AI receptionist for caterers: every event enquiry arrives complete.
Sayelo, the AI voice agent and AI receptionist for caterers, answers 24/7. Date, venue, number of guests, package and budget noted, tastings booked in the calendar, enquiry passed on for the quote, festive orders taken with their collection date. From €39/month excl. VAT, 14-day free trial, no set-up fees.
In the kitchen in the morning, out on deliveries in the afternoon, at a wedding in the evening: a caterer is never near the phone when a client calls about their event. Sayelo answers, notes the date, the venue, the number of guests, the package and the budget, books the tasting appointment in your calendar and passes the enquiry on to you so you can draw up the quote. It takes no payment over the phone. The AI announces itself in its very first sentence.
from €39 excl. VAT/month afterwards · no commitment · the AI announces itself on every call
A caterer sells events that are planned months in advance, but receives enquiries when least available: in the kitchen, out on a delivery or in the middle of service. Calls come in incomplete, as the seasons dictate, and on the day itself, a missed call can throw an entire reception into disarray. Knowing which questions to ask on every call and how to call a client back from the summary saves weeks.
While you cook, Sayelo's AI receptionist takes your calls, as back-up for the team and never as a replacement. It introduces itself as an AI, gathers the date, venue, number of guests, package and budget, books the tasting in your calendar, takes festive orders and passes every enquiry on to you for the quote. It takes no payment over the phone. Voicemail collects a vague message, and a call answering service doesn't know your packages. Hotels and bakeries and patisseries use the same agent for their enquiries.
Day to day
What caterers deal with on the phone.
Never near the phone
Prep in the kitchen, loading the van, service at a venue: a caterer's day is spent far from the office. The couple calling about their wedding get voicemail and contact the next name on their list.
Enquiries that can't be priced
“There'll be lots of us, it's for this summer” tells you neither the exact date, nor the venue, nor the package, nor the budget. Before you can price it, you have to call back, sometimes several times, and meanwhile the client is comparing.
The seasons pile up
Weddings in spring and summer, corporate events in September, office parties and Christmas and New Year's Eve orders in December: enquiries come in waves, just when the kitchen is busiest.
On the day, the call that can't wait
A driver who can't find the venue, a client announcing extra guests, a venue bringing forward the access time. On that day, the call has to reach the right person straight away, not a voicemail box.
How much are your missed calls costing you? Work it out in one minute with the calculator.
What the agent does
What your AI receptionist does for a caterer.
Notes every event enquiry in full
Type of event, date, venue, number of guests, preferred package (drinks reception, buffet, sit-down meal or platters), budget, waiting staff, crockery and equipment. The agent asks your questions in order and reads the enquiry back before hanging up.
Books tasting appointments
In the slots you open, at your production kitchen or your shop, with the number of people coming to taste. Confirmation by SMS, reminder the day before, and a cancellation frees the slot up in your calendar.
Passes the enquiry on for the quote
The agent prices nothing. It sends you a complete enquiry sheet by email after the call, which your quoting software can receive by webhook. You call the client back with a proposal, not with a list of questions.
Takes festive orders
Platters, canapés, festive menus, foie gras, Yule logs: it takes the order from the menu you've set up, with the date and the collection or delivery slot, and applies your order deadlines.
Records diets and requirements
Vegetarian meals, pork-free meals, allergies mentioned, children's menus, supplier meals: it notes everything just as the client says it and passes it on to you. Allergen assurances remain yours: it never commits itself on this point.
Puts calls through on the day
A lost driver, a venue changing the access time, a client already on site: thanks to per-contact instructions and transfer rules, the call goes straight to the person in charge of the event.
Emergencies
Emergencies: what gets transferred, and when.
- Event day, client or venue calling: immediate transfer to the person in charge of the event, according to your hours
- Guest taken ill, allergic reaction, someone injured on site: instruction to call the emergency services, then an immediate alert to your team
- Delivery under way, address or access can't be found: transfer to the driver or the head chef
- New event enquiry: taken in full, tasting if needed, then the enquiry sheet passed on for the quote
- Festive order: taken from your menu and within your deadlines, payment on collection or delivery
You decide who receives calls on the day of an event, and at which times: your mobile for a Saturday wedding, the kitchen for a lunchtime delivery, the office for quotes. The venues and event planners you work with are recognised by their number and can be given priority.
Each transfer number can be offered only at certain times, in your country's time zone: an on-call line in the evening and at weekends then takes priority over the usual number. Outside these times, the agent takes a message and sends it to you. The transfer is direct: if nobody answers, the caller reaches the voicemail of the transfer number.
Step by step
A typical call, from the first ring to the summary.
Picking up
The agent answers during the kitchen rush, and introduces itself as the caterer's AI assistant.
The event
Wedding, birthday, corporate event, christening, company drinks reception or festive order. It identifies the request.
The details
Date, venue, number of guests, package, budget, diets. It notes everything and reads it back to the client.
Tasting or transfer
For a wedding, a tasting in your calendar. On the day of an event, an immediate transfer according to your rules.
The SMS
The client receives the tasting confirmation, the address of your production kitchen or the link to your brochure, with their consent.
The project sheet
After the call, an event sheet by email, ready for the quote, with the full transcript.
Calendar and tools
Your appointments in your calendar, your calls in your tools.
Tastings go into your calendar (Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com). Each event sheet is sent by email and can go to your quoting software by webhook. If you track your events in monday.com, the agent tells the client what stage their booking has reached, in your words, and can write the call report in the booking's update thread. The link to your brochure or your festive menu is sent by SMS during the call, with the client's consent.
- Your calendar read live, in Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com: real slots, double-booking lock, confirmation and SMS reminder the day before
- SMS sent during the call, with the caller's consent: address, booking link, instructions you've prepared
- Email summary after every call, full transcript, and webhooks to your business software
Sellsy and monday.com connected natively, all your other tools via outbound webhooks. All integrations →
Number and setup
Your number, your setup.
You keep your current number by forwarding it to your agent's number. Your agent also receives a number according to your country's rules: see Sayelo in your country.
Ready in 5 minutes: your agent guides you in writing, on WhatsApp or with a form, reads your website, and you listen to its voice before choosing it. Our team then fine-tunes the settings with you. Numbers and telephony are provided by a partner operator registered with ARCEP (the French telecoms regulator). How it works →
Comparison
Voicemail, call answering service or Sayelo?
| Voicemail | Call answering service | Sayelo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available 24/7 | Passive | Extended hours | Round the clock |
| Immediate answer | — | Queue | Yes |
| Date, venue, guests and budget noted | No | Depends on the script | Yes, complete enquiry sheet |
| Tasting booked in the calendar | No | To be called back | Yes, during the call |
| Event-day call transferred to the person in charge | No | Rarely | Yes, according to your rules |
| Summary & transcript | No | Varies | Yes |
| Cost | Low, ineffective | High | Fixed, from €39/month excl. VAT |
Pricing
Clear pricing, from €39/month excl. VAT.
14-day free trial. No fixed-term commitment: cancel at any time, with 30 days' notice. Minutes, SMS and the number of agents depend on the plan: see pricing and plan details →
Frequently asked questions
Questions from caterers.
What information does it note for an event?
Whatever you consider necessary for the quote: type of event, date, venue, number of guests, package, budget, waiting staff, crockery, special diets, contact details. It asks the questions in the order you've chosen and reads the enquiry back to the client before hanging up.
Can it draw up a quote?
No. It gathers the enquiry and passes it on to you; you do the pricing. It can give an indicative price if you've given it one, for a platter package for example, exactly as given and without commitment.
How does it book tastings?
In the slots you set aside for tastings in your calendar, with the number of people expected. The client receives a confirmation by SMS and a reminder the day before, and a postponement frees the slot up for another couple.
Does it take Christmas and New Year's Eve orders?
Yes, from the festive menu you've set up: products, quantities, day and time of collection or delivery. It applies your order deadlines and gives the collection slots you've provided.
What does it do on the day of an event?
It applies your event-day rules: the venue, the client or the driver are transferred to the person in charge of the event, at the times you've defined. If nobody can answer, it takes a short message, sent straight away by email, and by SMS if you've switched on notifications.
Does it take the deposit?
No, no payment goes through the agent on the phone. The deposit, signing the quote and payment happen as usual, between you and the client. The agent can only state your deposit terms, exactly as you've written them.
Do your clients know an AI is answering?
Yes, from the very first sentence. A couple planning their wedding mainly want their date and venue noted correctly, and a callback with a proposal. That's exactly what happens, while you're in the kitchen.
Updated on 21 October 2026.
Other industries
Sayelo for other industries.
- the AI voice agent for takeaways: Takeaway orders taken from the menu with name, time, sizes and extras, delivery area checked, order sent to the counter: the rush no longer rings unanswered.
- taking flower orders by phone: Celebration and funeral orders taken with tact, venue, date and ribbon message noted, delivery area checked, passed on to the florist for approval.
- phone answering for hotels: Booking requests noted and passed to reception, practical questions answered, in the guest's language, day and night.
Guides: AI receptionist: the complete guide · Multilingual phone answering for a small business · Peak hours on the phone: the method · Qualifying incoming calls: the right questions
Hear it answer
before you decide.
The agent calls you back on your mobile and plays the receptionist for a caterer. Three minutes, free, no bank card needed.