There's a Big "Upgrade" Coming to Your Favorite Restaurants. Diners May Not Be Thrilled.

Food Can the Real Restaurant Phone Be Saved? Across the industry, A.I. is poised to take over reservations by phone. But what if parrying with a grouchy maître d' is part of what makes dining out great? Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. The first time I called Kat--the conversational A.I. receptionist fielding calls at fried-chicken-and-ramen joint Katsubō, in Charleston, South Carolina--I heard the convincing din of restaurant background noise before she addressed me in her youthful (cheeky, even?) voice.