Waiters and Waitresses
Food Preparation and Serving Related · SOC 35-3031
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 35-3031 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 45/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $35,230
- H-1B offered wage $31,200; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 539,000
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -0.7%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 2
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 662,657 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~18.4% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
Common titles: Banquet Server, Busser, Cocktail Server, Food Runner, Food Server, Restaurant Server
Representative Tasks
- •Collect payments from customers.
- •Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- •Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
- •Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
- •Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Process customer bills or payments.
- •Enforce rules or regulations.
- •Take customer orders.
- •Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel.
- •Communicate with customers to resolve complaints or ensure satisfaction.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 60% Bright |
| Median Salary | $35,230 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |