Decision: when can Foodie hand a call to a real person, and to which number? Two layers — what triggers a transfer, and when transfers are allowed.
Layer 1 — What triggers a transfer
Foodie offers a transfer when:
The guest explicitly asks for a person ("can I speak to a manager?").
The guest hits a topic Foodie isn't allowed to handle on her own — deposits, refunds, complaints with escalation, custom requests outside the playbooks.
An incomplete reservation modification comes up where the booking has a hold or deposit.
You've configured a specific request type to always transfer — e.g., catering inquiries to your events team.
Foodie won't transfer for:
Standard reservations within your auto-book limit.
FAQ questions she can answer (hours, parking, menu).
Late arrivals.
Lost item reports (always captured, never transferred).
Layer 2 — Call Transfer Hours
This is separate from your business hours. It's the window during which Foodie is allowed to attempt a transfer at all.
Setting | Meaning |
Same as business hours | Foodie attempts transfers whenever you're open. Default. |
Narrower window | E.g., transfers allowed 4 PM – 9 PM only — useful when your team can't reliably answer at lunch. |
Off entirely | Foodie never transfers. Everything goes to the Inbox. |
Most venues set Call Transfer Hours to match the hours their host stand or manager is reachable — not the full opening hours.
What happens when Foodie tries to transfer
Foodie tells the guest: "Let me connect you with a team member."
Foodie dials your transfer number.
If someone picks up within ~6 rings: warm hand-off; Foodie introduces the call and drops out.
If nobody picks up: Foodie tells the guest your team is unavailable and offers to take a message instead.
The transfer number
One number per venue. Common choices:
Front desk landline — simple. Works if your host stand reliably picks up.
Manager's cell — reliable but tied to one person; check that they want this.
A separate line you've set up just for transfers — best practice, especially if you're using Option B (forwarding) for incoming calls. Avoids loops.
If you're using Option B (forwarding from your existing number) and your transfer number is your existing number, you'll create an infinite loop — Foodie transfers to the line that forwards to her. Use a different number for transfers, or use a sub-line on your phone system.
Pickup rate
Your Analytics dashboard shows Transfer Pickup Rate — the % of attempted transfers that reach a human. If it's below 50%, your transfer number isn't being answered reliably and the guests being transferred are getting bounced back to Foodie. Worth knowing.
How to change it later
Fully reversible. Settings are: Call Transfer Hours, the transfer number itself, and per-playbook transfer rules. All editable any time.
Common questions
Can Foodie transfer to a specific person depending on the topic?
Yes — we can route catering to your events team and complaints to your manager, for example. Set up at the playbook level. Talk to us during onboarding.
Why doesn't Foodie just always transfer?
Because the whole point is that Foodie handles things humans don't need to. If everything transferred, you'd be back to Square One — phones interrupting service.
What if the transfer fails?
Foodie apologizes, takes a message, drops it in the Inbox with a Star (priority). Your team sees it the moment they're back at the iPad.
Wizard decision_key: live-transfers