The State of Restaurant Phone Communication: Insights from 1 Million+ Calls

Maple's 2024-2025 Restaurant Call Data Report

Executive Summary

Maple analyzed over 1.2 million calls across 1,000+ restaurant and local business locations from December 2023 to November 2025 to understand how restaurants handle phone communication and what they're leaving on the table. The findings reveal significant gaps in phone answering during peak hours, with clear revenue implications for operators.

Key Findings

• Restaurants miss 33% of incoming calls during peak service hours
• 68% of all calls occur during lunch (11am to 2pm) and dinner (5pm to 9pm) rushes
• The average unanswered call represents $85 in potential lost revenue
• AI-powered phone answering resolves 92% of calls without human intervention
• Merchants using Maple recover an estimated $2,800 in monthly revenue from previously missed calls

Methodology

This report analyzes 1.2 million calls handled by Maple's voice AI platform between December 2023 and November 2025 across 1,000+ merchant locations. Data includes call volume, timing, resolution rates, call types, and duration. All merchants are U.S.-based restaurants and local businesses.

Finding 1: The Peak Hour Problem

Restaurants receive the highest call volume exactly when staff are least available to answer.

Call Volume by Hour (% of daily calls)

Call Volume by Day of Week

Before implementing Maple, merchants reported missing an estimated 33% of incoming calls during peak hours, when hosts are seating guests, servers are turning tables, and the phone becomes an afterthought.

Finding 2: What Callers Actually Want

Not every call is a reservation. Understanding call intent helps restaurants prioritize and automate appropriately.

Breakdown of Call Types

The data shows that 92% of calls can be fully resolved without human intervention, freeing staff to focus on in-person hospitality.

Finding 3: Speed Matters

Caller patience is limited. Our data shows:

• Average time to answer (with Maple): 2.3 seconds
• Average call duration: 1 minute 45 seconds
• 97% of calls answered within 3 rings
• Caller abandonment rate (pre-Maple): 42%
• Caller abandonment rate (with Maple): 2%

Finding 4: The Revenue Impact

Every missed call has a cost. Based on average party size and check averages reported by Maple merchants:

Merchants using Maple report recovering an average of $2,800 per month in revenue from calls that would have previously gone unanswered.

Finding 5: Resolution Without Escalation

Maple's voice AI resolves the vast majority of calls without requiring staff involvement.

Conclusion

Phone communication remains critical to restaurant operations. 58% of reservations still originate from phone calls, not apps or online booking. Yet most restaurants lack the staffing to answer every call, especially during peak hours.

The data is clear: missed calls mean missed revenue. Restaurants that invest in reliable phone answering, whether through staffing, technology, or a combination, stand to recover significant revenue that would otherwise walk out the door.

About Maple

Maple is a voice AI company providing 24/7 phone answering for restaurants and local businesses. Since launching in December 2023, Maple has served over 1,000 merchants, processed more than 1 million calls, and integrates with leading platforms including OpenTable, Toast, Square, Clover, Oracle, and Shift4/SkyTab.

For more information, visit maple.inc.

Methodology

This report analyzes 1.2 million calls handled by Maple's voice AI platform between December 2023 and November 2025 across 1,000+ merchant locations in the United States.Call data was collected directly from Maple's voice AI platform, which records metadata for every inbound call including timestamp, duration, call type, resolution status, and outcome. Call types were categorized using Maple's intent classification system, which identifies caller intent (reservation, order, FAQ, etc.) in real time. Revenue estimates are based on merchant-reported averages for party size and check value, collected during onboarding and periodic account reviews. Actual results may vary by location, cuisine type, market, and seasonality. "Revenue at risk" calculations assume a conversion rate based on observed reservation completion rates within the Maple platform. Estimates of missed calls prior to Maple implementation are based on merchant self-reporting during onboarding surveys and discovery calls. These figures represent approximations and may not reflect exact historical call volumes. This analysis reflects data from restaurants using Maple's platform and may not be representative of all U.S. restaurants. Merchants using Maple may differ from non-users in size, call volume, or operational maturity. For questions about methodology, data access, or media inquiries, contact press@maple.inc.