# Waiters and Waitresses

> Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 35-3031.00
- **Summary:** Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

## Aliases

- Food Server
- Server
- Waiter
- Waitress
- Banquet Server
- Busser
- Cocktail Server
- Food Runner
- Restaurant Server
- Room Service Server
- Banquet Waiter
- Banquet Waitress

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Collect payments from customers. | Core | 4.A.4.c.1.c |
| Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.k |
| Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff. | Core | 4.A.4.a.2.c |
| Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems. | Core | 4.A.4.a.8.c |
| Take orders from patrons for food or beverages. | Core | 4.A.4.c.1.c |
| Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes. | Core | 4.A.4.c.1.c |
| Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.o |
| Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.o |
| Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request. | Core | 4.A.4.a.3.c |
| Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.o |

## Emerging Tasks

| Text |
| --- |
| Check with customers to see if they want to apply any rewards to their purchase. |
| Perform routine tasks, such as refilling syrups, sanitizer bottles, and other essential supplies. |

## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Arrange tables or dining areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.o |
| Collect dirty dishes or other tableware. | 4.A.3.a.1.o |
| Schedule dining reservations. | 4.A.2.b.5.a |
| Assist customers with seating arrangements. | 4.A.4.a.5.j |
| Clean food preparation areas, facilities, or equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Provide customers with general information or assistance. | 4.A.4.a.3.c |
| Enforce rules or regulations. | 4.A.3.a.1.k |
| Process customer bills or payments. | 4.A.4.c.1.c |
| Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel. | 4.A.4.a.2.c |
| Take customer orders. | 4.A.4.c.1.c |
| Communicate with customers to resolve complaints or ensure satisfaction. | 4.A.4.a.8.c |
| Serve food or beverages. | 4.A.3.a.1.o |
| Cook foods. | 4.A.3.a.2.c |
| Present food or beverage information or menus to customers. | 4.A.4.a.3.c |
| Clean food service areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Prepare hot or cold beverages. | 4.A.3.a.2.c |
| Prepare foods for cooking or serving. | 4.A.3.a.2.c |
| Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies. | 4.A.3.a.2.ak |
| Add garnishes to food. | 4.A.3.a.2.c |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customer and Personal Service | knowledge | 3.94 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 3.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 3.88 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 3.75 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3.75 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 3.75 |
| English Language | knowledge | 3.62 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 3.5 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 3.5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 3.38 |
| Sales and Marketing | knowledge | 3.27 |
| Time Sharing | ability | 3.25 |
| Trunk Strength | ability | 3.25 |
| Stamina | ability | 3.25 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 3.12 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 3 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | ability | 3 |
| Manual Dexterity | ability | 3 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 2.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | ability | 2.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | ability | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 2.75 |
| Persuasion | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Time Management | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 2.75 |
| Static Strength | ability | 2.75 |
| Extent Flexibility | ability | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | ability | 2.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 2.62 |
| Food Production | knowledge | 2.62 |
| Written Expression | ability | 2.62 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 2.62 |
| Memorization | ability | 2.62 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Facebook | Specialized Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Installation | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Facebook | Web page creation and editing software | yes | no |
| Blink | Instant messaging software | no | no |
| Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| Compris software | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| NCR Advanced Checkout Solution | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| NCR NeighborhoodPOS | Point of sale POS software | no | no |
| The General Store | Point of sale POS software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Contact With Others | 4.82 |
| Spend Time Standing | 4.67 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.52 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 4.47 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.46 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.3 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 3.91 |
| Physical Proximity | 3.91 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 3.9 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 3.77 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 3.63 |
| Telephone Conversations | 3.61 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 3.54 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 3.46 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 3.45 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 3.4 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 3.39 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 3.38 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 3.12 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 3.08 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 3.05 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 3.05 |
| Public Speaking | 2.83 |
| Time Pressure | 2.79 |
| Conflict Situations | 2.65 |
| Degree of Automation | 2.64 |
| Level of Competition | 2.45 |
| Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions | 2.31 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 2.29 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 1.92 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 1.86 |
| E-Mail | 1.81 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 1.79 |
| Consequence of Error | 1.72 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 1.64 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 1.64 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 1.63 |
| Outdoors, Under Cover | 1.51 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 1.49 |
| Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures | 1.37 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 2
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- **Experience:** Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- **Svp Range:** (Below 6.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma | 57.57 |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 32.33 |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 8.29 |
| Some College Courses | 1.14 |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 0.67 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Service | specific_interest_area | 5.93 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 4.95 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 4.72 |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 4.12 |
| Enterprising | career_interest_type | 4.06 |
| Dependability | work_style | 4 |
| Sales | specific_interest_area | 3.37 |
| Cooperation | work_style | 3 |
| Physical/Manual Labor | specific_interest_area | 2.61 |
| Culinary Art | specific_interest_area | 2.57 |
| Social Orientation | work_style | 2.47 |
| Optimism | work_style | 2.02 |
| Public Speaking | specific_interest_area | 1.93 |
| Empathy | work_style | 1.89 |
| Artistic | career_interest_type | 1.84 |
| Self-Control | work_style | 1.77 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 35-9011.00 | role-35-9011-00 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | Primary-Short |
| 35-3041.00 | role-35-3041-00 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | Primary-Short |
| 35-3011.00 | role-35-3011-00 | Bartenders | Primary-Short |
| 35-3023.00 | role-35-3023-00 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | Primary-Short |
| 35-9031.00 | role-35-9031-00 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | Primary-Short |
| 35-3023.01 | role-35-3023-01 | Baristas | Primary-Long |
| 35-2021.00 | role-35-2021-00 | Food Preparation Workers | Primary-Long |
| 11-9051.00 | role-11-9051-00 | Food Service Managers | Primary-Long |
| 35-2015.00 | role-35-2015-00 | Cooks, Short Order | Primary-Long |
| 35-1012.00 | role-35-1012-00 | First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | Primary-Long |
| 35-2013.00 | role-35-2013-00 | Cooks, Private Household | Supplemental |
| 35-1011.00 | role-35-1011-00 | Chefs and Head Cooks | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Hospitality, Events, & Tourism | hospitality-events-tourism |

## Education Level

- **Category:** No formal educational credential

## Study Programs


## Market

- **Median Wage:** 33760
- **Mean Wage:** 38360
- **Pct10Wage:** 18500
- **Pct25Wage:** 25690
- **Pct75Wage:** 45350
- **Pct90Wage:** 62510
- **Employment:** 2302690
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 72 | 72 | Accommodation and Food Services | Sector | 2116650 | 33710 | 9.96 |
| 722511 | 722511 | Full-Service Restaurants | National industry | 1735540 | 33780 | 21.68 |
| 71 | 71 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | Sector | 96680 | 34350 | 2.45 |
| 721120 | 721120 | Casino Hotels | National industry | 26770 | 32900 | 5.32 |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 20180 | 36120 | 0.11 |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 15640 | 32610 | 0.05 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 15470 | 37440 | 0.11 |
| 81 | 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | Sector | 11970 | 33990 | 0.18 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 11140 | 39210 | 0.28 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector | 7700 | 29120 | 0.03 |
| 51 | 51 | Information | Sector | 4930 | 29850 | 0.11 |
| 711110 | 711110 | Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters | National industry | 3120 | 34480 | 2.89 |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 722511 | 722511 | Full-Service Restaurants | National industry | 1735540 | 21.68 |
| 72 | 72 | Accommodation and Food Services | Sector | 2116650 | 9.96 |
| 721120 | 721120 | Casino Hotels | National industry | 26770 | 5.32 |
| 711110 | 711110 | Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters | National industry | 3120 | 2.89 |
| 71 | 71 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | Sector | 96680 | 2.45 |
| 713940 | 713940 | Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | National industry | 3040 | 0.32 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 11140 | 0.28 |
| 81 | 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | Sector | 11970 | 0.18 |
- **Count:** 22

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.94 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -0.9481003 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -2.11317 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -0.4693402 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 45
- **Percentile:** 44
- **Band:** Moderate
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 20 | felten_aioe |
| 31 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 83 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -0.9481003 | 20 | Low | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.2857142857142857 | 31 | Low | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.26106700321404414 | 83 | High | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.94
- **Percentile:** 86
- **Band:** High
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.08163265306122448
- **Beta:** 0.18367346938775508
- **Gamma:** 0.2857142857142857

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Describe and recommend wines to customers. | 0.005957051711317166 | 3.76 |
| Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods. | 0.002464986915027793 | 4.25 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** -0.7
- **Growth Percentile:** 23
- **Direction:** Declining
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 456.7
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 99
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 2329.7
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 2313.5

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Ai Playbook

- **Trusted Task Count:** 2
- **Task Count:** 3
- **Total Sample:** 220
- **Autonomy Median:** 3.5
- **Dominant Collaboration:** directive
- **Automation Share:** 42.93
- **Augmentation Share:** 42.94

### Collaboration

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| directive | 42.93 |
| task iteration | 23.04 |
| learning | 19.9 |

### Use Case

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| personal | 91.62 |

### Delegated Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Collaboration | Autonomy Median | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Describe and recommend wines to customers. | 0.013901737717214653 | directive | 4 | 139 |
| Provide guests with information about local areas, including giving directions. | 0.005200650081260158 | task iteration | 3 | 52 |

### Boundary Tasks

| Task | Human Needed Percent | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Provide guests with information about local areas, including giving directions. | 100 | 52 |
| Describe and recommend wines to customers. | 98.56115107913669 | 139 |

### Seed Prompts

| Prompt | Collaboration |
| --- | --- |
| Do this for me: describe and recommend wines to customers. Give me a finished draft I can review and adjust. | directive |
| Let's work through this together, step by step: provide guests with information about local areas, including giving directions. I'll give feedback as we go. | task iteration |
- **Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 25
- **Skills:** 32
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 10
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** b57ebdc72cf94e15