Artificial intelligence is about to make the move into restaurants in Adelaide, with locally created technology to allow customers to order takeaway by calling an AI-powered robot.

Amalfi Pizzeria, a long-established eatery in the city, has become one of the first to implement the voice ordering platform, DineLine, which aims to address challenges with managing phone orders during peak periods. 

“We take a lot of phone orders… and part of the problem is, a lot of the phone orders come when we’re busy,” restaurant co-owner Frank Hannon-Tan said.

The process for customers involves a phone call, with the AI technology automatically processing the order. The system is designed to simulate interaction with a human operator, including learning the customer’s name. 

The system, which supports multiple languages, also offers the option to send a digital menu to the customer’s mobile phone.

“This is absolutely at the forefront… we believe it’s the first in the restaurant industry,” DineLine co-founder Mark Fortunatow said.

The software has been built to service more than 100,000 restaurants right around the world, and the phone service also links with delivery providers. 

“Restaurants who are heavy with takeaway orders will embrace it,” Hannon-Tan said.