Established in 1998, Bluegrass Hospitality Group is a leading restaurant group based in Lexington, Kentucky. The company owns and operates six distinctive concepts, the most beloved being guest favorite in Lexington and Louisville—Malone’s. With countless locations across Kentucky, the business has grown its footprint as far south as Alabama and as far west as Missouri.
With high call volumes across multiple locations, Bluegrass Hospitality Group struggled with missed guest interactions, overwhelmed staff, and lost reservations. Peak hours often led to long wait times, and guests found it frustrating to navigate complex phone trees just to book a table or place an order.
"We were looking for a solution to handle phone calls when we didn’t have the capacity, especially during peak and off-hours,” said Russ Thomas, Director of Analytics and Payroll. “Guests were frustrated when they couldn’t reach us, and our staff was trying to keep up."
The team experimented with mobile phones and adjusting staffing schedules but found no sustainable solution. They needed a scalable, automated system to improve guest communication and reduce the burden on their team.
Bluegrass Hospitality Group implemented Slang.ai to handle inbound calls, streamline reservations, and enhance guest communication. The impact was immediate: Guests now reach the right department quickly without navigating long phone trees, resulting in a 96% caller satisfaction score (CSAT). Over 90 days, Slang managed 44,210 inbound calls, 6,623 of which were coinciding calls, ensuring that multiple guests could connect at once without long hold times.
Additionally, 2,859 reservations were booked through Slang’s AI-powered voice integration with OpenTable, reducing friction in the booking process and freeing up staff for in-person service. “We're not nearly fielding as many phone calls as before,” said Russ. “Guests are happy because they don’t have to deal with the phone tree.”
The ability to capture after-hours reservations and guest inquiries helps Bluegrass Hospitality Group retain more business and improve the guest experience. Staff and managers immediately noticed the difference. Phones were no longer ringing off the hook, allowing them to focus on in-person hospitality.
"Slang is a great platform. It’s taken a huge burden off our team, and I’d highly recommend it to any restaurant looking to streamline guest communication.”
— Russ Thomas, Director of Analytics and Payroll at Bluegrass Hospitality Group
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