Phone Scripts for a Restaurant: 5 Steps to Hospitality
During peak hours, the landline rings constantly in a noisy venue. Staff serve dishes. Callers are often rushed off the phone after four rings. Well-thought-out phone scripts for a restaurant immediately resolve this tension for both sides. In this article, I review 5 practical tips to turn a missed call into a warm welcome.
1. The Welcome Message: From Chaos to Clarity
A welcome message is the greeting callers hear immediately when the connection is made, before anyone picks up.
Consider a popular eatery on a Friday night.
Before the change: The phone rings and rings. A breathless employee picks up. Cutlery clatters in the background. The caller hears: "Hello, it's the restaurant, can you hold?" This leads to guest irritation and team stress.
After the change: The caller immediately hears a calm voice: "Welcome to Brasserie De Markt. We are currently setting tables for dinner. Please hold the line. We will be with you shortly." Even if there is a short wait, the guest feels acknowledged. In the studio, I notice daily that a calm cadence immediately reassures the caller.
2. Structuring Your Opening Hours and Reservations
A script should answer common questions before a guest even speaks to a staff member. Guests usually call about three things: booking a table, checking opening hours, or mentioning a dietary request.
A clear menu or informative message manages these calls. Make sure your text includes these three elements:
- First, state your opening hours and kitchen closing time.
- Clearly refer to the online reservation system on your website.
- State when your team is available by phone for larger groups or event packages.
As a director's tip, I always advise: pay attention to the reading pace for practical information. In the studio, dates or times are often spoken too quickly. A professional voice actor adds a little more pause between opening days and hours. This gives the caller time to process the information.
3. The Script During Service
During lunch or dinner, the focus is entirely on the guests in the dining area. Callers should not encounter an endlessly ringing phone.
Consider the difference in approach:
- Previously: "We are currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone." Nobody likes leaving a message on an anonymous voicemail. Potential guests simply call another establishment.
- Today: "Thank you for calling. Our guests are currently enjoying lunch. Our host will be happy to answer all your questions between 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM. Meanwhile, you can easily make an online reservation via our website."
By offering guests an alternative, you do not lose reservations. Our actors, often booked for Belgian productions, know exactly how to make such a message sound friendly and inviting without being impersonal.
4. Closing Days and Annual Leave
During a collective holiday or a weekly closing day, you want to provide clarity. A concise message prevents people from finding a closed door.
When a restaurant closes for two weeks for a building holiday, a simple "We are on holiday" message is too brief. A detailed script states the exact return date and when reservations open for the new period. Our voice actors regularly record such texts for Flemish hospitality businesses. They focus on the prospect of welcoming guests again soon.
5. The Right Tone for Your Type of Venue
Every hospitality establishment has its own atmosphere. A student pub requires different language than a Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant.In the studio, we match the voice character to your business's atmosphere. For a bistro in Antwerp or Ghent, we often choose an approachable, warm Flemish voice. If you operate across borders or target a broad audience in the Low Countries, a Dutch voice from our database might be a perfect fit for a business concept. The goal always stays the same: the feeling of hospitality starts on the phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a phone message for a hospitality business be?
Keep a welcome message or voicemail under 30 seconds. Callers want to quickly know what to expect. Limit the text to the essentials: greeting, current availability, and an alternative like online booking.
Should I choose a regional accent or neutral Dutch?
For a local brasserie, a recognisable, light Flemish accent can be charming and welcoming. For a hotel-restaurant with international clients, a neutral pronunciation or a multilingual recording in French and English is more suitable.
Should I add music under the spoken text?
Background music helps fill silences and immediately sets the right mood. Choose calm sounds that suit your business's decor, and ensure the music's volume never overpowers the voice.
Do you want to work with texts that perform well in practice? Then feel free to look at our example texts for inspiration, or contact us so we can determine the right tone for your business together.
Frequently asked questions
Short and to the point. Click to see the answer.
What does a professional phone message cost?
The price depends on how long your text is and which message you need (welcome, menu or hold). As soon as you pick a voice, you see what it costs. Hold music is optional.
How much does a professional voice-over cost?
The price depends on three factors: the medium (corporate video, radio advert, telephony), the licence duration (1 year, unlimited) and the script length. With Voices, you see the exact price per voice artist before you order. No surprises later on.
A short corporate video starts from a modest amount. A radio advert with national reach costs more due to the buyout (broadcasting rights). Telephone messages are generally the most affordable.
Tip: enter your script for the voice of your choice and you will instantly see the cost.
What exactly does a buy-out entail in voice-over?
A buy-out is the right to use your recording on a medium (radio, TV, online, telephony) for an agreed period. You'll see it reflected in your price before payment on /tarieven/.
Learn more: buy-out explained · dictionary.
Is a home demo as good as a studio demo?
- The demo on the profile is your reference. Professional home studios deliver quality suitable for TV, radio, online, and telephony. You explicitly schedule live direction or an external studio in your brief. More: home demo versus studio.
