Stop Losing High-Potential Customers to Scattered Lead Notes Capture and Nurture Every Reservation and Catering Inquiry Seamlessly
Imagine turning a quick walk-in inquiry into a loyal regular without the chaos of sticky notes and endless emails. Our custom CRM cuts lead drop-off by 65% for busy restaurants like yours, freeing you to focus on what you love: creating memorable dining experiences.
Join 150+ food service businesses with streamlined lead management
The "Lead Chaos" Problem
Leads Slipping Through During Peak Hours Like Brunch Rushes or Dinner Surges
Manual Follow-Ups Eating Into Kitchen Prep and Table Service Time
Fragmented Notes Across Staff Shifts, From Day Prep Crew to Night Servers
Missing Catering Opportunities During Busy Seasons Like Holidays or Wedding Peaks
No Visibility on Repeat Visitor Potential for Building Loyalty in Dine-In or Takeout
Overloaded Reservation Systems Ignoring Sales Leads from Walk-Ins or Phone Inquiries
Tailored CRM Built for Your Restaurant's Rhythm
We've helped over 50 food service spots ditch generic tools for systems that actually match their hustle
Why Choose Us
Let's be honest, off-the-shelf CRMs treat your restaurant like just another business, ignoring the rush of dinner service or the nuance of catering bids. We build a custom AI-powered CRM from the ground up, integrated with your POS, reservation software, and email. It's flexible, handling everything from walk-ins to event inquiries, all while prioritizing operational efficiency so your team stays customer-focused. You're probably thinking, 'Does this scale with my seasonal peaks?' Absolutely—it's designed for your exact workflow, like a perfectly timed plating in your kitchen.
What Makes Us Different:
Why This Fits Your Restaurant Like a Glove
Turn Inquiries into Bookings Faster
Turn Inquiries into Bookings Faster: No more leads vanishing in email inboxes during the lunch rush. Our system auto-captures details from calls or online forms, scores them by urgency—like spotting a 20-person party on a slow Tuesday night—and prompts your host for immediate follow-up via text. Restaurants see 35% more table bookings and catering gigs within the first week.
Streamline Ops Without Sacrificing Guest Experience
Streamline Ops Without Sacrificing Guest Experience: Here's the thing: juggling leads pulls focus from your tables and kitchen line. We automate nurturing with personalized touches, like suggesting a signature cocktail for past visitors based on their order history, while keeping everything in one view integrated with your POS. This cuts admin time by 20 hours a week, letting your staff shine on the floor and boost tips.
Scale for Busy Seasons and Beyond
Scale for Busy Seasons and Beyond: Think of it as your secret sauce for growth. During holiday rushes or summer patio booms, the CRM predicts high-value leads from corporate event planners and prioritizes them with alerts, preventing overload on your reservation queue. One client handled 40% more off-site catering without adding staff, all because it flexes to your unique peaks like weekend brunches and lulls in mid-week.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ Labs, our leads were all over the place—notes scribbled on order pads, missed calls during the Saturday brunch rush. Now, the custom CRM grabs every inquiry from our website and texts the manager instantly, even pulling in group size details. We booked three extra private dining events last month alone, and it's saved my sanity on those back-to-back double shifts."
Maria Gonzalez
General Manager, Bella Italia Bistro (Italian Restaurant in Chicago)
"I was skeptical about another system, but this one's built around our OpenTable flow and integrates seamlessly with our POS. It scores leads based on group size and past visits, like flagging a family of six who's dined before, so we chase the right ones without disrupting service. Turned a casual inquiry into a $5K corporate lunch series—without the usual back-and-forth emails during peak hours."
Tom Reilly
Owner, Riverside Grill (Riverside Seafood Spot in Austin)
"Our team was drowning in follow-up tasks after the evening dinner rush, with notes scattered across shift changes. The AIQ setup automates it all, integrating with our POS for real-time updates on reservations and preferences. We've cut no-shows by 25% through smart reminders and gained 15 new regulars in two months via targeted re-engagement emails. It's like having an extra host who never sleeps, especially during our busy patio season."
Sasha Patel
Operations Director, Spice Haven (Indian Fusion Eatery in San Francisco)
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery Chat
We dive into your daily grind—peak hours, lead sources like phone bookings or social DMs—and map out pain points. No fluff, just understanding your restaurant's unique flow.
Custom Blueprint
Together, we sketch the CRM tailored to you: integrations with your tools, AI features for lead prioritization. It's flexible, adjusting for things like weekend surges or slow weekdays.
Build and Launch
Our engineers code it up, test during a real shift simulation, and roll it out with training. You own it fully—no subscriptions, just seamless leads flowing into your operations.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this custom CRM handle our peak dinner rush without slowing things down?
Great question—rushes are the heartbeat of restaurants, and we've designed our CRM to keep up. It runs lightweight automations in the background, like instantly logging a phone inquiry without interrupting your host's flow. For instance, when a group of 10 calls for a last-minute spot, the system scores it high-priority and pings your manager via text or app notification. No clunky interfaces during service. We've tested this with clients who handle 200+ covers nightly, reducing manual entry by 70% so your team stays focused on guests. It's all about that seamless integration, feeling like an extension of your operations rather than another tool to babysit.
Can it integrate with our existing POS and reservation system?
Absolutely, and that's where we shine. You're probably using something like Toast or Square, right? We build deep, two-way connections that pull in real-time data—like available tables or past orders—without the usual sync lags. For a client with OpenTable, we synced lead details so reservation notes auto-populate with preferences, cutting setup time per booking. No more double-entry errors that frustrate customers. Our approach ensures everything flows into one unified dashboard, tailored to your workflow. If your setup is quirky, we customize the bridges to fit perfectly, saving you hours weekly on admin that steals from kitchen creativity.
What makes this different from off-the-shelf CRMs like HubSpot for restaurants?
Here's the thing: generic CRMs are like a one-size-fits-all apron—they pinch in the wrong places for food service. HubSpot's great for broad sales, but it doesn't grasp nuances like seasonal catering spikes or walk-in vs. reserved lead types. We craft yours specifically: AI that learns your patterns, scoring a brunch inquiry higher than a late-night bar crowd based on your margins. A bistro we worked with ditched their template system because it couldn't handle shift handoffs; ours does, with custom alerts that keep leads alive across teams. It's built for your exact needs—flexible, owned by you, and efficient, turning lead chaos into a steady stream of bookings without the bloat.
How long does it take to see results from the custom CRM?
Quick wins come fast, often within the first two weeks. We prioritize high-impact features like auto-capture and basic scoring during setup, so you start seeing leads organized and followed up without manual hassle. For a cafe chain, leads from their loyalty app were scattering; post-launch, they booked 20% more events in month one by nurturing overlooked inquiries. Full customization takes 4-6 weeks, depending on integrations, but we phase it so you're operational early. Think of it like prepping a signature dish: the base is ready quick, then we layer in your flavors for that perfect fit. Your team gets training to hit the ground running, minimizing any learning curve during busy seasons.
Is this CRM scalable if my restaurant expands to multiple locations?
Yes, scalability is baked in from day one. We design it modular, so adding a second spot means syncing leads across sites without rebuilding—think centralized scoring that flags a high-value chain inquiry for the right venue. A growing taco chain we built for started with one location and expanded to three; the system auto-routed catering leads by proximity and capacity, boosting conversions by 30% group-wide. No performance dips during peaks, thanks to robust architecture. It's flexible for your growth trajectory, whether franchising or just adding outdoor seating. We even include multi-location dashboards for oversight, ensuring efficiency as you scale while keeping that personal touch customers love.
How do you ensure the CRM protects customer data in a regulated industry like food service?
Data security is non-negotiable, especially with guest allergies or preferences involved. We build with end-to-end encryption and compliance to standards like GDPR and PCI for any payment ties. Features like role-based access mean only front-of-house sees reservation details, not full profiles. For a diner we customized, we added audit logs for lead interactions, helping them pass health inspections smoothly. No third-party dependencies that could leak info—it's all yours, hosted securely. We conduct regular audits and train your team on best practices, so you focus on hospitality, not worries. It's like a locked walk-in cooler: everything's safe, accessible only to who needs it, and always fresh for compliance checks.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.