Diners do not want to call you. They want to text. The Two-Way SMS layer of the snapshot turns your restaurant’s main number (or a dedicated 10DLC number) into a live conversation channel — reservation changes, last-minute party-size bumps, allergen questions, after-hours questions — all flowing into the same GHL inbox the host and the GM are already watching.
What it ships with
- GHL workflows:
Inbound SMS – Route,Inbound SMS – Reservation Change,Inbound SMS – Cancel,Inbound SMS – After Hours - Pre-built keyword triggers: CONFIRM, CANCEL, MOVE, MENU, HOURS, STOP, HELP
- Conversation inbox view at the host stand (mobile-friendly for FOH managers)
- After-hours auto-reply with hours, address, reservation link
- AI sentiment + intent classifier on free-text inbound messages
- Custom fields:
last_inbound_at,inbound_intent,unread_count,after_hours_reply_sent
The flow (step-by-step)
1. Diner texts the restaurant number
Inbound SMS hits Twilio (under the hood of GHL), gets parsed for keyword intent, and posts to the conversation inbox in real time.
2. Keyword routing
“CONFIRM” against an active reservation flips the reservation status to confirmed and replies with the table time. “CANCEL” releases the seat, triggers the deposit-refund workflow, and offers a rebook link. “MOVE” prompts for a new time and routes to the host stand for a manual override.
3. Free-text intent classification
Messages without keywords (“can we add 2 more people?” / “are you doing brunch Sunday?”) get classified by intent and tagged: party_change, hours_question, menu_question, allergen_question, other. The host stand sees the tag before reading.
4. After-hours auto-reply
Between close and open, an auto-reply fires once per conversation per day: “Thanks for reaching out — we’re closed until [open_time]. For reservations, tap [link]. We’ll respond first thing.” Repeat messages do not retrigger the auto-reply, so diners do not get spammed.
5. FOH manager pickup
During service, host stand staff see unread count on the tablet. The GM has the same view on mobile and can take over a conversation from the floor.
6. Conversation history
Every inbound and outbound message lives on the contact’s GHL record. The next time the diner books, the host can see the conversation history — including the allergen they mentioned three months ago.
What you can expect
Operators typically see inbound call volume drop 35-50% within 60 days as diners shift to text. The host stand reclaims roughly 6-12 minutes per peak hour that was previously spent on the phone. Cancellations that come in by text (rather than no-show) jump because diners find texting “I can’t make it” easier than dialing.
Setup & customization
Pre-built: every keyword trigger, the AI intent classifier, the after-hours auto-reply, and the inbox routing.
What you tweak in 10 minutes: the after-hours auto-reply copy and timing, the keyword list (add MENU, HAPPYHOUR, PRIVATE for private-event inquiries), and which staff get notified for which intent tag.
Compliance notes
The number is registered under a 10DLC restaurant campaign with carrier-approved use cases for reservations, marketing, and customer care. Two-way conversations are inherently TCPA-clean when the diner initiates — inbound consent is implied. For outbound-first conversations (a host reaching out about a reservation), the diner has already opted in via the reservation form. STOP, HELP, START, and UNSTOP are honored automatically at the platform level. The auto-reply explicitly does not market — it answers an operational question — which keeps it inside the carrier-approved transactional bucket and reduces the chance of filtering on busy nights.
Let your diners reach you the way they already text their friends. Install the Restaurant Snapshot for $997 full or $997 lite — 30-day money-back guarantee. Buy now or book a walkthrough to see the inbox in action.