AI-Resilient Food Service Jobs
11 Food Service Careers in Food Preparation and Serving Related which are relatively resistant to AI disruption, based on our AI Resilience scores.
Browse through 11 occupations available in this view
Chefs and Head Cooks
Resilient
Chefs and head cooks are labeled "Resilient" because the heart of the job, including creativity, flavor intuition, and the ability to adapt on the fly, simply cannot be replicated by AI. While tools are taking over time-co...
AI Resilience:
70.0%
Wage:
$62,470
Annual Openings:
25,200
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Resilient
This career is labeled "Resilient" because the heart of the job, coaching your team, keeping the kitchen safe during a rush, and making guests feel welcome, relies on human judgment and empathy that AI simply cannot replic...
AI Resilience:
69.7%
Wage:
$44,080
Annual Openings:
171,500
Cooks, Restaurant
Mostly Resilient
Cooking in restaurants is "Mostly Resilient" because while AI and robots are handling repetitive tasks like frying and grilling at fast-food chains, the creative and human-centered parts of the job (seasoning to taste, pla...
AI Resilience:
59.8%
Wage:
$37,390
Annual Openings:
218,600
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
Mostly Resilient
This career is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while some automation is entering the picture (like food-running robots and self-service kiosks), the technology is mostly being used to help human workers rather than repl...
AI Resilience:
58.1%
Wage:
$33,980
Annual Openings:
95,300
Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other
Mostly Resilient
Food preparation and serving jobs are holding up well because the heart of this work, things like genuine warmth, hospitality, teamwork, and handling unexpected situations, are skills that AI simply cannot replicate. Robot...
AI Resilience:
56.9%
Wage:
$35,840
Annual Openings:
11,800
Cooks, All Other
Mostly Resilient
Cooking is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because the hands-on, physical nature of food preparation is genuinely hard for robots and AI to master, as even leading robotics companies admit that food's unpredictable textures and...
AI Resilience:
56.6%
Wage:
$37,690
Annual Openings:
2,800
Bartenders
Mostly Resilient
Bartending earns a "Mostly Resilient" label because the heart of the job, reading the room, chatting with regulars, spotting someone who has had too much, and keeping the energy alive behind the bar, is genuinely hard for ...
AI Resilience:
56.5%
Wage:
$34,340
Annual Openings:
121,200
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Mostly Resilient
This career is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while AI is definitely entering institutional kitchens, it is showing up as a helper rather than a replacement for human cooks. The tasks that make up the heart of this job...
AI Resilience:
54.2%
Wage:
$37,450
Annual Openings:
62,900
Dishwashers
Mostly Resilient
Dishwashing is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while AI-powered robots can now handle scrubbing and rinsing, most restaurants have not adopted this technology yet, and the flexible, hands-on parts of the job (like movin...
AI Resilience:
53.5%
Wage:
$34,810
Annual Openings:
68,900
Baristas
Mostly Resilient
Barista work is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because the heart of the job, crafting great coffee and making customers feel welcome, is something AI genuinely struggles to replicate. Tools like Starbucks' Green Dot Assist are...
AI Resilience:
51.9%
Wage:
$31,200
Annual Openings:
827,400
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
Mostly Resilient
Food servers in nonrestaurant settings (like hospitals, schools, and cafeterias) are holding up well because the most human parts of the job, such as comforting a nervous patient, checking special diet trays, or helping so...
AI Resilience:
50.5%
Wage:
$35,360
Annual Openings:
48,800