Business phone system for full-service restaurants in Massachusetts

Full-service restaurants in Massachusetts by the numbers

The Census Bureau counted 6,558 full-service restaurants in Massachusetts in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 722511). They employed 133,020 people in mid-March and reported $4.5 billion in annual payroll. That is the 14th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Full-service restaurants make up 3.6% of the 183,767 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Massachusetts has 91.9 full-service restaurants, 20.9% above the national rate of 76.0. The average establishment has 20.3 employees against 20.8 nationally. Payroll per employee is $34,039, 21.5% above the U.S. figure of $28,018.

Massachusetts's largest markets for full-service restaurants

Census published full-service restaurant counts for 10 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Massachusetts. The largest is Boston, MA-NH, with 4,652 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 29% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at full-service restaurants in Massachusetts

26.5% of Massachusetts's full-service restaurants with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 26.3% nationally. 43.3% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Calls a full-service restaurant in Massachusetts has to catch

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 Massachusetts:

• A customer calls in a takeout order.
• A guest calls to book a table for six on Saturday.
• The restaurant calls a guest to confirm a reservation.

Business texting for full-service restaurants

Restaurants text reservation confirmations and table-ready alerts.

Texting from a local number in Massachusetts requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for full-service restaurants in Massachusetts

Full-service restaurants in Massachusetts average 20.3 employees, so the comparison uses a 20-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 20 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $600.00 a month and 20 on Ooma Office Pro cost $499.00. Callata comes to $399.00 a month for 20 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $2,412 less than RingCentral for a full-service restaurant in Massachusetts of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 9 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a full-service restaurant can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for full-service restaurants in Massachusetts

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.

Porting a number you already use in Massachusetts is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.