AI agents offer 24/7 service without breaks
Shawn AI is trained on Walchef’s voice and personality, using his podcasts from the show Restaurant Influencers, as well as CaliBBQ’s full menu. In previous years, Walchef would route Father’s Day callers to an auto attendant that directed them to the website or prompted them to text in orders.
“Because of Palona, we can just go live, and Shawn AI can start taking all those orders instead of giving this fragmented user experience,” said Walchef.
With staff no longer tied up on the phones, table turn times dropped nearly 50%, so staff could focus on in-person diners. CaliBBQ also saw a 25% decline in texts and calls to its support line compared to last year, and issued 10% fewer customer discounts—a common tactic restaurants use to appease unhappy guests.
“People can now go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I ordered from an AI agent, and it was actually a better experience than talking to a human because they didn’t mess up my order,’” Walchef said.
Before the Father’s Day rollout, CaliBBQ tested Shawn AI for four weeks. Early feedback prompted adjustments to the AI agent’s tone and pacing, which was initially too conversational, said Palona CEO Maria Zhang. The company tightened guardrails to keep the agent succinct and on topic.
While Shawn AI does not yet accept credit card payments over the phone, Palona plans to integrate secure payment options as part of its product roadmap.
“People get busy and phones just go unanswered at restaurants, which is lost business for restaurants,” said Palona’s chief technology officer, Tim Howes. “AI agents are available 24/7, trained on everything about your business, menus, and specials, and give the same level of service every day, all day with no breaks or bad days.”
