Career Explorer Food and hospitality
Human edge, growing
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
Facilitate food service. Clean tables; remove dirty dishes; replace soiled table linens; set tables; replenish supply of clean linens, silverware, glassware, and dishes; supply service bar with food; and serve items such as water, condiments, and coffee to patrons.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 96% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.3% by 2035, faster than average.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $33,980
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.3%
- Openings a year
- 95,300
- People doing it (2025)
- 547,000
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
- Execute financial transactions
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Provide food or beverage services
- Stock supplies or products
- Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
What the work looks like
- Run cash registers.
- Serve ice water, coffee, rolls, or butter to patrons.
- Scrape and stack dirty dishes and carry dishes and other tableware to kitchens for cleaning.
- Wipe tables or seats with dampened cloths or replace dirty tablecloths.
- Set tables with clean linens, condiments, or other supplies.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as traditional movie theaters continue to expand their food and beverage offerings and the number of luxury or boutique movie theaters continues to increase.
- Fewer of these jobs, as the number of food trucks expands which do not typically employ attendants and helpers.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Agricultural equipment operatorsHuman edge, growing, Index 98, +8.6%
- OrderliesHuman edge, growing, Index 98, +4.0%
- Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +5.3%
- Medical equipment preparersHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +10.8%
Also known as: Barback, Bus Boy, Bus Person, Busser, Buffet Attendant, Dining Room Attendant, Food Service Aide, Food Service Helper.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.