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AI exposure Food preparation and serving

Will AI replace hosts and hostesses?

Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop. US occupation 35-9031.

7.3%

of the time hosts and hostesses spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of hosts and hostesses' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 214 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 71% of them.Further along than 71% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for hosts and hostessesWhat hosts and hostesses no longer do alone

O*NET lists 20 tasks for hosts and hostesses. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.Core task mostly automated 1.00

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

19 of the 20 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.Core task
  • Assist other restaurant workers by serving food and beverages, or by bussing tables.Core task
  • Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.Core task
  • Inform patrons of establishment specialties and features.Core task
  • Inspect dining and serving areas to ensure cleanliness and proper setup.Core task
  • Inspect restrooms for cleanliness and availability of supplies, and clean restrooms when necessary.Core task
Show the other 13
  • Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and customers to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.Core task
  • Provide guests with menus.Core task
  • Receive and record patrons' dining reservations.Core task
  • Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.Core task
  • Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room staff to ensure that patrons receive prompt and courteous service.Core task
  • Take and prepare to-go orders.Core task
  • Confer with other staff to help plan establishments' menus.
  • Direct patrons to coatrooms and waiting areas, such as lounges.
  • Hire, train, and supervise food and beverage service staff.
  • Operate cash registers to accept payments for food and beverages.
  • Order or requisition supplies and equipment for tables and serving stations.
  • Perform marketing and advertising services.
  • Prepare cash receipts after establishments close, and make bank deposits.

How that compares

Among the 15 food preparation and serving occupations, hosts and hostesses rank 1. The group averages 0.9%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 210Order Clerks 7.5%
  2. 213Pharmacy Technicians 7.4%
  3. 214Baggage Porters and Bellhops 7.3%

Just below

  1. 216Gas Plant Operators 7.2%
  2. 217Managers, All Other 6.9%
  3. 217Obstetricians and Gynecologists 6.9%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.