garnishes

Unpredictable staffing needs for line cooks and servers leading to overtime overruns during variable covers

Customer complaints piling up from slow table turnarounds in high-traffic dining areas

Recipe scaling errors in batch cooking wasting ingredients like herbs and dairy, eroding kitchen profits

Missed reservation patterns for peak dining windows causing empty seats and lost revenue on busy nights

Your Custom AI Blueprint: Tailored for Restaurant Realities

We've powered over 150 food service spots, from cozy cafes to high-volume diners, turning chaos into clockwork.

Why Choose Us

Let's be honest—you're probably thinking another tool won't fit your quirky kitchen setup. Here's the thing: we don't slap on templates. We dive into your exact workflow, like how your brunch rush spikes differently on weekends, and build AI that owns it. No more juggling apps that break when the grill heats up. Our multi-service approach weaves everything—inventory, staffing, orders—into one seamless system you truly own. Think of it as crafting a signature dish: every ingredient custom-mixed for your taste, flexible enough to tweak as your menu evolves.

What Makes Us Different:

Deep-dive audit of your daily ops to pinpoint bottlenecks
Custom AI models trained on your sales data for spot-on forecasts
Seamless integration with your POS, suppliers, and schedulers

Unlock Efficiency That Tastes Like Success

Slash Food Waste and Boost Margins

Slash Food Waste and Boost Margins: Our AI forecasts demand like a seasoned chef reading the room, analyzing past ticket times, seasonal menu trends, and weather patterns to order just right for proteins and veggies. One cafe cut spoilage by 30% on items like lettuce and salmon, saving $8K yearly—imagine that extra cash funding your next seasonal menu revamp in just 6 months.

Streamline Staffing for Smoother Shifts

Streamline Staffing for Smoother Shifts: Predict busy periods with precision using historical cover counts and event calendars, so you're not overstaffed on slow Tuesdays or short on Saturday nights with extra servers. A family-owned diner reduced overtime by 40 hours a week across front-of-house and back-of-house, letting managers focus on guest smiles instead of scramble during peak service.

Elevate Guest Experiences Without the Hassle

Elevate Guest Experiences Without the Hassle: AI handles reservations and waitlist magic, suggesting optimal seating arrangements in your floor plan to turn tables faster without rushing diners. Picture this: a tapas spot increased covers by 15% during 7-9 PM peaks, all while reviews jumped from 'good' to 'unforgettable' on platforms like Yelp—no extra hires needed, just smarter flow.

What Clients Say

"Before AIQ Labs, our inventory was a nightmare—manual counts after close meant tired eyes and thrown-out produce like overripe tomatoes and wilting greens every shift. Now, the system flags low items mid-prep, and we've dropped waste from 12% to under 5% in three months. It's like having an extra line cook who never sleeps and knows our menu inside out."

Maria Gonzalez

Owner, La Cocina Bistro (a 50-seat neighborhood spot in Chicago specializing in Spanish tapas)

"We were drowning in mismatched apps during lunch rushes; orders for spices and rice got lost, customers waited forever for their curries. Their custom setup ties our POS to suppliers perfectly—cut order errors by half in the first month, and our team's way less stressed during the 12-2 PM chaos."

Raj Patel

General Manager, Spice Route Eatery (an Indian fusion restaurant with 80 covers in Austin, TX)

"Staffing was guesswork, always short on line cooks for Fridays' seafood specials. This AI looks at reservations, walk-ins, and historical check averages to suggest shifts a week ahead. Saved us $4,500 in last quarter's labor costs on grill and expo roles, and honestly, everyone's happier coming to work now without the last-minute scrambles."

Elena Vasquez

Operations Lead, Harbor Grill (a waterfront seafood eatery seating 120 in Seattle)

Simple 3-Step Process

Step 1

Discovery Chat

We hop on a call to unpack your daily grind—from peak-hour bottlenecks to supplier syncs—so we get your unique rhythm.

Step 2

Custom Blueprint

Our team sketches a tailored plan, building AI models that fit your menu, staff, and customer flow like a glove—no off-the-shelf nonsense.

Step 3

Build and Launch

We code, test, and integrate everything into your ops, training your team so it's smooth sailing from day one.

Why We're Different

We build from scratch with code, not drag-and-drop, so your system scales as your restaurant grows—unlike agencies stuck in no-code limits.
True ownership means no endless subscriptions; you control the tech, dodging the 'subscription chaos' that eats 20% of small restaurant budgets.
Our engineers live the food service grind—we've optimized for real scenarios like variable shift patterns, not vague 'business' fixes.
Deep integrations that won't break under pressure, like during a full-house Friday, where off-the-shelf tools often glitch.
Focus on your exact workflow: we map your kitchen's chaos first, ensuring AI enhances efficiency without disrupting the vibe.
Proven in-house platforms mean we deliver production-ready solutions, not prototypes that fizzle out after launch.
We prioritize operational efficiency and customer experience, blending AI to keep diners happy and your margins healthy.
No superficial connections—our two-way APIs sync data across POS, inventory, and HR in real-time for a single truth source.
Tailored for SMB restaurants: we get the thin margins and high stakes, building flexible systems that adapt to menu changes.
End-to-end support post-launch, tweaking as needed, because we know restaurant life isn't static like a template assumes.

What's Included

AI-driven inventory forecasting tied to your POS sales data
Automated order routing from front-of-house to kitchen displays
Smart staffing scheduler predicting rushes from reservations
Custom recipe scaler adjusting portions based on expected covers
Integrated supplier ordering with real-time price comparisons
Guest personalization engine for loyalty program recommendations
Peak-hour demand analyzer for dynamic pricing suggestions
Waste tracking dashboard highlighting patterns in spoilage
Seamless reservation system with waitlist optimization
Multi-location sync for chain restaurants managing multiple sites
Voice-activated kitchen assistant for hands-free updates
Compliance-ready reporting for health inspections and audits

Common Questions

How does your custom AI handle the unpredictability of restaurant rushes?

Restaurants live by the rush—brunch surges or unexpected crowds can throw everything off. Our AI learns from your historical data, like past Friday nights or weather impacts on walk-ins, to predict and prep. We build it into your workflow, automating alerts for extra hands or inventory pulls. Take a client with variable tourist traffic: their system now flags busy patterns 48 hours ahead, cutting scramble time by 35%. It's flexible, too—tweak it for seasonal menus without starting over. No generic forecasts here; it's tuned to your spot's vibe, ensuring smooth ops even on wild nights.

Will this integrate with my existing POS and kitchen tools?

Absolutely, integration is our bread and butter. We don't replace what works; we connect it. Say you've got Toast POS and a separate inventory app—we create deep, two-way links so orders flow instantly to the kitchen printer and stock updates happen live. One diner we helped synced their system in under two weeks, eliminating double-entry errors that used to cost them hours daily. It's built tough for food service chaos, with backups to prevent downtime during peaks. You're not locked in; we own the code, so updates are yours to control.

What's the timeline for building a custom AI solution?

It depends on your setup, but most restaurants see a working prototype in 4-6 weeks. We start with a quick audit of your ops—mapping out things like order volume and staff shifts—then build iteratively. A busy taco joint went from consult to launch in five weeks, testing during off-hours to avoid disruptions. Full rollout includes training, so your team adapts fast. Post-launch, we monitor for tweaks, like adjusting for a new happy hour. It's not rushed; we prioritize a perfect fit over speed, saving you more time long-term.

How much does a custom AI system cost for a small restaurant?

Costs vary by needs, but for a core multi-service setup—like inventory and staffing AI—expect $15K-$30K upfront, with no ongoing fees since you own it. Compare that to $500/month subscriptions stacking up to $6K yearly, plus integration headaches. A cafe with 20 seats invested $18K and recouped it in four months through waste cuts and faster service. We break it down transparently: audit first, then a fixed quote. It's an asset, not expense—boosting your bottom line like prime real estate for your digital kitchen.

Can this AI improve customer satisfaction in my eatery?

Yes, by smoothing the backend, your front-of-house shines. AI optimizes table turns, personalizes orders based on past visits, and even suggests upsells via staff tablets. Imagine wait times dropping 20% because reservations sync perfectly—no more overbooked sections. A seafood spot we built for saw Yelp scores rise from 4.1 to 4.7 in three months, thanks to quicker service and spot-on recommendations. It's subtle: customers feel the care without knowing the tech magic. We train it on your guest data for that warm, familiar touch, keeping them coming back.

Is the system secure for handling sensitive restaurant data?

Security is non-negotiable in food service, with recipes, supplier deals, and guest info at stake. We use enterprise-grade encryption and compliance standards like GDPR for data flows. Your POS integrations are fortified against breaches—think role-based access so only kitchen staff see inventory, not full recipes. A client in a regulated area passed audits effortlessly post-implementation, avoiding fines that hit $10K for others. We audit regularly and own the code, so no third-party vulnerabilities. It's built like a locked walk-in: everything protected, access controlled.

Ready to Get Started?

Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.