How Long Does It Take to Set Up an AI Phone Agent at a Restaurant and Does It Require Technical Knowledge?

Most restaurants are live with Otto within one business day of completing onboarding. The onboarding itself takes 20 to 30 minutes to share your menu and preferences. The Otto team handles all configuration and testing in the background.

Here is exactly what the setup process involves, step by step.

What you actually need to provide

Setting up Otto does not require any technical knowledge. You need knowledge of your own business: your menu, your ordering preferences, and how your kitchen works. Specifically, the Otto team asks for:

• Your current menu in any format (PDF, photo, spreadsheet, link)
• Your operating hours
• Your ordering preferences (pickup window, delivery handling, catering rules)
• Your modifier rules (how you handle substitutions, additions, dietary requests)
• A brief description of how you want Otto to sound (formal, casual, your brand voice)

No technical documents, system credentials, or backend access are required.

What the Otto team does with that information

Once you provide your details, the Otto team configures the AI agent in full. This includes setting up the menu and modifiers inside the system, connecting the call routing so your existing phone number diverts to Otto, building the kitchen output (so orders reach your KDS, printer, or POS), and testing the agent with real scenarios before it goes anywhere near a live call.

Testing before go-live

Before Otto answers a single real customer call, the Otto team provides a test number. You call it yourself. You place test orders. You check that modifiers work, that the agent handles edge cases correctly, and that orders land in your kitchen the right way. If something needs adjusting, the team fixes it before go-live.

You confirm everything is right. Then and only then does your existing phone number get connected.

How long does it actually take?

The typical timeline is one business day from completed onboarding to go-live. Onboarding itself takes 20 to 30 minutes of your time. The configuration and testing happen in the background. Most venues are live the same day or the day after providing their details.

What happens after go-live

Once Otto is live, you do not manage any system. If your menu changes, you contact the Otto team with the update. They make the change and confirm it is in place. There is no portal to log into and no technical work required from you at any point.