Will AI replace nonrestaurant food servers?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 4m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 6h 56m (87%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 4.5% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 1h 4m of a typical shift. 8 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Carry food, silverware, or linen on trays or use carts to carry trays. (1h 4m a shift; e.g. Aethon TUG (ST Engineering Aethon), in use)

6h 56m of a typical shift, or 87%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions. (1h 20m a shift)
• Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities. (1h 4m a shift)
• Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed. (48m a shift)
• Remove trays and stack dishes for return to kitchen after meals are finished. (40m a shift)
• Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments. (32m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 98% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 89% spend more than half the day walking or moving
• 88% work at arm's length or closer to other people

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Oct 21, 2021: Chili's deploys Rita server robot in 10 restaurants (Pilot)

On Indeed, job postings in the Food Preparation & Service sector are at 96% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 3.1% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 49,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $35,360 a year ($17.00 an hour), 31% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $28,030 and $46,120 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 4.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 310,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 49,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 294,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.19% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 134th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 310,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 48% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Service Orientation, Speaking, Active Listening
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 56m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Windows

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (3h 42m touched, $31k median pay)
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers (1h 19m touched, $34k median pay)
• Fast Food and Counter Workers (58m touched, $31k median pay)
• Waiters and Waitresses (17m touched, $35k median pay)
• Food Preparation Workers (49m touched, $35k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 13 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.