Maple Partners with Shift4 to Bring AI Phone Ordering to SkyTab Restaurants

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--

Maple, the leading voice AI platform for restaurants, today announced that it has integrated its solution with Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR), a global leader in integrated payments and commerce technology, to bring 24/7 AI-powered phone ordering to restaurant merchants using SkyTab POS nationwide.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260316749809/en/

The partnership integrates Maple's voice AI directly with SkyTab, addressing the persistent challenge of missed phone calls and lost revenue facing restaurant operators. With over 40% of restaurant phone calls going unanswered during peak hours, the average restaurant loses more than $30,000 annually in unrealized phone orders.

"Restaurant owners constantly tell us that they can't afford to hire dedicated phone staff, but they also can't afford to miss calls," said Aidan Chau, CEO and Founder of Maple. "Partnering with Shift4 allows us to bring AI phone ordering to thousands of SkyTab restaurants with an integration that just works: orders flow straight to the kitchen without extra tablets, duplicate entries, or friction."

Deep Integration Drives Operational Efficiency

Unlike typical AI phone systems that require weeks of menu programming and configuration, the Maple-SkyTab integration enables deployment in minutes. Maple pulls menu data directly from SkyTab, including items, modifiers, pricing, and availability, ensuring accurate order taking from day one.

Key capabilities include:

Beyond order taking, Maple's AI handles reservations, catering inquiries, hours and directions, and frequently asked questions.

Addressing a Persistent Industry Challenge

American restaurants miss roughly one in three incoming calls during service hours, a structural problem that costs the industry billions annually. The challenge is timing: phones ring most when kitchens are slammed and staff are focused on guests in the dining room.

The Maple-Shift4 partnership tackles this head-on. With Maple handling phone orders around the clock, restaurants capture revenue they'd otherwise lose while freeing staff to focus on in-person service. Orders taken by AI flow directly into SkyTab's kitchen systems, no extra hardware, no manual re-entry, no disruption to existing workflows.

Since launching in December 2023, Maple has answered over 1 million calls for restaurants with a 94% resolution rate without human intervention. The platform also handles reservations, catering inquiries, hours and directions, and common questions, all integrated with leading POS systems.

Availability

The Maple integration is available now to all SkyTab merchants in the United States. Restaurants can activate the service through the SkyTab Marketplace or contact their Shift4 representative.

About Maple

Maple, the leading Voice AI platform for restaurants, provides 24/7 phone answering for restaurants and local businesses, handling orders, reservations, and delivery inquiries. A graduate of Amazon's AWS Generative AI Accelerator, Maple has scaled to serve over 2,500 merchants since launching in December 2023. The platform integrates with major POS systems and partners with leading restaurant technology platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Maple is on a mission to ensure no restaurant ever misses a customer call again. For more information, visit maple.inc.

About Shift4

Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR) powers the experience economy, enabling businesses to deliver the moments that matter. Transforming how people shop, dine, stay, and play, Shift4’s commerce technology allows for a seamless experience at any scale. From your neighborhood restaurant to the world’s largest event venues, Shift4 handles billions of transactions annually for hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world. For more information, visit shift4.com.

Maple's Voice AI-powered phone ordering is now integrated with SkyTab for seamless order and menu management.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for the International Board of Peace overseeing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on Wednesday reiterated longstanding demands that Hamas and other militant groups, calling them “not negotiable.”

Seven months ago, the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed to by Israel and Hamas included disarmament as a key provision but little progress has been made. Negotiations have centered around details, some of which Mladenov referenced on Wednesdaay, about gun buybacks and small arms for law enforcement.

But Mladenov also said Hamas could have a role in post-war Gaza if they disarmed. “We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement,” he said.

He criticized the group for consolidating power in parts of Gaza and said they were doing it “to squeeze better terms of a negotiation.”

The remarks conflict with some of Israel’s aims to destroy the militant group that has governed Gaza for two decades.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Nickolay Mladenov, the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza, was in Jerusalem on Wednesday seeking to advance the ceasefire deal that Israel and Hamas agreed to more than seven months ago.

His appearance comes as efforts to advance the phased ceasefire have stalled, without much progress on its key tenets, including demilitarization and reconstruction. The truce envisioned Hamas handing over its weapons, Israeli forces withdrawing and rebuilding destroyed swaths of the coastal enclave after more than two years of war.

Instead, the seven months since the ceasefire have seen Israel and Hamas trade accusations of violations. Aid groups say Israel has not allowed the promised amount of aid in. Hamas has not disarmed and remains in control of roughly half the strip.

Israel has stepped up its attacks in Gaza in recent days, since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, and many Palestinians fear a return of more airstrikes and full-scale war may be imminent.

Mladenov is a longtime U.N. diplomat and consultant who has also been a government minister in his home country, Bulgaria. Last year he was named high representative for Gaza for the President Donald Trump-led International Board of Peace designed to oversee post-war plans for the strip.

The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militants stormed Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 as hostages. Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed over 72,724 Palestinians, including at least 846 since a ceasefire took hold last October.

That’s according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. The figures by the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

A Palestinian man carries water containers in Gaza City, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

FILE - United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, attends a press conference at the (UNSCO) offices in Gaza City, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)