Yelp is launching a new voice agent feature that calls restaurants on behalf of users to check wait times. The Check for Me feature appears on restaurant pages within the Yelp app, allowing users to input their party size and phone number so an AI agent can make the call and text back the results. This update follows Yelp's introduction of voice solutions for businesses last year and addresses the consumer side of the discovery platform.
Alongside the voice calling feature, Yelp is updating its AI assistant with an OpenTable integration for in-app bookings and better personalization through chat memory. Users can now access past chat histories, set custom reminders for activities, and organize locations into custom lists that can be filtered and shared. Additionally, Yelp is releasing a $30-per-month paid product called Smart Lead Reply to help business owners automate customer inquiries and qualify leads.
Why it matters: This feature brings AI voice agents directly to consumer dining searches, bridging the gap between digital discovery and real-world restaurant queues.