Serve food to diners at counter or from a steam table.
17 of 17 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Take customers' orders and write ordered items on tickets, giving ticket stubs to customers when needed to identify filled orders.
AI: Fully automatable - Self-service kiosks, mobile/voice ordering, and POS printers can take orders and print/generate tickets and stubs without human intervention.
Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
AI: Fully automatable - Modern POS and reconciliation software can automatically balance receipts and payments and flag discrepancies, enabling end-to-end automation of register balancing.
Brew coffee and tea, and fill containers with requested beverages.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated coffee/tea machines and robotic baristas can brew and fill containers to order in many real-world settings.
Add relishes and garnishes to food orders, according to instructions.
AI: Fully automatable - Vision-guided feeders and dispensing systems can accurately add relishes and garnishes to orders according to instructions and are commercially viable by 2025.
Order items needed to replenish supplies.
AI: Fully automatable - Inventory management and procurement workflows are readily automatable with software that can predict needs and place replenish orders.
Arrange reservations for patrons of dining establishments.
AI: Fully automatable - Reservation scheduling, availability management, and confirmations are routinely automated by booking systems and AI-driven assistants.
Prepare bills for food, using cash registers, calculators, or adding machines, and accept payment or make change.
AI: Partial - POS systems calculate bills and accept digital payments automatically, but handling physical cash and making change remains largely manual in most settings.
Scrub and polish counters, steam tables, and other equipment, and clean glasses, dishes, and fountain equipment.
AI: Partial - Dishwashers and automated floor/surface cleaners can fully handle some cleaning tasks, but varied cleaning of steam tables, fountain equipment, and spot polishing in dynamic food environments still needs human intervention, so automation is partial.
Perform cleaning duties such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
AI: Partial - Robotic floor cleaners and commercial dishwashers exist, but comprehensive automated cleaning of varied equipment and dynamic kitchen spaces is not yet fully reliable.
Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.
AI: Partial - Physical serving across varied environments requires dexterous handling and navigation that current robotics and automation only partially address.
Cook food or prepare food items, such as sandwiches, salads, and ice cream dishes, using standard formulas or following directions.
AI: Partial - Some standardized food-prep tasks are automatable, but a broad range of cooking tasks still need human dexterity and judgment.
Serve salads, vegetables, meat, breads, and cocktails, ladle soups and sauces, portion desserts, and fill beverage cups and glasses.
AI: Partial - Portioning and filling can be automated in controlled contexts, but the full variety of plated service and beverage preparation still relies on human skill and discretion.
Set up dining areas for meals and clear them following meals.
AI: Partial - Robotic systems can arrange and clear in structured environments but cannot reliably handle the full variability, fragile items, and social navigation in most real-world dining rooms as of 2025.
Carve meat.
AI: Partial - Automated cutting systems can portion meat in controlled settings, but nuanced carving for presentation and variable cuts in typical foodservice contexts remains partially manual.
Wrap menu item such as sandwiches, hot entrees, and desserts for serving or for takeout.
AI: Partial - Wrapping varied menu items involves flexible manipulation of irregular shapes and materials where robotic solutions exist but are not yet fully generalizable.
Deliver orders to kitchens, and pick up and serve food when it is ready.
AI: Partial - Autonomous delivery robots can transport trays in controlled layouts, but reliably picking up plates, interacting with busy staff, and serving in varied floor plans remains only partially solved.
Replenish foods at serving stations.
AI: Partial - Replenishing serving stations can be aided by dispensing and conveyor automation, but situational judgment and varied item handling prevent full automation.