How it works
Every request answered. Every cancelled table offered again.
A managed assistant on the restaurant's own WhatsApp number: bookings 24/7 in Gulf Arabic or English, menu answers from the approved menu, waitlist refill and an owner's summary every Sunday.
Step one and two
A guest says hello. Maitre Ahlan takes it from there.
The guest writes to your restaurant's WhatsApp number, day or night. Maitre Ahlan greets them, asks for their name and uses it in every reply.
Then it asks what they would like: a table, a menu question or your team. For a booking it asks for the date, the time and the number of guests, and notes the request. Your team confirms.
Guests can ask for a person at any time. Words such as "staff", "manager" or "human" pass the chat to your team.
Illustration only. Fictional venue, no live client.
Illustration only. Fictional venue, no live client.
Step three
A full slot is not the end of the story
When the time a guest wants is full, Maitre Ahlan offers the waitlist. When a table is cancelled, it is offered to waitlisted guests who opted in, in the order they joined.
Every Sunday, the owner receives a short summary: bookings taken on WhatsApp, no-shows avoided (an estimate, with its method stated) and new reviews.
Knowing the guest
Three ways to know what to call someone
It asks
"Welcome to Maitre Ahlan, may I have your name?" Reliable and transparent. The name is then used in every reply.
The profile name, as a hint
WhatsApp passes the guest's profile name with each message. It may be a nickname, so it is used only as a hint and confirmed.
Returning guests
Where a guest agreed to be remembered, their name is linked to their number for next time. Only where they agreed.