After-hours phone message examples for restaurants

A strong after-hours message does four things: it says you are closed, gives your hours, tells callers how to place or check an order, and explains what happens with urgent questions. That keeps people from hanging up confused.

Use this simple structure:

1. Greet the caller.
2. Say the restaurant is currently closed.
3. Share today’s hours or next opening time.
4. Tell them where to leave a message or how to order later.
5. Mention urgent items like catering, allergies, or manager requests.

Example line: "Thanks for calling Mario’s Pizza. We’re closed right now and reopen at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Please call back then for pickup orders, or leave your name and number after the tone."

Yes. Short works best when callers just want to know whether you are open and what to do next. Keep the message under 20 seconds if you can.

Here are three ready-to-use examples you can swap for your own restaurant:

A voicemail greeting should do more than say “leave a message.” Tell the caller exactly what information you want and which calls should not wait. That saves time when you call back.

A useful restaurant voicemail script: "You’ve reached Ocean Grill. We’re closed right now. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message about your order, reservation request, or question. For allergy-sensitive questions, catering, or manager requests, leave those details too, and we’ll get back to you during business hours."

Quick checklist before you record:

• Your restaurant name is clear.
• Your hours are current.
• You ask for name and phone number.
• You mention orders, reservations, and special requests.
• You say when callers should expect a reply.

If you want more wording ideas, see restaurant voicemail greeting examples.

Some callers will keep asking for food even when you are closed. Be direct. Do not promise a callback unless someone on your team will truly handle it.

A good response is: "We’re closed now, but we can take your order during business hours tomorrow. If you’d like, leave your name and number and we’ll call you back."

If your restaurant uses after-hours calls, you can also route those calls to a phone host that can answer basic questions, take notes, and collect a message for staff. ROAL can answer questions about hours, address, parking, and the menu, and it can take pickup and delivery orders from the live menu when the restaurant chooses to forward calls to it.

For a quick math example, say you usually miss 6 after-hours orders a week and your average order is $28. Plug in your own numbers: 6 × $28 = $168 in weekly order value that may have gone to voicemail or a hang-up. That is not profit, but it helps you see the size of the opportunity.

The message only helps if calls land in the right place. Many owners use call forwarding after close, or only when the line is busy. The codes vary by carrier and phone system, so confirm with your provider and test with a real call.

Here is the basic idea for common setups:

• Landlines and some carriers: 72 plus the forwarding number to forward all calls, 73 to turn it off.
• AT&T and T-Mobile GSM lines: *21number# forwards all calls, ##21# turns it off, *61number# forwards unanswered calls, and *67number# forwards busy calls.
• Verizon Wireless: 72 / 73 for all calls, and *71 for busy/no-answer forwarding.
• Business VoIP systems: forwarding is usually set in the web portal.

Always test after you change it. Call your restaurant from a mobile phone and make sure the after-hours message or forwarding route works the way you expect. If you want a reference sheet, use call forwarding codes by carrier.

ROAL is an AI phone host for restaurants, so it can answer the phone, speak the caller’s language, and handle common after-hours questions from your live menu and public info. You choose the host’s voice and name, and if a question is too tricky, it goes to your inbox for staff to answer once.

A practical after-hours setup looks like this:

1. Forward calls only after close or when busy.
2. Let ROAL answer hours, address, parking, and menu questions.
3. Let it take pickup or delivery orders from the live menu.
4. Have it hand allergy-sensitive questions, complaints, catering, and manager requests to staff with a summary.
5. Keep payment for pickup or your usual payment method, since it does not take card numbers over the phone.

Owners can start from their website, Google Maps link, or “Name, City” at /try, then test-call it in the browser before going live. If you want to see the details first, read How it works or check Pricing.

If you want one message that covers the basics, use this format and swap in your own hours.

"Thanks for calling Harbor Grill. We’re closed right now. Our hours are Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you’re calling about pickup, delivery, catering, or a reservation request, please call back during business hours. For allergy-sensitive questions or a message for the manager, please leave your name, phone number, and details after the tone."

Before you record, check these items:

• Hours are correct for weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
• The message matches your current order flow.
• The phone number on the line still belongs to the restaurant.
• The greeting is short enough that callers do not tune out.
• Someone on staff knows who checks the messages and when.

If you want more examples for other call types, the restaurant phone scripts collection is a useful next stop.