# Will AI replace waiters? Updated October 2026 Waiters score 31 of 100 for AI exposure. 59% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 5% today and speed up another 36%. - **5%** AI can do it - **36%** AI helps - **59%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Lower than 60% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 25 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 9 and leaves 15 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes. POS systems already itemize and total checks automatically. | 85% AI can do it | | Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff. Voice and tablet tools can capture and transmit orders. | 60% AI helps | | Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request. Assistants can answer menu questions; presenting stays in person. | 55% AI helps | | Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods. Assistants can summarize recipes and ingredients; allergens need kitchen check. | 55% AI helps | | Provide guests with information about local areas, including directions. Maps and AI can give directions; delivering info is conversational. | 45% AI helps | ## How waiters compare All occupations (923) Food preparation and serving (16) **Waiters score 31**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 25 for food preparation and serving. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $35,230 a year, May 2025 People employed 2.3 million in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +2.0% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Run tableside orders on Aloha Point-of-Sale - Check allergens with the kitchen before sending tickets - Recommend wine pairings from the menu at the table - Set tables with linens, silverware and glassware - Close and split guest checks on NCR Advanced Checkout Solution ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Dining room attendants10 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dining-room-attendants/) - [Food servers23 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/food-servers/) - [Bartenders26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/bartenders/) - [Fast food workers24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/fast-food-workers/) - [Baristas23 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/baristas/) ## Questions about waiters and AI Will waiters be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing orders for the kitchen and preparing itemized checks. Presenting menus, clearing tables and serving guests in person stay with waiters because they need a person in the room. Which waiter tasks is AI taking over? Preparing checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes scores 85 on exposure, since POS systems already total checks automatically. Taking and entering orders scores 60, because voice and tablet tools can capture them and send them to the kitchen. Which waiter tasks stay human? Clearing dishes, escorting guests and setting tables score 4 or 5 on exposure, because they need hands and movement in the room. Wiping tables and sweeping floors also score 3 or 4, so these physical tasks stay with waiters as AI handles the paperwork. How can waiters stay valuable? Learn Aloha Point-of-Sale and NCR tableside ordering so you can fix errors fast during service. Know each dish's ingredients and cooking method, then check allergens with the kitchen before sending tickets. Lead table recommendations and wine pairings, since presenting menus stays in person. ## Related jobs - [Hosts41 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/hosts/) - [Food preparation workers17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/food-preparation-workers/) - [Food service managers41 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/food-service-managers/) - [Short order cooks20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/short-order-cooks/) ## Next steps for waiters - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.