How much do missed calls cost your restaurant?
At the median call volume on Maple (13.6 calls a day, 91% of them while open), with 31.1% of open-hours calls ending in an order and a $28.24 average order, every 10% of open-hours calls missed puts about 12 order calls a month out of reach: $326 in sales if all of them are lost, or $163 if half would have ordered another way.
1. Your phone line
The starting values are measured benchmarks from restaurants using Maple, except the three marked with an asterisk. Replace every one with your own numbers.
* Assumption, not measured. Calls you miss is the share of the calls in the window you pick. Orders truly lost is the share of missed order calls that would not be placed another way. Margin is what is left of a sale after food, packaging and fees.
- Calls per day, all hours: the median is 13.6 for 124 established Maple restaurants (middle half 7.8 to 22.9), counting days with at least one call. These are calls Maple answered, not necessarily every call to the line.
- Share arriving after closing: 9% of calls. The missed-call rate you enter applies only to the window you pick, so a 10% rate after closing counts 10% of those calls, not 10% of the whole day.
- Share that are orders: 31.1% of calls placed during open hours and 3.3% of calls after closing ended in an order, at restaurants with phone ordering.
- Average order value: $28.24, the mean phone order before tax and tip (median $22.88).
- Assumptions, not measured: how many calls you miss (count them from your phone log), how many of those callers would not order another way, and your margin.
Your estimate
An estimate from your inputs, not a forecast or a promised result.
Sales lost to missed calls
$163 / month
About $1,956 a year at constant volume.
Contribution is sales left after food, packaging, payment fees and other variable costs. This is not profit and does not include reservations, catering, or customers who stop calling after a bad experience.
Show the calculation
13.6 calls × 30 days × 91% arriving while open = 371 calls in the window × 10% missed = 37 missed calls.
× 31.1% orders = 12 order calls × 50% truly lost = 5.8 lost orders.
× $28.24 = $163 sales; × 40% contribution = $65. Displayed figures are rounded; calculations use unrounded values.
Sales lost per month at the starting values
Each column is the share of the calls that arrive while you are open that you miss; open hours carry 91% of all calls. Each cell assumes 31.1% of missed calls are orders (the open-hours rate), 50% of those orders are truly lost, a $28.24 average order and 30 operating days. The rows are the lower quarter, median and upper quarter of established Maple restaurants by call volume.
| Calls per day | 5% missed | 10% missed | 20% missed | 30% missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower quarter of restaurants (7.8) | $47 | $94 | $187 | $281 |
| Median restaurant (13.6) | $82 | $163 | $326 | $489 |
| Upper quarter of restaurants (22.9) | $137 | $275 | $549 | $824 |
How it works
Sales lost per month = calls per day × operating days × share of calls in the window you miss them (open hours or after closing) × share missed × share that are orders × share you truly lose × average order value. Contribution lost = sales lost × your contribution margin, the part of each sale left after food, packaging, payment fees and other variable costs.
"Truly lose" matters. Some callers who reach voicemail call back, or order through a delivery app. The tool starts at 50%, which is a guess, and shows a ceiling (everyone lost) so you can see the range. It counts only the order stream; it leaves out reservations, catering, and guests who stop calling.
The calculator uses the same order model as the restaurant ROI calculator, which adds Maple's cost and setup so you can compare.
Where each starting value comes from
Measured values are from Maple's call records for Aug 10, 2026 to Nov 8, 2026. See the restaurant phone call benchmarks for the cohort, method and limits. Assumptions are placeholders. We have no data on calls a restaurant failed to answer, so we cannot measure them.
| Input | Starting value | Kind | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of calls that arrive after closing | 9% | Measured | 312,368 calls at restaurants with posted hours |
| Calls per day, all hours | 13.6 (middle half 7.8 to 22.9) | Measured | 124 established Maple restaurants, Aug 10, 2026 to Nov 8, 2026 |
| Share of calls that are orders, open hours | 31.1% | Measured | Calls at 430 restaurants with phone ordering |
| Share of calls that are orders, after closing | 3.3% | Measured | 25,076 after-hours calls, same restaurants |
| Average order value | $28.24 (median $22.88) | Measured | 68,000 accepted phone orders, before tax and tip |
| Share of calls you miss | 10% | Assumption | Placeholder. Count your own from your phone log |
| Share of missed orders you truly lose | 50% | Assumption | Not measured. Some callers call back or order elsewhere |
| Contribution after variable costs | 40% | Assumption | Illustrative. Use your own food, packaging and fee costs |
Frequently asked questions
How much money does a restaurant lose to missed calls?
Sales lost = calls per day × days × share of calls in the window you miss them (open hours or after closing) × share missed × share that are orders × share you truly lose × average order value. With the benchmark starting values, a restaurant with 13.6 calls a day that misses 10% of the calls it gets while open (91% of all calls) loses about $163 a month, assuming half the callers would have ordered another way. The result moves mostly with your missed-call rate, so measure that first.
How do I find my missed-call rate?
Use your phone carrier or phone-system call log for two full weeks. Count calls that rang out, went to voicemail, were abandoned, or got a busy signal, and divide by all calls. Separate calls during open hours from calls after closing, and leave out spam and robocalls. Maple cannot supply this number because its data only covers calls Maple answered.
Is every missed call a lost order?
No. Most missed calls are not orders (31.1% of calls during open hours were), and some callers who reach voicemail try again or order elsewhere on the same night. The calculator asks what share of missed orders you truly lose and starts at 50%. That figure is an assumption, not a measurement; the page also shows the ceiling if none of the callers order another way.
Why are calls after closing worth less in the calculator?
Because they ended in an order far less often: 3.3% against 31.1% during open hours, among calls Maple answered at restaurants with phone ordering. Choosing "After you close" sets the order share to that measured figure.
Is the calculator free, and does it save my numbers?
It is free and asks for no email. Your inputs stay in your browser and are not sent to Maple. If you copy the scenario link, the numbers are in that link's address so whoever opens it sees the same estimate.
How does this compare with the cost of Maple?
This page prices the sales on missed calls only. To compare against the cost of answering every call, use the ROI calculator, which includes Maple Pro at $350 a month ($220 a month billed yearly) and your own setup costs. Neither calculator is a forecast or a guaranteed result.
Machine-readable copy: /missed-call-calculator.md. Not a forecast or a guaranteed result.
