A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S. and Canada, is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or lunchroom. Cafeterias are different from coffeehouses, although the English term came from the Spanish term cafeterÃa, which carries the same meaning.
A corporate office's cafeteria in Bangalore, India, December 2003.
A student getting food from a school cafeteria
Childs Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA, c. 1908
Hospital cafeteria tray line server in Port Charlotte, Florida
The foodservice or catering industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home. It includes restaurants, grocery stores, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many other formats.
Business selling curry dishes