Changing shape

Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.

AI Resistance Index 31 of 99

Changing faster than most: more resilient than 31% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +3.4% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence.

AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.

Median pay (2025): $31,200
Job growth to 2035: +3.4%
Openings a year: 107,000
People doing it (2025): 444,000
Usual route in: No formal credential, then short on-the-job training

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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

Inspect facilities or equipment
Package objects
Prepare schedules for services or facilities

What the work looks like

Provide guests with menus.
Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and customers to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.
Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.
Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as adoption of technologies enables more self-service, including online reservation systems and increased food pick-up and deliveries, allowing hosts and hostesses to serve more customers.
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.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Funeral attendantsHuman edge, steady, Index 55, +2.6%
Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendantsHuman edge, growing, Index 76, +6.4%
Food servers, nonrestaurantHuman edge, growing, Index 76, +4.5%
Waiters and waitressesHuman edge, steady, Index 50, +2.0%

Also known as: Buffet Hostess, Greeter, Host, Hostess, Dining Coordinator, Host Coordinator, Private Dining Coordinator, Seater.

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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.