Yelp’s AI Receptionist Can Now Take Reservations

The phone at your favorite restaurant might not be answered by a human anymore — and you probably won’t notice the difference. Yelp has just unveiled its latest AI-powered tools, Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist, built to handle everything from reservations to customer queries — all without missing a call.

Let’s be honest: restaurants and local businesses have been understaffed for years. Missed calls, chaotic waitlists, and frustrated customers aren’t rare—they’re routine. Yelp’s new AI aims to fix that, not by replacing people, but by removing the clutter that keeps them from focusing on what matters most: service and hospitality.

The new Yelp Host acts as an AI front-of-house agent that answers calls, manages reservations, modifies bookings, provides real-time wait times, and even notes special requests. Have a question about vegan options or whether dogs are welcome? It’s got you covered. The Host can also text guests menu links, join waitlists, or place pickup and delivery orders—all automatically.

This feature, which was first previewed in April, now launches starting at $149/month (or $99 for Yelp Guest Manager users). Soon, it’ll even be able to add diners directly to the Yelp Waitlist, closing the loop on every dining interaction—without a single missed ring.

Meanwhile, Yelp Receptionist extends this concept beyond restaurants. Designed to handle incoming calls for any business, it can collect lead details, schedule appointments, and respond instantly with pre-trained knowledge drawn from Yelp’s massive business database. Think of it as a 24/7 assistant that never forgets, never sleeps, and never keeps customers waiting.

Initially priced at $99/month, Receptionist will roll out gradually, starting with “eligible” businesses, before expanding to more categories. And because it integrates directly with Yelp’s ecosystem, it’s essentially plug-and-play—ready to answer phones out-of-the-box or provide extra coverage during peak hours.

But Yelp isn’t stopping there. Its fall release includes an AI chatbot assistant (now live in Canada too), a photo-and-review recognition feature that activates when you point your phone at a menu, and an AI-powered voice search that lets you find spots “the way you actually speak.” These updates show Yelp’s commitment to turning everyday interactions into smarter, faster, and more natural experiences.

This shift signals something bigger than just a new software release. Platforms like Yelp, DoorDash, and Google are quietly building a world where AI-to-AI communication becomes normal. Imagine your Google Assistant calling Yelp’s Receptionist to book a dinner for two — no humans involved. That’s not science fiction anymore; it’s where customer experience is headed.

For local businesses, this isn’t about losing control—it’s about gaining breathing room. Instead of juggling calls or manually updating reservation sheets, managers can focus on service, kitchen coordination, and real human connection. It’s the kind of automation that feels less like replacement and more like relief.

While some will raise the “AI replacing jobs” flag, the smarter way to view it is this: AI is taking over repetitive, low-value tasks so humans can deliver high-value experiences. The voice greeting you on the phone may be synthetic, but the smile you get when you walk in the door will still be human.

The service industry has always thrived on connection. What Yelp’s doing is redefining where that connection starts.

AI isn’t here to make hospitality robotic—it’s here to make it more human by removing the chaos that gets in the way.

So next time you call a restaurant and get a perfectly calm, polite voice that never misses a beat, don’t be surprised. You’re not talking to a robot. You’re talking to the next stage of customer service.

Because the real innovation isn’t in automation—it’s in attention.

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If you run a local business, this is your cue to test how AI can handle the busy work—so your team can get back to doing the real work.