If you’re a hospitality operator running a high-volume neighborhood joint — pubs, bar-and-grills, or casual dining spots, you may have asked yourself this universal question: how do we keep service running smoothly while still capturing every booking?
For Beach Hotel Burnie, a long-standing, award-recognized venue in Australia’s Tasmania, that problem became impossible to ignore as call volumes increased.
Family-owned and operating for over two decades, the venue has built a reputation similar to what you’d expect from a top-performing independent bar & grill in the US: packed dining rooms, strong local loyalty, and a steady flow of reservations.
With 20+ beers on tap and a high-turnover dining room, this is a business running at serious volume. And like many US operators, they realized something important: A booking system isn’t just about convenience, it’s about protecting revenue.
Why phone calls quietly cost restaurants bookings and revenue
According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurants miss roughly one in five incoming calls, with the majority going unanswered during peak service hours. This is not due to poor processes, but rather the reality of a busy floor where staff are focused on guests, food service, and table turns.
At Beach Hotel Burnie, 56% of incoming calls were happening during peak periods. Without an automated guest booking system, those calls created friction across the business, as every missed call represented a potential lost booking, while every answered call pulled a staff member away from guests already in the venue.
For operators already dealing with staffing challenges and rising labor costs, this trade-off has a measurable impact on both revenue and service quality.
“Acquiring and maintaining enough staff to provide our expected service levels remains our biggest challenge daily,” said Venue Manager Jordan Cantanzariti
213 bookings in 29 days with AI powered phone receptionist, Sadie
To solve the problem, Beach Hotel implemented Sadie, an AI-powered receptionist designed to manage incoming calls and reservations without requiring staff involvement. Acting as a full-time employee, Sadie answers every call, processes reservation requests in real time, logs bookings directly the Now Book It reservation system and sends SMS confirmations to guests automatically.
The impact was both immediate and measurable. Within just 29 days, the system handled more than 30 calls per day and captured 213 confirmed bookings, resulting in approximately $28,000 in revenue. This represents a significant amount of revenue that might otherwise be lost, particularly during peak service hours or after closing time when calls typically go unanswered.
“Every time a staff member can’t get to the phone, we lose guaranteed covers. Every time they are on the phone, they aren’t serving guests. It’s truly priceless how much this helps daily operations.”
Every booking captured with complete guest details
Beyond simply answering calls, the system also improves the quality and completeness of each reservation. Instead of rushed or incomplete bookings, every guest entry includes detailed information such as the date, time, party size, seating preferences, dietary requirements, and any special occasions associated with the visit.
“It’s freed up our team to focus on delivering the experience we’re known for.”
This level of detail is increasingly important in the market, where guest expectations around personalization and service continue to rise. Automated confirmations ensure that guests have clarity around their booking, while also reducing the likelihood of no-shows or last-minute confusion. At the same time, the system still allows for human interaction when needed, as calls can be transferred to staff if a guest prefers to speak with someone directly.
More time for what matters: the guest experience
Whether it is a coastal pub in Tasmania or a busy bar and grill in the United States, the fundamentals of hospitality remain the same, as guests expect great service and operators need efficient systems to deliver it consistently.
When the friction of phone-based bookings is removed, more reservations are captured, more revenue is secured, and staff are able to stay focused on the guests in front of them. For operators navigating labor shortages, rising costs, and increasing guest expectations, this kind of operational efficiency is quickly becoming a competitive advantage.
When every missed call means missed revenue, having a system in place that ensures every opportunity is captured can make a meaningful difference.