# cafeteria

/ˌkæfəˈtɪɹiə/ (US) · /kˌæfɪtˈiəɹɪɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/cafeteria
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. dining area in a building

noun · CEFR A2

a large room in a school, office, or hospital where people eat their meals.

For teachers: a dining area within an institution where meals are provided or brought in, often featuring communal seating.

- The students gathered in the school cafeteria to eat lunch and talk.
- The hospital cafeteria remains open twenty-four hours a day to accommodate staff working the night shift and visiting relatives.

### 2. self-service restaurant

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

a type of restaurant where you pick up your food at a counter and carry it on a tray.

For teachers: a restaurant in which customers select their food from a service counter and carry it on a tray to a table.

- We decided to eat at the cafeteria because it was faster than a sit-down restaurant.
- The museum's cafeteria offers a variety of hot and cold dishes, allowing tourists to have a quick meal before continuing their tour.

Usage: In British English, the term 'canteen' is more common for workplaces or schools, while 'cafeteria' often implies a public self-service cafe.

## Examples

- We ate lunch in the school cafeteria.
- The office cafeteria offers a wide variety of hot meals for employees during their break.
- The university cafeteria buzzed with the energy of students debating politics over steaming plates of food.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.