Game-Changing AI

Client Overview

Based in New Jersey, DiDonato Family Fun Center is a beloved community hub offering bowling, an arcade, seasonal attractions, and a family-friendly restaurant. Known for providing fun for all ages, DiDonato’s was facing the not-so-fun challenge of constant phone calls disrupting staff workflows and delaying service.

The Challenge

Despite having a well-organized website, staff at DiDonato’s were fielding an overwhelming number of phone calls every day—most of them asking the same routine questions. Their outdated phone system only made things worse, relying on an expensive and rigid IVR setup that frustrated both customers and staff.

The AI Readiness Assessment

Through our readiness assessment, it was clear that two foundational issues were limiting their growth:

1. Customer service overload due to repetitive phone queries

2. Outdated communications infrastructure preventing modern solutions

We outlined a two-phase approach: automate the phones and optimize guest services using AI.

The Solution

In Phase One, we:

• Built a custom AI Voice Agent, affectionately named DiDi, using a Small Language Model (SLM) trained on DiDonato’s website, flyers, and operational documents.

• Upgraded their entire phone system, replacing an overpriced IVR with a modern cloud-based VOIP setup using a combination of hardware phones and softphones, customized for staff availability and routing.

Now when customers call, DiDi greets them with a warm voice and answers most questions automatically—from hours of operation to event details—saving staff hundreds of hours per month. We also track call metrics like:

• Average call duration

• Time to resolution

• Sentiment/temperature of the call

• Outcome success rate

Phase Two addressed the restaurant’s constant challenge: waitlist unpredictability. We deployed an AI-driven seating optimization tool that goes beyond traditional waitlist apps:

• Tracks seating by table size and actual meal duration

• Learns from repeat guest behavior to predict future wait times more accurately

• Enables staff to offer realistic expectations and smoother service

The Impact

• 📞 Hundreds of staff hours saved monthly

• 🧠 Improved customer satisfaction with faster answers and friendlier interactions

• 🪑 Smarter seating management leading to shorter perceived wait times and more table turns

• 🤖 Ongoing data-driven improvements to both AI voice and seating systems