Food preparation workers

Prepare beverages using soda machines, tea brewers, and coffeemakers

Modern beverage machines are largely automated, requiring only button presses or simple inputs to dispense coffee, tea, and sodas. AI-integrated systems can handle orders and dispense with minimal human involvement, already common in self-service and automated food service.

BLS evidence: These workers may stock and use soda machines, tea brewers, and coffeemakers to prepare beverages for customers.

Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas

Digital thermometers with automated logging and IoT sensors can continuously monitor and record temperatures with minimal human intervention, requiring only periodic verification and response to alerts—technology already widely deployed in commercial kitchens.

BLS evidence: Food preparation workers take and record the temperature of food and food storage areas.

Store food in suitable containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage

Involves selecting appropriate containers, physically transferring food items of varied shapes and consistencies, navigating storage areas, and applying food safety knowledge to prevent spoilage—AI can assist with tracking and alerts, but physical execution requires human dexterity.

BLS evidence: Workers keep food in suitable containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.

Weigh or measure ingredients such as meats and liquids

While digital scales can automate weight measurement, the task involves physical handling of ingredients with varied consistencies, pouring liquids, and portioning irregular items like cuts of meat, requiring human dexterity and judgment in typical kitchen workflows.

BLS evidence: Their duties include weighing or measuring ingredients, such as meats and liquids.

Stock and maintain salad bars and buffet tables

Requires continuous physical movement between storage and service areas, arranging food attractively while monitoring freshness and temperature, replenishing varied items, and making real-time decisions about presentation—tasks requiring mobility and judgment in dynamic environments.

BLS evidence: Common duties include keeping salad bars and buffet tables stocked and clean.

Make salads, sandwiches, and other cold food items

Involves physical assembly of ingredients with variable shapes and sizes, requires dexterity for spreading, layering, and arranging components, and demands real-time quality assessment that robotic systems struggle with in non-factory kitchen settings.

BLS evidence: Common duties include making salads, sandwiches, and other cold food items.

Retrieve and provide pots, pans, food, and equipment for cooks and chefs

Requires navigating kitchen spaces, identifying and retrieving varied equipment and ingredients from different storage locations, and coordinating timing with cooks' needs—tasks demanding mobility, object recognition in cluttered environments, and real-time communication beyond current robotics.

BLS evidence: Food preparation workers retrieve pots and pans and when needed, retrieve food and equipment for cooks and chefs.

Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, and dishes

Requires physical manipulation of varied equipment in non-standardized kitchen layouts, navigating around other workers, and applying appropriate cleaning techniques to different surfaces and materials—tasks that demand mobility and dexterity beyond current affordable robotics.

BLS evidence: Food preparation workers typically clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, and dishes.

Unload and store food supplies

Involves physical labor of lifting varied packages and containers, navigating delivery areas and storage spaces, organizing items in appropriate locations, and verifying deliveries—tasks requiring strength, mobility, and spatial reasoning in non-standardized environments.

BLS evidence: Workers unload and store food supplies.

Prepare fruit, vegetables, meats, poultry, and seafood for cooking

Requires fine motor skills for knife work, handling varied textures and shapes of fresh ingredients in unpredictable configurations, and real-time judgment about quality and safety that current robotics cannot reliably match in typical kitchen environments.

BLS evidence: Duties include preparing cold foods, slicing meat, peeling and cutting vegetables, and preparing ingredients by cutting meats, poultry, and seafood for cooking.