AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 35-2014.00
Will AI replace Cooks, Restaurant?
Cooks, Restaurant: AI can already handle 1 of 20 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Cooks, Restaurant, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consult with supervisory staff to plan menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Plan and price menu items. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Keep records and accounts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Prepare relishes and hors d'oeuvres. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Estimate expected food consumption, requisition or purchase supplies, or procure food from storage. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Butcher and dress animals, fowl, or shellfish, or cut and bone meat prior to cooking. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 20 of 20. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 20% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 20% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 80% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 1,409,890
- Median annual wage
- $37,390
- Middle half of earners
- $34,010 to $44,620
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +14.9%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Cooks, Fast Food 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure21
- Chefs and Head Cooks 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure23
- Cooks, Short Order 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure17
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure22
- Food Preparation Workers 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure16
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Cooks, Restaurant and AI
Will AI replace Cooks, Restaurant?
AI already handles 1 of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 20 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +14.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Cooks, Restaurant?
20 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 20 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Cooks, Restaurant tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Consult with supervisory staff to plan menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 20% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 80% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Cooks, Restaurant, and what do they earn?
1,409,890 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $37,390 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +14.9% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Cooks, Restaurant. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/cooks-restaurant
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