Key Takeaways
- Answering booking messages for 2.5 hours a day costs about HK$3,394 a month at the HK$43.1 minimum wage, including 5% employer MPF.
- A published AI chatbot plan starts at HK$298 a month plus a HK$1,000 one-off setup fee, with a six-month minimum term.
- A small café with about ten enquiries a day usually needs only the free WhatsApp Business app.
- The real hidden cost is your own time: about four hours to build the answer list and 15 minutes a day of review.
- AI should answer questions and collect booking details; a person or your booking system still confirms the table.
It is 10:40pm on a Friday in December at a 40-seat restaurant in Sham Shui Po. The kitchen has closed, but WhatsApp shows 63 unread messages: set menu prices for a company dinner, whether there is a table for 12 on Christmas Eve, whether the private room has a minimum spend.
The owner's question is simple: is it cheaper to keep paying a part-timer to answer these, or to let AI do it?
Short answer: for a restaurant getting 30 or more booking enquiries a day, AI replies cost roughly HK$300 to HK$500 a month, against about HK$3,400 in staff time. Below ten a day, free tools are enough.
How much does AI cost to answer restaurant WhatsApp bookings?
For most small Hong Kong restaurants, published AI chatbot plans cost about HK$300 to HK$500 a month, plus a one-off setup fee of up to HK$3,000. The same volume of replies handled by a part-timer costs about HK$3,400 a month at minimum wage once employer MPF is added.
Start with the work you already pay for. Suppose a staff member spends 2.5 hours a day answering WhatsApp booking questions, every day of a 30-day month. That is 75 hours.
At the statutory minimum wage of HK$43.1 an hour, in force since 1 May 2026 according to the Labour Department, 75 hours costs HK$3,233. Employers also pay a 5% mandatory MPF contribution on relevant income, as set out by the MPFA, which brings it to about HK$3,394 a month.
Most restaurants pay more than minimum wage for evening hours. At HK$60 an hour, the same 75 hours costs HK$4,500, or about HK$4,725 with MPF.
On the AI side, UD's AI Chatbot Master publishes its prices: HK$298 a month for up to 1,000 conversations, or HK$498 a month for up to 10,000. Both work across WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and a website.
What does each option cost per month?
There are three realistic options: the free WhatsApp Business app with quick replies, a paid AI chatbot plan, or staff time. The free app costs nothing but still needs a person typing. An AI plan costs HK$298 to HK$498 a month. Staff time for 75 hours costs about HK$3,394.
Prices below were checked on 13 November 2026. Screenshot this table and fill in your own message count.
| Option | Monthly cost | One-off cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business app | HK$0 | HK$0 | Quick replies and away messages; a person still answers |
| AI Chatbot Master Entry | HK$298 | HK$1,000 setup | Up to 1,000 conversations a month |
| AI Chatbot Master Standard | HK$498 | HK$3,000 setup, waived if paid yearly | Up to 10,000 conversations a month |
| Part-timer, 2.5 hours a day | About HK$3,394 | Hiring and training time | 75 hours at minimum wage, incl. MPF |
All AI Chatbot Master plans have a six-month minimum term. A yearly subscription adds one free month, according to the pricing page.
What would a café, a 40-seat restaurant and a two-branch group pay?
A café with ten enquiries a day can stay on the free WhatsApp Business app. A 40-seat restaurant with about 30 customers messaging daily fits an entry plan, about HK$465 a month averaged over six months. A two-branch group with 100 enquiries a day needs a larger plan, about HK$460 a month when paid yearly.
Example 1: a 12-seat café in Tai Kok Tsui
About ten enquiries a day, mostly opening hours and whether pets are allowed. That is around 300 conversations a month. Set up five quick replies and an away message in the free WhatsApp Business app. Monthly cost: HK$0. AI would be overkill here.
Example 2: a 40-seat restaurant in Sham Shui Po
About 30 customers message each day in December, around 900 conversations a month, close to the entry plan's 1,000 limit. The first six months cost HK$298 × 6 + HK$1,000 setup = HK$2,788, or about HK$465 a month. Compare that with the HK$3,394 of staff time it replaces.
Example 3: a two-branch group in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui
About 100 enquiries a day across both shops, around 3,000 conversations a month, plus banquet and private-room questions. The standard plan paid yearly costs HK$5,976 for 13 months of service with setup waived, about HK$460 a month. One answer list covers both branches.
What hidden costs should a restaurant owner plan for?
The biggest hidden cost is your own time, not the subscription. Plan about four hours in the first week to write the answer list, then 15 minutes a day reviewing replies. Add the time to update menus and holiday hours, and the risk of upgrading if December traffic passes your plan's limit.
- Answer list: set menus, minimum spend, deposit rules, corkage, parking, opening hours. Expect three to four hours to write the first version.
- Daily review: 15 to 30 minutes a day for the first two weeks, then less once the answers settle.
- Menu changes: every new set menu or holiday schedule must be updated, or the AI will quote last month's price.
- Peak overflow: if December pushes you past 1,000 conversations, you will need to upgrade or buy extra conversations.
- Minimum term: six months is the shortest commitment, so start before the busy season, not in the middle of it.
Staff reaction is a cost too, but a small one if handled early. Tell the team the AI takes the repeat questions so floor staff can serve the people already in the restaurant. Nobody's shift changes because of a test.
Can AI confirm a table booking on its own?
Only if it is connected to your booking system, and most small restaurants are not. Without that link, the AI should answer questions, collect the date, time, party size and phone number, then pass the request to a person who confirms the table. That still removes most of the typing.
This is where many owners expect too much. An AI chatbot reads from the answer list you give it. It does not know that table 7 was just taken by a walk-in.
A safe set-up for a small restaurant looks like this:
- AI answers menu, price, opening-hour and location questions instantly
- AI collects booking details in a fixed format and says a person will confirm
- Large groups, complaints, allergies and deposits always go to a person
- If a customer types "staff" or "human", the chat is handed over at once
Customer names and phone numbers are personal data under the PDPO. Ask any provider where the data is stored and how long chat logs are kept. AI Chatbot Master, for example, stores data in a Hong Kong data centre and keeps chat logs for 30 to 180 days depending on the plan.
When is AI not worth it for a restaurant?
AI is not worth paying for if you get fewer than ten repeat questions a day, if most bookings come by phone or a booking platform, or if your menu changes every day. In those cases the free WhatsApp Business app, a pinned menu image and a clear away message will do the job.
Be honest about your volume before you buy. Count one normal week and one busy week of WhatsApp chats. If the busy week averages under ten new customers a day, keep your money.
Daily-changing menus are the other warning sign. A dai pai dong whose specials depend on the morning market will spend more time updating the AI than answering customers directly.
Count the messages before you choose
The decision comes down to one number: how many customers message you each day in your busiest month. Under ten, use the free app. Around 30 or more, an AI plan at HK$300 to HK$500 a month usually costs far less than the 75 staff hours it replaces.
Start before the Christmas and Lunar New Year rush, keep a person on confirmations and complaints, and review the replies every day for the first two weeks.
Empowering AI. Centered on you.
Find out which job AI should take first in your restaurant
Not sure whether you need a chatbot, an AI staff member or just the free WhatsApp tools? The AI Staff page offers a free AI staff configuration assessment and a free consultation, with no commitment to buy. AI Staff is quoted by role, with HK$0 activation fee.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible if the AI gives a customer the wrong price?
Your restaurant is, just as it would be for a staff member's mistake. Limit the AI to approved answers, review replies daily in the first weeks and send deposits and complaints to a person.
How much of my own time will the first month take?
Plan three to four hours in the first week to write the answer list, then 15 to 30 minutes a day reviewing replies. Review time usually drops after two weeks.
Can I stop the AI service and keep my chat records?
Check the contract first. AI Chatbot Master has a six-month minimum term. Ask any provider how to export chat logs and your answer list, and to confirm deletion after you leave.
Will my floor staff think AI is replacing them?
Some may, if you say nothing. Explain that the AI takes the repeat questions so staff can serve customers at the tables, and let the person who answers WhatsApp today help write the answer list.
Can I put customers' booking details into an AI chatbot under Hong Kong privacy law?
Yes, with care. Names and phone numbers are personal data under the PDPO, so collect only what the booking needs, ask where the data is stored and set how long chat logs are kept.