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Business phone system for full-service restaurants in Idaho

1,296 full-service restaurants operated in Idaho in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
1,296CBP 2023
Employees
25,711mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
64.7U.S. 76.0
State rank
40th of 51by count

Full-service restaurants in Idaho by the numbers

County Business Patterns counts 1,296 establishments in Idaho classified as Full-Service Restaurants (NAICS 722511) for 2023. They employed 25,711 people in mid-March and reported $627.2 million in annual payroll. That is the 40th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Full-service restaurants make up 2.2% of the 58,100 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Idaho has 64.7 full-service restaurants, 14.9% below the national rate of 76.0. The average establishment has 19.8 employees against 20.8 nationally. Payroll per employee is $24,396, 12.9% below the U.S. figure of $28,018.

Full-service restaurants: Idaho compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureIdahoUnited States
Establishments1,296258,626
Mid-March employees25,7115,387,020
Annual payroll$627,243,000$150,931,656,000
Employees per establishment19.820.8
Payroll per employee$24,396$28,018
Establishments per 100,000 residents64.776.0

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Full-service restaurants by metro area in Idaho

Census published full-service restaurant counts for 17 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Idaho. The largest is Boise City, ID, with 480 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 83% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Full-service restaurants by metro or micropolitan area, Idaho, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Boise City, ID48011,82556.7
Coeur d'Alene, ID1423,00475.4
Idaho Falls, ID942,28754.9
Jackson, WY-ID812,068223.7
Twin Falls, ID791,43164.5
Hailey, ID59910184.0
Pocatello, ID561,21461.5
Logan, UT-ID501,27531.0
Sandpoint, ID4773187.1
Ontario, OR-ID4454073.4
Lewiston, ID-WA4079661.2
Rexburg, ID3046442.9
Moscow, ID2944668.8
Burley, ID2631853.4
Brigham City, UT-ID2372533.3
Mountain Home, ID1826360.5
Blackfoot, ID1628631.4

Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023; population from Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Team sizes at full-service restaurants in Idaho

23.4% of Idaho's full-service restaurants with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 26.3% nationally. 38.4% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Full-service restaurants in Idaho by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees30323.4%26.3%
5–9 employees19515.0%17.1%
10–19 employees32224.8%21.1%
20–49 employees36428.1%24.7%
50 or more employees1128.6%10.8%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Why the phone matters for full-service restaurants in Idaho

Restaurants take reservations, takeout orders and catering inquiries by phone during the same rush when staff are busiest. Unanswered calls during service often mean lost covers.

A few of the calls that come in to full-service restaurants in Idaho:

When nobody can pick up

After closing, callers want hours and reservations, which a greeting or AI receptionist can handle.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

What a phone system costs a full-service restaurant in Idaho

Full-service restaurants in Idaho average 19.8 employees, so the comparison uses a 20-person team. Priced per seat, 20 users would run $600.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $499.00 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 20 people cost $399.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $2,412. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for a 20-person full-service restaurant
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$399.00$4,788.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$380.00$4,560.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$460.00$5,520.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$499.00$5,988.00
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$540.00$6,480.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$600.00$7,200.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in Idaho

Idaho has 2 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your guests know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in Idaho by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
208785Mountain and Pacific1947986
986187Pacific2017208

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for full-service restaurants in Idaho

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in Idaho, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many full-service restaurants are in Idaho?

1,296 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 25,711 people in mid-March.

Which Idaho metro area has the most full-service restaurants?

Boise City, ID, with 480 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost a 20-person full-service restaurant?

$600.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $499.00 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $399.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a Idaho number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.