Fast Food and Counter Workers
Food Preparation & ServiceAI exposure
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.24
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
ISCO-08 unit group — every occupation sharing the code gets this value
Computed by this site, not published by the ILO: of the 1,012 occupations this site links to the ILO dataset, 79% score at or above this value.
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks onlyValues in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Take customers' orders and write ordered items on tickets, giving ticket stubs to customers when needed to identify filled orders.O*NET Task ID 23119 | 1.0 |
Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.O*NET Task ID 23104 | 0.5 |
Plan, prepare, and deliver meals to individuals with special dietary needs.O*NET Task ID 23125 | 0.5 |
Arrange reservations for patrons of dining establishments.O*NET Task ID 23126 | 0.5 |
Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.O*NET Task ID 23099 | 0.0 |
Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.O*NET Task ID 23100 | 0.0 |
Scrub and polish counters, steam tables, and other equipment, and clean glasses, dishes, and fountain equipment.O*NET Task ID 23101 | 0.0 |
Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.O*NET Task ID 23102 | 0.0 |
Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.O*NET Task ID 23103 | 0.0 |
Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.O*NET Task ID 23105 | 0.0 |
Prepare daily food items, and cook simple foods and beverages, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, or coffee, using proper safety precautions and sanitary measures.O*NET Task ID 23106 | 0.0 |
Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.O*NET Task ID 23107 | 0.0 |
Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.O*NET Task ID 23108 | 0.0 |
Brew coffee and tea, and fill containers with requested beverages.O*NET Task ID 23109 | 0.0 |
Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.O*NET Task ID 23110 | 0.0 |
Collect and return dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing.O*NET Task ID 23111 | 0.0 |
Wash dishes, glassware, and silverware after meals.O*NET Task ID 23112 | 0.0 |
Wrap menu items such as sandwiches, hot entrees, and desserts for serving or for takeout.O*NET Task ID 23113 | 0.0 |
Notify kitchen personnel of shortages or special orders.O*NET Task ID 23114 | 0.0 |
Prepare and serve cold drinks, frozen milk drinks, or desserts, using drink-dispensing, milkshake, or frozen-custard machines.O*NET Task ID 23115 | 0.0 |
Select food items from serving or storage areas and place them in dishes, on serving trays, or in take-out bags.O*NET Task ID 23116 | 0.0 |
Replenish foods at serving stations.O*NET Task ID 23117 | 0.0 |
Perform personnel activities, such as supervising and training employees.O*NET Task ID 23118 | 0.0 |
Distribute food to servers.O*NET Task ID 23120 | 0.0 |
Set up dining areas for meals, and clear them following meals.O*NET Task ID 23121 | 0.0 |
Add relishes and garnishes to food orders, according to instructions.O*NET Task ID 23122 | 0.0 |
Deliver orders to kitchens, and pick up and serve food when it is ready.O*NET Task ID 23123 | 0.0 |
Arrange tables and decorations according to instructions.O*NET Task ID 23124 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
Occupation information
Recent Changes Affecting This Occupation
Mar 2026: Evergreen blog post published analyzing automation risks for fast food workers
[Source: AI Changing Work Blog]