cafeteria
(chiefly, US, Canada) A dining area in an institution where meals may be purchased (as above), provided, or brought in from elsewhere.
Seen in the wild
Retekess 1-Pack T112 Pager System, CE 20-Pager, 999 Channels, Charging Kitchen Pager with Calling Keyboard for Restaurant, Bar, Veterinary Clinic, Cafeteria, Fast Food #restaurant #20pager #kitchen #fastfood
He backed down on Tuesday, right? What's the cafeteria standard for Tuesdays?
Hundreds of items from the beloved Gray Brothers Cafeteria are going up for auction after the restaurant's 2025 closure. LEARN MORE: 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/7sf32ua6
I forgot it was Cinco de Mayo until I got to the work cafeteria where they are play the Macarena and serving “Mexican” food so bland that it would give an abuela a heart attack.
everyone around me kept coming back with crazy food that looked awesome, and i would go up and look around for half an inning and come back with a $30 cafeteria tray
Definitions
(chiefly, US, Canada) A dining area in an institution where meals may be purchased (as above), provided, or brought in from elsewhere.
“Retekess 1-Pack T112 Pager System, CE 20-Pager, 999 Channels, Charging Kitchen Pager with Calling Keyboard for Restaurant, Bar, Veterinary Clinic, Cafeteria, Fast Food #restaurant #20pager #kitchen #fastfood”
— Bluesky· May 2026“He backed down on Tuesday, right? What's the cafeteria standard for Tuesdays?”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Hundreds of items from the beloved Gray Brothers Cafeteria are going up for auction after the restaurant's 2025 closure. LEARN MORE: 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/7sf32ua6”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(chiefly, US, Canada) A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
Cafeteria means: A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.. It is mainly Canadian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. This is a food-related word and harmless in itself.
cafeteria means: A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.. Register: informal, Canadian English. Often not understood outside its region; gloss the word on first use when writing for an international audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
“I forgot it was Cinco de Mayo until I got to the work cafeteria where they are play the Macarena and serving “Mexican” food so bland that it would give an abuela a heart attack.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“everyone around me kept coming back with crazy food that looked awesome, and i would go up and look around for half an inning and come back with a $30 cafeteria tray”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Avengers are banned now, yes. [Angra Maiiu walks towards the cafeteria.] Oh hey man what's up.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“the circle of life is when it’s 9 am and your workplace cafeteria is playing the songs you used to go clubbing to”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Anyway, as we know from previous appearances, Jace cares very very very much about the things Jace cares about, and not at all about the things that don't matter to him. The cafeteria at Hexhaven serves nothing but sad gruel, is what I'm saying here.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Semantically related
- luncheteria74%
(US, dated) A cafeteria where lunch is served.
- canteen73%
A small cafeteria or snack bar, especially one in a military establishment, school, or place of work.
- dining facility67%
(US, military) A mess hall.
- canteen66%
A temporary or mobile café used in an emergency or on a film location etc.