Friday evening, the restaurant phone rings every two minutes, and the host is seating guests at the same time. Some calls go unanswered. Some of those guests book elsewhere. A Telegram bot does not get busy and does not put anyone on hold.
What the bot handles
A restaurant bot is not a gimmick. It takes over the repetitive conversations that eat staff time:
- Table bookings. Date, time, number of guests, a comment like "birthday" or "need a high chair".
- Menu and prices. A link or a PDF, or the menu right inside the chat.
- Hours, address, parking. The questions guests ask most often.
- Banquets and events. A short form for group requests that goes to the manager.
- Reminders. A message a few hours before the booking cuts down on no-shows.
Each request appears in the manager's Telegram instantly, with all details in one message.
Why Telegram works in Armenia
Telegram is one of the main messengers here, used by locals, by the large Russian-speaking community and by many visitors. For guests that means no new app and no account. For staff it means notifications on the phone they already carry.
A bot can also speak three languages. A tourist gets English, a Russian-speaking guest gets Russian, and a local gets Armenian, depending on the language of their Telegram app.
Bot, website or both?
| Tool | Best for | Kinto price |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram bot | Bookings, questions, reminders | $500 |
| Restaurant website | Being found on Google, menu, atmosphere | from $700 |
| Website plus bot | Search traffic and convenient booking | from $1,200 |
| AI assistant | Free-form questions at any hour | $1,200 |
Most restaurants benefit from both. The restaurant website brings people from Google and maps; the bot converts them into bookings. The website's "Book a table" button can simply open the bot.
How a booking flows
- The guest taps "Book" on the website, Instagram or a QR code on the menu.
- The bot asks the date, time and number of guests with buttons, no typing needed.
- The guest adds a name and phone or simply shares their Telegram contact.
- The manager receives the request and confirms with one tap.
- The guest gets the confirmation and a reminder later.
Steps 2 to 4 take less than a minute.
When an AI assistant makes sense
A standard bot works with buttons and fixed answers. That covers most needs. If guests often write long free-form questions ("Do you have vegan options, and can we bring our own cake?"), an AI assistant at $1,200 can answer them in natural language using your menu and rules, and hand off to a human when needed.
What we need from you
- Hours, address, parking details.
- The menu, even as a photo or PDF.
- Booking rules: how many tables, how far ahead, deposit or not.
- Who should receive requests: one manager or a group chat.
The price is fixed in the contract before we start. The bot and its admin access are registered to you.
Our experience
We built the QR menu service qarta.wse.am for restaurants in Yerevan and lead bots for other local businesses, including the request bot behind restorefactory.am. The common lesson: guests book more when it takes three taps instead of a phone call.
Next step
Tell us about your restaurant through the request form or on Telegram at @kinto_am. We reply within 15 minutes between 10:00 and 20:00. More details on the Telegram bot page.
Updated: 2026-10-12