Sydney, Australia’s most populated city, is known for its vibrant hospitality scene, bustling venues, and demanding customer expectations. The House of Pocket group operates three popular venues across Sydney, navigating the fast-paced environment with a focus on quality service. But as with many multi-venue operators, balancing guest experience with back-of-house tasks like phone reservations can be a significant challenge.
We spoke with the President of the Independent Bar Association in New South Wales and House of Pocket group CEO Karl Schlothauer about the importance of efficiency when it comes to operating multiple bar venues and how he transformed his venues through the online reservation platform Now Book It & their AI receptionist, Sadie.
The struggle to find enough hours in the day
All hospitality venues often find phone calls arriving at the worst possible moments, right when the floor is busiest. Staff juggling multiple tables can’t always answer the phone promptly, resulting in missed reservation opportunities and frustrated guests.
Research from the National Restaurant Association highlights that unanswered calls cause a significant loss in potential revenue, with 69% of diners in the US indicating they would give up on going to a restaurant if no one answers the phone.
For House of Pocket, answering calls across three venues was increasingly distracting the team from their core mission, serving guests and creating memorable experiences.
“Where do you begin? There is not enough time in the day to address all things equally,” Karl said.
How Now Book It and Sadie helped reclaim 11 hours of staff time
Since integrating Now Book It’s AI receptionist, Sadie, across all of venues, the team has been able to shift their attention back to in-house guests, daily operations, and boosting sales.
Sadie doesn’t just take reservations; she answers queries about menus, promotions, events, and accessibility, all while logging every booking directly into Now Book It’s platform in real time. With the system’s automations such as
“We rely on her for everything. Not only does she handle bookings, but she also answers questions about promotions, access info, events, and all the other calls that used to pull our staff away from the floor.”
Within one month, Sadie answered 439 calls for House of Pocket, saving approximately 11 hours of staff time previously spent on the phone. This is a significant labor saving in any market, equivalent to a full weekly shift that is now redirected to guest-facing activities.
Empowered to innovate with continuous support
Introducing new systems and adjusting to change can feel intimidating, but with a smooth setup and direct access to dedicated support, the team felt confident bringing Now Book It & Sadie.
“The setup was super easy, and the support is awesome. Having a real person to call makes it simple to sort out any issues quickly.”
This ongoing support has let the group dive straight into using Sadie in their day-to-day operations, giving them the confidence to welcome their new AI assistant without a hitch.
“Embrace change! AI is going to let our industry do amazing things, and it’s going to be mind-blowing. I never have to worry about missing a call, Sadie never calls in sick. I can count on her every single day.”
With full access to their Sadie AI dashboard, the team can also see every call she answers, quickly update her knowledge, and make sure common questions get resolved fast.
“It’s great checking the call log and seeing questions being answered automatically.”
Hospitality is all about people, and since adding Sadie, the House of Pocket teams can focus on what they love most, serving guests. The dashboard makes it easy to track each call – whether it’s a quick Q&A, a new reservation in Now Book It, an updated booking, or a call transferred to a team member. You can even listen in to see Sadie in action, so the team stays fully in control of the guest experience.
How AI is transforming hospitality
Both Australian and US hospitality markets face similar pressures: rising labor costs, higher customer expectations, and the ongoing need to optimize operations. The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Industry report highlights that technologies which improve restaurant efficiency software, including AI reservation systems, rank among the top investments for independent and multi-unit operators.
Sadie’s success with House of Pocket is a prime example of how AI-driven systems can tackle these challenges. By handling routine reservation and enquiry tasks, AI solutions free staff to do what they do best, provide memorable guest experiences and drive revenue.