Are there any restaurants in California using AI ?

Question

I’ve seen AI-powered menus in other states and chatbots for hotel bookings – curious if any spots in CA (especially SF/LA) are implementing tech like digital concierges, personalized recommendation engines, or automated check-ins worth checking out.

Answer

Great question! Yes — there *are* restaurants (and restaurant-tech companies) in California using AI in various ways, though it's still fairly niche. Here are some of the most interesting examples and where AI is being applied in SF / LA and beyond.

Some California Restaurants (or Chains) & Technologies Using AI

San Francisco – AI Phone Bots (Hostie): A growing number of San Francisco restaurants now use an AI voice assistant called Hostie, which answers incoming calls. Rather than a human staffer, the bot handles questions about hours, menu items, allergens, and can even make or modify reservations or take to-go orders.
- Restaurants using it include Burma Love (Valencia), Teakwood, Nisei, China Live, Harborview, Fiorella, and Tacolicious, among others.
- According to restaurant managers, the voice sounds very natural, and if the bot can’t handle a question, it escalates to a human.
Pizza My Heart – AI Chatbot Ordering: This California-based pizza chain offers ordering via an AI chatbot named “Jimmy the Surfer”. Customers can text their order, ask for pairing suggestions, or modify toppings.
CaliExpress (Pasadena, CA): Known as one of the more “robotic” restaurant experiments. They use a robot arm called Flippy (from Miso Robotics) to fry fries, plus other kitchen automation.

Restaurant-Tech / Platform Providers (AI for Restaurants)

Beyond individual restaurants, there are tech companies and platforms bringing AI into the hospitality world — some of which are likely used by restaurants in California, though not all publicly disclose their clients.

Ai Menu: A full restaurant ecosystem powered by AI: smart digital menus, an “AI waiter” (voice/avatar), inventory prediction, automated payments, and personalized guest interactions in multiple languages.

BiteBuddy: An AI system specifically for answering restaurant calls (similar to Hostie) — they advertise for SF restaurants.

Futuro AI for Restaurants: This tool provides an AI “concierge” for restaurants: answering calls, handling reservations, suggesting menu items, and collecting diner preferences.

AI-Powered Recommendation Tools (Not Exactly In-Restaurant):

There are also AI tools that help diners choose where to eat — not hosted by restaurants themselves, but highly relevant:

Chowbot: The *San Francisco Chronicle* built this chatbot to recommend Bay Area restaurants. When you ask it for dining suggestions, it draws from the Chronicle’s curated guides and critic reviews — so you’re getting vetted, editorial-backed recs, not random picks.
Google Duplex / Agentic AI calls: More broadly, diners may experience restaurant interactions via Google’s AI calling agents (through Google Assistant) that can place reservations, though this depends on the restaurant’s booking setup. (Some users report this in practice.)

Summary & Things Worth Checking Out:

Yes — in SF, many restaurants are already integrating AI phone bots (Hostie) to handle calls, reservations, and menu questions. Very practical, but not all foodie-experience features.
If you’re interested in more futuristic dining (or just curious), places like CaliExpress in Pasadena show how robotic + AI kitchen automation can work in a real restaurant.
On the tech side, tools like Ai Menu and Futuro AI are bridging the gap: giving restaurants AI-powered concierges, digital menus, and guest personalization.
If you like food discovery, Chowbot is very cool for finding SF restaurants (or by cuisine / dietary need) through an AI chat interface grounded in real critic reviews.