Venue snapshot:

• Venue: Lime Mexican
• Location: Sawtell, NSW
• Seats: 120
• Services: Dine-in, Takeaway, Delivery, Catering & Functions
• Years Operating: 11+
• Owner Experience: 25+ years hospitality

About Lime Mexican

Located in the beachside town of Sawtell, New South Wales, Lime Mexican is a locally owned restaurant serving fresh Mexican street food to locals and visitors alike.

The venue seats up to 120 guests and operates across dine-in, takeaway, delivery, catering, and private functions.

Owner Matt Colgan has spent more than 25 years in hospitality and is now in his 11th year operating Lime Mexican.

For a busy restaurant with multiple revenue streams, the phone is constantly ringing.

That creates a challenge many operators know well: every call pulls staff away from guests already in the venue.

That is where Otto came in.

The challenge: too many interruptions during service

Lime Mexican's team manages dine-in service, takeaway orders, delivery customers, catering enquiries, and function bookings.

That means incoming phone calls can range from simple questions through to full takeaway orders.

During busy periods, every call creates another interruption.

Staff either stop serving guests to answer the phone or risk missing the call entirely.

For Matt, the bigger issue wasn't just missed calls.

It was keeping his team's attention where it matters most.

"The ability to take my staff away from the phone and let them focus on the customers that are in the restaurant is fantastic."

— Matt Colgan, Owner, Lime Mexican

Why Lime Mexican chose Otto

Matt was already familiar with hospitality technology through his existing ordering systems and was looking for a way to reduce pressure on his team without compromising customer experience.

Otto stood out because it could handle both orders and enquiries while fitting naturally into existing operations.

The goal was simple:

• Reduce phone interruptions
• Improve guest experience
• Keep service flowing during busy periods
• Support staff without increasing workload

Handling orders, bookings, and enquiries automatically

Today, Otto helps Lime Mexican manage:

• Takeaway orders
• Table booking enquiries
• General customer questions
• Restaurant information requests

Information is passed directly into the restaurant's workflow, allowing staff to stay focused on guests rather than constantly switching between service and phone calls.

"We're able to integrate ordering as well as general messaging around table bookings, and any other enquiries just come straight out from the printer."

— Matt Colgan, Owner, Lime Mexican

Customers don't realise they're talking to AI

One of the biggest concerns restaurant owners have about AI is whether customers will notice.

For Lime Mexican, the feedback has been surprisingly positive.

Customers regularly complete their interaction without realising they were speaking with AI until the end of the conversation.

That creates a better experience for customers while still delivering the operational benefits of automation.

"What I like about Otto is the simplicity of it, and the feedback I'm getting directly off customers is that they don't even realise they're talking to AI until the very end."

— Matt Colgan, Owner, Lime Mexican

Helping hospo teams do more with fewer interruptions.

Like many hospitality operators, Matt sees staffing as one of the biggest ongoing challenges facing restaurants.

Rather than replacing employees, he views Otto as a way to support the team already on shift.

By removing repetitive phone work, staff can spend more time serving guests, improving service, and handling higher-value tasks.

"In a restaurant world where it's really hard to get staff, Otto is just going to help those staff that are there. Not to replace staff, just to help them."

— Matt Colgan, Owner, Lime Mexican

Why Lime Mexican continues to use Otto

For Lime Mexican, Otto helps:

• Keep staff focused on guests
• Reduce interruptions during service
• Capture takeaway orders and enquiries
• Handle booking-related calls
• Deliver a customer experience that feels natural
• Support existing staff without adding headcount

"If we can use it in our operations in any part of it, we're going to do it because it's just going to enhance the experience."

— Matt Colgan, Owner, Lime Mexican

Matt's view

Matt's recommendation comes down to one thing: improving the restaurant experience for both customers and staff.

For Lime Mexican, Otto has become another operational tool that helps the business run more smoothly while allowing the team to focus on hospitality.

"We're so happy with it."

— Matt Colgan, Owner, Lime Mexican

The takeaway for restaurant owners

Lime Mexican shows that the value of Otto extends beyond simply answering the phone.

It helps restaurants:

• Keep staff focused on guests
• Reduce service interruptions
• Handle orders and enquiries consistently
• Improve operational efficiency
• Support teams during labour shortages
• Introduce AI without compromising customer experience

For Matt, the biggest win is simple: less time on the phone and more time delivering great hospitality.