Waiters and Waitresses
Also called: Banquet Server, Banquet Waiter, Banquet Waitress, Bar Waiter, Bar Waitress, Buffet Waiter, Buffet Waitress, Busser
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
What waiters and waitresses do
Typical tasks
- Collect payments from customers.
- Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
- Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
- Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
- Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
- Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
- Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
- Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
- Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom.
- Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
- Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Waiters and Waitresses salary
The median annual wage for waiters and waitresses is $35,230 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $18,100 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $64,720. The mean annual wage is $40,060.
The mean hourly wage of $19.00 is 2.6× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Waiters and Waitresses (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $35,230 → in 3 years $38,700 → in 5 years $41,100 → in 10 years $48,000 (10-year range $41,300–$55,700). The model assumes pay growth of +3.1% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Waiters and Waitresses
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Waiters and Waitresses? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Waiters and Waitresses
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Waiters and Waitresses United States | 接客担当（ホテル・旅館） Japan | ホールスタッフ（レストラン） Japan | ソムリエ Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $35,230 | ¥3.62M ≈ $23,044 | ¥3.71M ≈ $23,592 | ¥3.71M ≈ $23,592 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $48,000 | ¥4.97M | ¥5.13M | ¥5.10M |
| Outlook score | 50 | 52 | 54 | 60 |
| AI replacement risk | 18% Very low | 32% Low | 22% Low | 29% Low |
| Workers | 2.3M | — | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Waiters and Waitresses
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become waiters and waitresses
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as waiters and waitresses
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.