# Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

US SOC code 35-9011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/35-9011

Also called: Busser, Bus person, Bus boy, Dining room attendant, Barback.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **542,750** US dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers, with median pay of **$33,980** a year. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/9050occup.shtml) of **80,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: POS kitchen display + handheld runner tickets, 1985 to 2017.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=35-9011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **0%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.91** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.91. BLS counted **409,700** of these jobs in May 2013 and **542,750** in May 2025 (+32%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1827
- Latest US employment: 542,750 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $33,980 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +5.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [18]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 80,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [1] |
| 1940 | 200,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., FRASER / St. Louis Fed [2] |
| 1966 | n/a | $1,900 (estimate) | Est., DOL [6] |
| 1970 | 320,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Monthly Labor Review [3] |
| 2000 | 435,500 | $13,580 | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 393,500 | $14,570 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 390,980 | $14,770 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 391,320 | $15,040 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 401,790 | $15,310 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 401,070 | $16,040 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 416,410 | $16,740 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 402,020 | $17,700 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 390,920 | $18,190 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 391,290 | $18,420 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 395,750 | $18,500 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 409,700 | $18,610 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 410,460 | $18,760 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 412,830 | $19,280 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 423,080 | $20,200 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 436,730 | $21,160 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 455,700 | $22,270 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 477,270 | $23,470 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 374,940 | $25,010 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 336,970 | $27,170 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 439,770 | $29,120 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | n/a | $31,180 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [8] |
| 2024 | 522,010 | $32,670 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 542,750 | $33,980 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (79)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA — 1900 Census occupational categories (Domestic and Personal Service division); Fred Harvey Company scale context (47 locations by 1901)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/9050occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [FRASER / St. Louis Fed — Women's Bureau Bulletin No. 218, "Women's Occupations Through Seven Decades" (1947, food-service occupational context)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/women-s-occupations-seven-decades-5489/fulltext), Bureau of Labor Statistics / Women's Bureau
3. [BLS Monthly Labor Review — "Occupational employment changes during recessions" (March 2006, food services employment historical series)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/03/art3full.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [DOL — Fair Labor Standards Act of 1966 amendments (first restaurant worker coverage, federal minimum $1.25/hr); ESTIMATE: ~$1,900/yr cash wages for busers at minimum wage. Tipped credit provision may have applied; BLS Industry Wage Survey (SIC 5812) pre-1970 not accessed this pass.](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/15-tipped-employees-flsa), US Department of Labor
7. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [Delmonico's — "The History of Delmonico's" (founded 1827, brigade service structure, front-of-house support roles)](https://www.theoriginaldelmonicos.com/our-history/), Delmonico's Restaurant
11. [Legends of America — "Harvey Hotels & Restaurants Along the Rails" (Fred Harvey Company history, 1876 founding, 47 restaurants by 1901, Harvey began as busboy)](https://www.legendsofamerica.com/harvey-hotels-restaurants/), Legends of America
12. [Wikipedia — Fred Harvey (entrepreneur) (Harvey House service systems, dining room support labor, 1876-1950)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Harvey_%28entrepreneur%29), Wikipedia
13. [HISTORY — "The Automat: Birth of a Fast Food Nation" (Horn & Hardart 1902 founding, peak 80+ NYC locations, invisible kitchen and clearing staff)](https://www.history.com/articles/the-automat-birth-of-a-fast-food-nation), HISTORY
14. [BLS — Occupational Outlook Handbook, Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers (historical context on dining room attendant equipment and work environment)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/food-and-beverage-serving-and-related-workers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. [Toast POS — "The Evolution of the Modern POS System" (kitchen display screen integration with food runner workflows)](https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/modern-pos-history), Toast POS
16. [Bear Robotics — "Company History" (founded May 2017, Servi robot, $32M Series A 2020 led by SoftBank, $81M Series B 2022, mileage milestones)](https://www.bearrobotics.ai/company-history), Bear Robotics
17. [Restaurant Dive — "Bear Robotics secures $81M to expand hospitality robots" (March 2022, Series B; prior $32M Series A led by SoftBank 2020; Chili's and Denny's deployments)](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/bear-robotics-secures-81m-to-expand-hospitality-robots/620443/), Restaurant Dive

### Forecasts and exposure studies

18. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 35-9011 Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (2025: 546.6 thousand; 2035: 575.5 thousand; +5.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=35-9011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
19. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 35-9011 Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers: probability 0.91, rank 555 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 35-9011.00, human-rated β 0)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [Delmonico's — "The History of Delmonico's" (1827 founding, brigade service structure); Wikipedia — Fred Harvey (entrepreneur) (Harvey began career as busboy in New York)](https://www.theoriginaldelmonicos.com/our-history/), Delmonico's Restaurant
22. [Legends of America — "Harvey Hotels & Restaurants Along the Rails" (Fred Harvey Company history, 1876 founding, 47 restaurants and 30 dining cars at peak)](https://www.legendsofamerica.com/harvey-hotels-restaurants/), Legends of America
23. [HISTORY — "The Automat: Birth of a Fast Food Nation" (Horn & Hardart 1902 founding, clearing and kitchen support staff operating behind the scenes)](https://www.history.com/articles/the-automat-birth-of-a-fast-food-nation), HISTORY
24. [USDA — "National School Lunch Program: Participation and Lunches Served" (NSLP established 1946, 20 million children served daily by 1970)](https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/history), US Department of Agriculture
25. [Bear Robotics — "Company History" (founded May 2017 by John Ha, Servi robot, $32M Series A 2020 led by SoftBank, $81M Series B 2022, 247,500 miles by Jan 2022)](https://www.bearrobotics.ai/company-history), Bear Robotics
26. [National Restaurant Association — "Nearly 100,000 Restaurants Closed Six Months into Pandemic" (September 2020 survey: 8M workers laid off, 34% sales decline, 100k closures); O\*NET 35-9011.00 (2024 employment 527,400 — above pre-pandemic peak)](https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/media/press-releases/100,000-restaurants-closed-six-months-into-pandemic/), National Restaurant Association / BLS
27. [O\*NET 35-9011.00 — BLS Occupational Outlook 2024-34 (+6.3% projected growth, 99,600 annual openings, 527,400 employment baseline)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/35-9011.00), O\*NET / Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

28. [IPUMS USA — 1870-1900 Census occupational categories (Domestic and Personal Service); busboy role emerging from domestic service labor pool](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/9050occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
29. [BLS OOH — Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers (Job Zone 1 — typically requires no formal education or prior experience; primary entry-level food service role)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/food-and-beverage-serving-and-related-workers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 35-9011.00 — Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers (tasks, wages, employment)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/35-9011.00), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): food-service workers among lowest LLM-exposure tiers](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Bear Robotics — Servi food-runner and table-busser robot (deployed casual dining chains, LG majority acquisition)](https://www.bearrobotics.ai/servi), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Restaurant Business Online — LG takes majority stake in Bear Robotics (2025)](https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/appliance-giant-lg-takes-majority-stake-bear-robotics), accessed 2026-06-03
- [NRN — Bear Robotics and SoftBank mass-produce Servi; 10x demand growth post-pandemic](https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-technology/bear-robotics-and-softbank-join-forces-to-mass-produce-servi-foodservice-robot), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Nala Robotics — Spotless autonomous dishwasher deployed restaurants and senior living centers](https://nalarobotics.com/spotless.html), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants: 527,400 workers, $15.71/hr median](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes359011.htm), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS OOH — Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers: 5% growth projected 2024-2034](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/food-and-beverage-serving-and-related-workers.htm), accessed 2026-06-03

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.