How Dirty Bird Chicken N’ Waffles Went From Skeptic to Superfan with Certus AI

“People come in and they say how polite Sean was. ‘Who’s this Sean? He sounds like a robot, but I’m not sure.’ And I’m like, ‘No, that’s our newest employee. He just went on break.’ And they’re like, ‘No way, really?’” 

Raul Parker · Owner, Dirty Bird Chicken N’ Waffles · Niagara Falls, NY 

Sean is Dirty Bird’s Certus AI profile. The employee who never sleeps, is never late, and never goes on break. 

When customers are asking after a staff member who doesn’t technically exist, the AI isn’t just answering the phone. It’s become part of the restaurant. 

Before Certus AI 

Dirty Bird’s biggest challenge on a Friday or Saturday night was never the food. It was the phone. 

Between 10 and 20% of calls were going unanswered. With phone orders accounting for up to half of total revenue, that wasn’t a staffing inconvenience. It was a direct hit to the top line. 

The staff answering weren’t trained salespeople. They weren’t upselling. On busy nights, customers complained they couldn’t get through, or that orders came out wrong, or that whoever picked up sounded rushed. 

Raul felt it personally. 

“I’d get calls at home or at other jobs: ‘Hey, I’m trying to reach your restaurant. I can’t get a hold of anybody.’ Even I’d call sometimes and they wouldn’t answer. It made me sick to my stomach just thinking about how much money I was losing on a weekly basis by them not answering the phone.” 

Hiring his way out didn’t add up. His crew runs the trucks, the restaurant, the catering — cooking, cleaning, everything. Paying someone $17 an hour just to answer phones was $600 a week for a job that didn’t cook a single plate. 

And not every great cook is a great phone salesperson. 

“You got 20 tickets on the board and people in front of your face trying to order. And you’re still trying to answer the phone for somebody who takes two or three minutes and then doesn’t even order anything. Do that 10, 20 times a day, that’s almost an hour wasted — and you potentially lose a $40, $50 sale every time.” 

On top of it all, the food truck and catering enquiries were landing on the same overloaded line. Requests slipped through. Nobody was capturing them consistently. 

With Certus AI 

Raul went live with Certus, and within a week the phones were handled. 

Every call answered. Orders taken accurately. Catering and food truck enquiries routed and logged. Staff fully back on the floor. 

One detail stood out: Certus recognises repeat callers and greets them by name. For a neighbourhood spot like Dirty Bird, that’s not something a 17- year-old on a packed Friday delivers consistently. The AI does it every time. 

“Some people can’t even tell that he is not a real person. I am amazed at how accurate, personable and adaptive Certus’ AI technology actually is.” 

Raul Parker · Owner, Dirty Bird Chicken N’ Waffles · Trustpilot Review 

A first truck, and a rule about getting comfortable 

Raul came up through the service industry — bartending, serving — and wanted something of his own. He found a niche nobody around him was filling.

There was nothing like chicken and waffles in Niagara Falls. So he built a truck. The first one in the city. 

Eleven years later, Dirty Bird spans a restaurant, food trucks, and catering — built on a simple belief that food brings people together and comforts them. 

It’s also built on a rule he repeats often. 

“You can’t ever get comfortable. Once you get comfortable, that’s when your business slowly starts dying. If you’re not growing, you’re slowing. You’ve got to keep up with the times, but stay consistent in the things people love.” 

Why he chose Certus 

Raul didn’t sign up on the call. He told the team straight: he was going to do his own research first. 

So he pulled Certus’s list of customers, picked one at random — a restaurant called Jimmy Seaside — and called it himself to hear the AI in action. 

“I was trying to place an order with it, and I got different details. Then I Googled if Jimmy Seaside was really a place. Saw it on the map. I wanted to see concrete proof that it was legit.” 

An operator doing diligence on another operator’s phone line. That’s what turned him from skeptic to signed. 

What kept him was the support after. 

“Your customer service is second to none. There’s been times almost at midnight where I’ve sent a text and you replied within a couple minutes. That’s huge.”

Even the 10-year chef came around 

Marcus has cooked at Dirty Bird for a decade. When Sean showed up, he wasn’t thrilled. 

“Marcus is threatened by Sean. It is different. But once they realize this is one less thing they have to do, now they’re on board.” 

The crew used to complain to Raul about being stuck on the phone. His answer was simple: that phone call is the one paying your salary. Now it’s off their plate entirely. 

“My guys are lazy. If it’s one less thing they gotta do, they’re all in. It’s made it a lot less stress than what we used to deal with.” 

The best operators don’t get comfortable. 

They do their homework, stay skeptical, and move the moment the math is obvious. Raul did exactly that — verified it himself, watched it work in a week, and started telling other owners before anyone asked him to.

“I am truly blown away and wish I would have done this much sooner. I have already recommended Certus to several other restaurants.” 

Raul Parker · Owner, Dirty Bird Chicken N’ Waffles · Niagara Falls, NY