A cafeteria is a place where people choose their food from a counter or display and then carry it to their own table, often in schools or workplaces. You usually pay at the end of the line.
From American Spanish 'cafetería' meaning 'coffee shop,' from 'cafetero' (coffee-related), from 'café.' In the United States, the word shifted to mean a self-service dining room rather than just a coffee-serving place. The style fit industrial-age needs for fast, organized mass feeding.
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