Will AI replace waiters and waitresses?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 43m (96%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2% 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 17m of a typical shift. 13 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.

• Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests. (17m a shift; e.g. Servi Plus ('Jane'), in use)

7h 43m of a typical shift, or 96%, 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:

• Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required. (1h 1m a shift)
• Take orders from patrons for food or beverages. (44m a shift)
• Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning. (44m a shift)
• Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems. (35m a shift)
• Collect payments from customers. (26m 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:

• 95% are in constant contact with other people
• 89% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 88% spend more than half the day walking or moving

We track 2 sourced company moves that affect this job. Most recent:

• Jan 2025: LG takes a 51% stake in serving robot maker Bear Robotics (Announced)
• 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 423,000 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 $35,230 a year ($16.94 an hour), 31% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $18,100 and $64,720 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 2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 2.3 million jobs in 2035. It expects about 423,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 2.3 million people in the U.S., roughly 1.5% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 12th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 2.3 million in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 58% 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, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Speaking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 43m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Check with customers to see if they want to apply any rewards to their purchase.
• Perform routine tasks, such as refilling syrups, sanitizer bottles, and other essential supplies.

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)
• Fast Food and Counter Workers (58m touched, $31k median pay)
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers (1h 19m touched, $34k median pay)
• Baristas (1h 11m touched, $31k median pay)
• Restaurant Cooks (7m touched, $37k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 24 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.