Business phone system for full-service restaurants in Tennessee

How many full-service restaurants operate in Tennessee

Tennessee had 4,962 full-service restaurants in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns (NAICS 722511, Full-Service Restaurants). They employed 121,246 people in mid-March and reported $3.2 billion in annual payroll. That is the 17th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Full-service restaurants make up 3.3% of the 150,129 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Tennessee has 68.7 full-service restaurants, 9.7% below the national rate of 76.0. The average establishment has 24.4 employees against 20.8 nationally. Payroll per employee is $26,693, 4.7% below the U.S. figure of $28,018.

Full-service restaurants by metro area in Tennessee

Census published full-service restaurant counts for 27 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Tennessee. The largest is Nashville, TN, with 1,681 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 68% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at full-service restaurants in Tennessee

21.8% of Tennessee's full-service restaurants with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 26.3% nationally. 37.9% 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.

Why the phone matters for full-service restaurants in Tennessee

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. That holds for full-service restaurants in Tennessee as much as anywhere.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for full-service restaurants in Tennessee:

• A guest calls to book a table for six on Saturday.
• The restaurant calls a guest to confirm a reservation.
• A supplier calls about a delivery.

Business texting for full-service restaurants

Restaurants text reservation confirmations and table-ready alerts.

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

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

Full-service restaurants in Tennessee average 24.4 employees, so the comparison uses a 24-person team. On a per-user plan that headcount sets the bill: $598.80 a month on Ooma Office Pro or $720.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core at list price (checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $479.00 a month for 24 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $2,892 less than RingCentral for a full-service restaurant in Tennessee of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Tennessee

Tennessee has 8 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 Tennessee

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 Tennessee 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.