Kea AI vs Hostie: Comprehensive Comparison of Restaurant Voice AI Systems
Comparison
Compare Kea AI and Hostie to understand pricing, voice AI ordering, integrations, and guest communication features so you can choose the best AI phone system.
December 22, 2025
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Comparison
Most restaurants don’t struggle because they miss calls. They struggle because every call competes with service. A guest wants to ask about reservations. Someone else needs to confirm holiday hours or make a last-minute change.
All of it matters, and all of it tends to hit at the worst possible moment. AI restaurant phone systems exist to take that pressure off the floor.
Two platforms you may have heard about are Kea AI and Hostie. Both can reduce missed calls and handle guest questions. The difference is what each platform is designed to “own” inside restaurant operations, and how broad the system becomes once you’re live.
Below is a complete breakdown of Hostie vs Kea AI to help you choose the best option for your operations.
Hostie is a virtual concierge built specifically for restaurants. Hostie answers calls and texts in your restaurant brand’s voice, handles guest questions, supports reservations and events, and keeps conversations organized.
The platform is designed around restaurant reality: nonstop calls, changing guest needs, and a front-of-house team that cannot live on the phone.
Here’s what that looks like day to day:
At Wayfare Tavern, Hostie helped increase over-the-phone bookings by 150%. Harborview Restaurant & Bar automated 84% of incoming calls. Belotti Ristorante now handles 90% of calls through Hostie.
And hospitality groups like The Stinking Rose manage tens of thousands of calls across locations while maintaining a consistent brand voice.
What sets Hostie apart is how naturally it fits into service. It supports your team without getting in the way, protects the guest experience during busy moments, and keeps communication consistent no matter how full the room gets.
Kea AI is a restaurant voice AI platform designed to manage inbound phone calls and phone ordering at scale using a friendly restaurant voice AI experience.
The system answers calls, takes customer orders, responds to detailed menu questions, and connects directly to point-of-sale systems so orders flow straight into the kitchen without manual entry.
Kea’s platform includes:
In addition to voice interactions, Kea supports limited text AI functions for operational updates, payment confirmations, and reporting, helping operators stay informed without constantly monitoring the system.
Both Hostie and Kea AI help restaurants reduce missed opportunities and protect staff during busy service. The difference lies in how broadly each platform supports restaurant operations.
Hostie functions as a modern restaurant concierge. It supports the full guest communication lifecycle, including calls, texts, reservations, events, and follow-up questions.
The platform is designed to sit at the front door of the restaurant, handling inbound guest communication while fitting naturally into front-of-house workflows across shifts and locations.
Hostie is built for restaurants where guest experience, reservation flow, and brand consistency matter just as much as answering the phone.
Kea AI centers on voice interactions, with phone ordering as a primary use case. The platform focuses on handling inbound calls efficiently, capturing orders, and routing them directly into the POS system. Its design prioritizes call throughput, menu accuracy, and order execution at scale.
Hostie manages calls, texts, and emails together in a unified inbox, allowing guests to move naturally between channels without repeating themselves.
A guest might call with a question, follow up by text, and receive an email confirmation, all within a single conversation thread. Teams can see the full context in one place and step in when needed.
This multi-channel approach supports real guest behavior and reduces confusion for both staff and guests.
Kea’s experience is primarily voice-based. Phone calls are the main interaction channel, with SMS used for specific functions such as payment confirmations, operational updates, and reporting.
Guest communication is largely handled through voice rather than ongoing multi-channel conversations.
Hostie uses automation to handle common guest questions, capture intent, and route conversations while keeping operators firmly in control. Conversations are logged in real time, transcripts are available instantly, and staff can jump into any interaction with full visibility and context.
Kea automates phone conversations and takeout orders end-to-end. The system validates menu items, manages modifiers and substitutions, detects unavailable items, and processes payments directly through the POS. It’s designed to complete orders and handle basic questions without staff involvement.
Hostie includes hands-on setup and ongoing, operator-led support. The platform emphasizes transparency, with live transcripts, monitoring, and clear control for restaurant teams. Operators can see exactly how the system is performing and adjust workflows as needed.
Kea provides platform support through its management portal and support center. Operators can customize menus, FAQs, greetings, and call behavior, and access reporting to track performance over time.
Both platforms solve real restaurant challenges, including high call volume. The right choice depends less on how many calls you get and more on what those calls are actually about and how much control you want over the guest experience.
Choose Kea AI if:
Choose Hostie if:
AI phone systems are becoming a practical way to handle rising call volume and protect front-of-house focus during busy service.
Kea AI and Hostie both address real challenges restaurants face every day. Kea AI is well-suited for operations where phone ordering and call throughput are the only priorities. Hostie takes a broader approach, acting as a modern digital concierge that supports calls, texts, reservations, events, and guest questions in one place.
The right choice comes down to how your restaurant operates today and what you want your phone system to support tomorrow.
If phone ordering is your main bottleneck, a voice-first solution may be the right fit. If guest communication spans reservations, waitlists, events, and ongoing conversations across channels, a concierge-style platform can create more long-term clarity and consistency.
Curious what happens when the phone stops being a distraction and starts meeting modern restaurant demands? Start a free trial or book a demo to see how Hostie supports guests, staff, and revenue at the same time.
