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First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Also called: Dietary Supervisor, Food Service Supervisor, Kitchen Manager, Restaurant Manager

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$44,080
Openings a year BLS, 2025–35171,500
Typical education to start BLSHigh school diploma or equivalent
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 High
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +5.4%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 26 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 5.4% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 4.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 10.1 hires for every 10 job openings in accommodation and food services, which employs about 85% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 18% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$33k$59knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$37,110$30,470 to $46,71019,180
Alaska$46,570$37,460 to $60,8002,390
Arizona$40,550$36,890 to $52,65021,450
Arkansas$33,800$29,100 to $38,22011,200
California$46,980$44,460 to $59,200130,190
Colorado$50,550$42,850 to $61,68025,510
Connecticut$52,940$41,770 to $64,01010,770
Delaware$48,120$44,670 to $60,1304,030
District of Columbia$57,170$45,990 to $65,4302,830
Florida$44,470$35,920 to $57,22091,500
Georgia$38,600$31,200 to $48,39048,420
Guam$27,310$23,170 to $28,910640
Hawaii$48,880$40,730 to $63,6807,330
Idaho$38,190$35,170 to $47,8407,440
Illinois$39,470$36,170 to $54,02041,030
Indiana$44,880$36,810 to $56,60023,500
Iowa$38,760$35,160 to $47,28011,400
Kansas$38,220$34,650 to $49,58010,520
Kentucky$35,810$29,850 to $45,17018,010
Louisiana$35,800$29,230 to $45,84016,680
Maine$47,990$41,590 to $57,9303,740
Maryland$42,450$36,660 to $55,32020,150
Massachusetts$46,600$39,650 to $60,89023,220
Michigan$37,940$34,480 to $47,00032,890
Minnesota$45,270$38,550 to $55,60020,760
Mississippi$36,530$28,950 to $46,53010,480
Missouri$37,400$34,500 to $47,90021,650
Montana$44,010$36,420 to $55,0704,650
Nebraska$39,230$36,310 to $47,5807,840
Nevada$44,030$36,640 to $55,75014,230
New Hampshire$49,710$40,870 to $62,4703,840
New Jersey$48,420$38,290 to $61,05027,750
New Mexico$39,310$34,890 to $49,4806,540
New York$47,190$39,250 to $58,28065,580
North Carolina$45,010$36,190 to $57,40039,750
North Dakota$44,720$37,400 to $48,4302,780
Ohio$37,340$35,220 to $46,40051,990
Oklahoma$35,420$29,160 to $45,51018,900
Oregon$46,950$38,640 to $58,52016,880
Pennsylvania$43,050$36,020 to $49,68035,560
Puerto Rico$28,420$24,040 to $33,0406,960
Rhode Island$48,400$41,600 to $64,1803,320
South Carolina$38,520$33,350 to $49,30020,120
South Dakota$40,640$36,960 to $46,8002,920
Tennessee$40,500$34,980 to $55,46029,100
Texas$36,480$29,830 to $47,370137,930
Utah$38,750$35,540 to $49,16013,670
Vermont$49,820$43,920 to $59,5601,970
Virgin Islands$39,260$26,190 to $58,250340
Virginia$45,550$36,790 to $54,22030,640
Washington$59,400$48,660 to $73,86020,700
West Virginia$33,070$28,430 to $38,9606,390
Wisconsin$39,670$35,650 to $49,55021,240
Wyoming$36,820$31,120 to $49,9102,680

Nationally: $44,080. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 12 of its 26 tasks

2 · AI alone could halve the time 10 · AI + software built on it could 14 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
AI + software Resolve customer complaints regarding food service. Not published
Not much Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures. Not published
Not much Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities. Not published
AI + software Control inventories of food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, and report shortages to designated personnel. Not published
Not much Present bills and accept payments. Not published
Not much Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll. Not published
See all 26 tasks
Not much Assign duties, responsibilities, and work stations to employees in accordance with work requirements. Not published
Not much Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements. Not published
Not much Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and conformance to standards. Not published
AI + software Observe and evaluate workers and work procedures to ensure quality standards and service, and complete disciplinary write-ups. Not published
Not much Analyze operational problems, such as theft and wastage, and establish procedures to alleviate these problems. Not published
AI + software Recommend measures for improving work procedures and worker performance to increase service quality and enhance job safety. Not published
AI + software Compile and balance cash receipts at the end of the day or shift. Not published
Not much Evaluate new products for usefulness and suitability. under 0.01%
Not much Perform food preparation and serving duties, such as carving meat, preparing flambe dishes, or serving wine and liquor. Not published
AI + software Estimate ingredients and supplies required to prepare a recipe. under 0.01%
Not much Greet and seat guests, and present menus and wine lists. Not published
AI + software Forecast staff, equipment, and supply requirements, based on a master menu. Not published
Not much Purchase or requisition supplies and equipment needed to ensure quality and timely delivery of services. Not published
AI + software Develop equipment maintenance schedules and arrange for repairs. Not published
Not much Perform personnel actions, such as hiring and firing staff, providing employee orientation and training, and conducting supervisory activities, such as creating work schedules or organizing employee time sheets. Not published
AI + software Record production, operational, and personnel data on specified forms. Not published
AI alone Conduct meetings and collaborate with other personnel for menu planning, serving arrangements, and related details. Not published
Not much Develop departmental objectives, budgets, policies, procedures, and strategies. Not published
AI + software Schedule parties and take reservations. Not published
AI alone Assess nutritional needs of patients, plan special menus, supervise the assembly of regular and special diet trays, and oversee the delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 26 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 26 tasks fall under 20 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up12 of 26 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most4 of 20 activities
  • #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
  • #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
  • #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
  • and 1 more, in the table below
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures 1.85#204 0.36#225
Perform human resources activities 2.34#188 1.46#144
Determine resource needs of projects or operations 6.29#111 2.93#115
Develop recipes or menus 5.84#116 2.72#117
Train others on operational or work procedures 1.60#211 29#38
Respond to customer problems or inquiries 879#3 1,565#1
Provide information to guests, clients, or customers 134#11 1,154#3
Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists 102#19 1,104#4
Show all 20 activities
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Prepare foods or beverages 12#82 0.79#174
Execute financial transactions 9.32#95 0.16#253
Schedule operational activities 4.88#128 2.89#116
Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance 3.59#153 0.73#180
Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas 3.36#158 1.16#157
Maintain operational records 2.92#170 0.49#209
Inspect facilities or equipment 2.73#174 0.73#181
Prepare schedules for services or facilities 2.46#183 2.65#119
Evaluate production inputs or outputs 2.18#194 0.81#171
Reconcile financial data 0.73#253 0.15#255
Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products 0.43#276 0.10#268
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Perform human resources activities” holds 2 tasks rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 2.34 of every 10,000 conversations, #188 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An analysis or summary25%
  • Advice or a recommendation20%
  • An explanation or answer12%
  • Data or a spreadsheet7%
  • A recipe or meal plan7%

How they worked with Claude

42% handed the task off58% worked on it together

29% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers: +5.4%First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers: +5.4%First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 568,486 moves out

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
  2. 2 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
  3. 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
  4. 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
  5. 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 391,538 moves in

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  2. 2 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
  3. 3 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 4%
  4. 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
  5. 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 27% less than high school
  • 70% high school
  • 2% postsecondary certificate
  • 1% some college

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 10% less than high school
  • 39% high school
  • 28% some college
  • 10% associate's
  • 12% bachelor's
  • 2% master's

Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 4,602 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
5 programs, such as Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General, Culinary Arts/Chef Training and Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager.
See all
  • Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
  • Culinary Arts/Chef Training
  • Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager
  • Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager
  • Foodservice Systems Administration/Management

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

53.2% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license0.8%19.1%
a certification3.2%5.8%
an educational certificate<0.5%2.8%

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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