# The real cost of hiring someone to answer phones

URL: https://tryroal.com/blog/cost-of-phone-staff-restaurant
Published: 2026-10-28 · By Venkata Vamsi, founder of ROAL

**What is the real cost of hiring someone to answer phones for my restaurant?** The cost of hiring someone to answer phones includes wages, payroll taxes, training time, breaks, turnover, and the orders lost when the phone rings unanswered. For many restaurants, the true cost is higher than the hourly wage alone, so it helps to compare a person, a monthly phone service, and a pay-per-order option like ROAL.

The cost of hiring someone to answer phones is usually more than the hourly rate you put on the schedule. Once you add payroll taxes, training, turnover, and the calls you still miss during a rush, the real number climbs fast.

For a lot of independent restaurants, the better question is not “can I afford a phone person?” It is “what does a phone person cost per month, and what is the cheaper way to handle pickup orders, menu questions, and busy-hour calls?”

Key takeaways:
- The wage is not the full cost of staffing the phone; payroll, training, and turnover matter too.
- A fixed monthly phone tool fee can be easy to budget, but you may pay for quiet months too.
- ROAL charges $0.90 per completed phone order, with no monthly fee or setup fee.
- Restaurant owners should compare phone labor against order volume, rush-hour pressure, and how often staff get pulled away from other work.

## What does it really cost to hire someone just for the phone?

A phone worker is rarely just a phone worker. They also need training on the menu, modifiers, sold-out items, hours, address, and what to do when a caller gets upset.

Use this simple monthly estimate:

| Cost item | Example number | What to plug in |
|---|---:|---|
| Hourly wage | $17 | Your local wage |
| Hours per week | 30 | Your schedule |
| Weeks per month | 4.33 | Use your own payroll cycle |
| Gross pay | $2,207 | Wage × hours × weeks |
| Payroll taxes and admin | add your amount | Payroll burden varies |
| Training / turnover / breaks | add your amount | Your real-world cost |

If you run the math with your own numbers, the wage is only the start. A single person at the front counter may still miss calls when they are ringing up walk-ins, packing orders, or helping in the dining room. That is why many owners compare staffing the phone to [hiring phone staff](https://tryroal.com/compare/hiring-phone-staff) and to [phone staff cost calculator](https://tryroal.com/tools/phone-staff-cost-calculator).

## Which phone costs show up after the paycheck?

The paycheck is only one line on the bill. Owners often forget the hidden costs that come with a live phone.

Here is a practical checklist:

- Training time: showing someone the menu, upsizes, sides, specials, and allergy rules.
- Rework: fixing tickets when the caller gave the wrong name, phone, or pickup time.
- Coverage gaps: breaks, shift changes, sick days, and no-shows.
- Rush-hour overload: one person can only answer one call at a time.
- Turnover: when someone quits, you pay again to hire and train.

Example: say you pay $17 an hour and schedule 25 hours a week. That is about $1,841 in gross pay each month before payroll burden. If you also spend time training a new hire and lose a few calls each week, the real cost is higher. Plug your own wage, hours, and turnover into the picture before you compare it with a phone host or an answering service.

## How does a phone person compare with monthly phone services?

Many AI phone tools for restaurants charge a fixed monthly fee per location, often in the rough range of $79 to $599, whether or not any orders come in. Human answering services usually bill per minute or per call. That means the price can be predictable, but it is still a fixed expense or usage expense every month.

Here is the owner’s way to compare them:

1. Estimate your monthly phone demand.
2. Estimate how many calls are order calls, question calls, and staff-only calls.
3. Compare the total monthly cost of a human hire, a monthly service, and a pay-per-order option.
4. Check what happens during slow weeks.

ROAL uses pay-per-completed-order pricing: $0.90 for each confirmed phone order whose ticket reaches the kitchen screen. Calls, questions, and test calls are unlimited and free. That matters if your phone is busy with hours, address, parking, and menu questions, but not every call becomes an order. See the full [pricing](https://tryroal.com/pricing) and the related post on [pay per order vs monthly AI phone plans](https://tryroal.com/blog/usage-based-pricing-small-business).

## What should I ask before I hire someone for the phone?

Before you hire, ask the questions that change the real cost. You do not want to find out after the first busy weekend that the person cannot handle modifiers, delivery directions, or caller complaints.

Use this short interview checklist:

- Can they take pickup and delivery orders from your live menu?
- Can they handle sizes, modifiers, and notes without confusion?
- Can they quote a ready time in a way your kitchen can actually meet?
- Can they take reservation requests?
- Can they hand off catering, allergy-sensitive questions, and manager requests?
- Can they speak the caller’s language?

A simple phone script line helps test the role: “Thank you for calling. What can I get started for you today?” Then see whether the person can keep the order clean and complete. If they cannot, the labor cost may be less important than the order mistakes. That is also why some owners compare a person with [AI phone host vs hiring phone staff](https://tryroal.com/compare/hiring-phone-staff) before they post the job.

## How does ROAL pricing work on a real order?

ROAL is built for restaurants that want the phone covered without paying for idle time. It answers the restaurant’s phone, takes pickup and delivery orders from the live menu, answers common questions, and sends a clean ticket to the kitchen screen.

Here is a worked example you can swap for your own numbers:

- Say you get 300 completed phone orders in a month.
- At $0.90 per completed order, the bill would be $270.
- If your month is slower, the bill is lower.
- If you have more completed orders, the bill goes up with volume.

That kind of pricing is different from a monthly phone staff wage or a fixed monthly tool fee. ROAL has no monthly fee, no setup fee, no per-minute fee, and no contract. It also does not take card numbers over the phone. Payment happens at pickup or however your restaurant already takes it. For owners who want to test the fit first, ROAL can be set up in about two minutes from a website, Google Maps link, or restaurant name and city.

## What does setup and call forwarding look like in a busy restaurant?

Phone setup should not eat your day. With ROAL, the owner pastes the restaurant website, Google Maps link, or “Name, City” at /try. ROAL reads the public menu, prices, hours, and address, then builds a phone host in about two minutes. The owner can test-call it in the browser with no sign-up needed.

When you go live, ROAL gives each location its own phone line automatically. You keep your existing number and forward calls to it. You can forward all calls, or only when busy or unanswered. That is useful for lunch rushes, dinner peaks, and days when you are short staffed.

A practical setup checklist:

- Confirm the menu and hours are right.
- Check the caller name and pickup time flow.
- Forward the existing number and test a live call.
- Make sure staff know where the kitchen tickets appear.
- Turn forwarding off any time if needed.

For carrier codes, rules vary by provider and plan, so always confirm with your carrier and test with a call. See [call forwarding codes by carrier](https://tryroal.com/tools/call-forwarding-codes) and [how it works](https://tryroal.com/how-it-works).

## How do you decide if phone staffing is worth it?

Use a simple yes-or-no test before you hire or renew anything. The right choice depends on your volume, your labor budget, and how often the phone ties up staff.

Try this decision table with your own numbers:

| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Do you miss calls during rush? | Consider help for overflow | Keep current setup |
| Do callers ask the same menu questions all day? | Automate those questions | Keep staff on it |
| Do you need a person to handle tricky calls? | Use staff for exceptions | Use a phone host first |
| Do you want fixed labor every week? | Hire or use a monthly service | Use pay-per-order pricing |

ROAL can fit the middle ground. It handles the routine phone work, sends harder calls to staff with a summary, and leaves the person-to-person calls where they belong. If you want to see whether the math works for your restaurant, [build a free test host from your website](https://tryroal.com/try).

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to hire someone to answer restaurant phones?

The real cost is the hourly wage plus payroll taxes, training time, breaks, and turnover. A restaurant owner should also count the calls that still get missed during rushes. The best way to know your number is to multiply your wage by weekly hours, then add the extra costs your payroll and schedule create.

### Is it cheaper to hire a person or use a phone service?

It depends on volume and coverage needs. A person brings labor cost every hour they are scheduled, while many phone services charge a fixed monthly fee or a usage fee. For some restaurants, a pay-per-completed-order option is cheaper when call volume is uneven.

### What does ROAL charge for phone orders?

ROAL charges $0.90 per completed phone order, meaning a confirmed order whose ticket reaches the kitchen screen. There is no monthly fee, setup fee, per-minute fee, or contract. Calls, questions, and test calls are unlimited and free.

### Can an AI phone host take payments over the phone?

ROAL does not take card numbers over the phone. It takes the order, confirms it, and sends the ticket to the kitchen screen, while payment happens at pickup or however the restaurant already takes payments. That keeps the phone side focused on ordering, questions, and handoffs to staff when needed.