Editing Cafeteria (section)

{{Short description|Food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service}}
{{About|the food service location}}
{{Distinguish|Café}}
{{For|the coffee brewing device also known as French Press|Cafetière}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Globalize|article|United States|date=July 2021}}
[[File:Infosys.Electronic.City.Cafeteria.JPG|thumb|A corporate office's cafeteria in [[Bengaluru]], [[India]], December 2003.]]
A '''cafeteria''', called '''canteen''' outside the [[United States|U.S.]], is a type of [[Foodservice|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 '''[[wikt:lunchroom|lunchroom]]''' (in [[American English]]).<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunchroom|title=Lunchroom|publisher=Merriam Webster|access-date=2019-09-12}}</ref> Cafeterias are different from [[coffeehouse]]s, although the English term came from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] term ''cafetería'', which carries the same meaning.

Instead of table service, there are food-serving counters/stalls or booths, either in a line or allowing arbitrary walking paths. Customers take the food that they desire as they walk along, placing it on a [[tray]]. In addition, there are often stations where customers order food, particularly items such as [[hamburger]]s or [[taco]]s which must be served hot and can be immediately prepared with little waiting. Alternatively, the patron is given a number and the item is brought to their table. For some food items and drinks, such as sodas, water, or the like, customers collect an empty container, pay at check-out, and fill the container after check-out. Free unlimited-second servings are often allowed under this system. For legal purposes (and the consumption patterns of customers), this system is rarely, if at all, used for [[alcoholic drink]]s in the United States.

Customers are either charged a flat rate for admission (as in a [[buffet]]) or pay at [[Point of sale|check-out]] for each item. Some self-service cafeterias charge by the weight of items on a patron's plate. In universities and colleges, some students pay for three meals a day by making a single large payment for the entire [[Academic Term|semester]].

As cafeterias require few employees, they are often found within a larger institution, catering to the employees or clientele of that institution. For example, [[school]]s, [[college]]s and their [[Dormitory|residence halls]], [[department store]]s, [[hospital]]s, [[museum]]s, [[Religion|places of worship]], [[amusement park]]s, [[military base]]s, [[prison]]s, [[factory|factories]], and [[office buildings]] often have cafeterias. Although some of such institutions self-operate their cafeterias, many outsource their cafeterias to a food service management company or lease space to independent businesses to operate food service facilities. The three largest food service management companies servicing institutions are [[Aramark]], [[Compass Group]], and [[Sodexo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.food-management.com/top-50-contract-companies/2017-top-50-data-table?full=1|title=Top 50 Contract Companies|date=2017-03-28|access-date=2017-07-04|work=Food Management Magazine|publisher=[[Penton]]}}</ref>

[[File:Luby%27s_(5424302627).jpg|thumb|A [[Luby's]] cafeteria in [[Shenandoah, Texas]], [[United States]].]]
At one time, cafeteria-style restaurant chains dominated the culture of the [[Southern United States]], and to a lesser extent the [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]. There were numerous prominent chains, some of which (such as [[S&W Cafeteria]], [[Furr's]], and Wyatt's Cafeteria) are now defunct. 

Two other major American cafeteria chains continue to operate, on a lesser scale: [[Piccadilly Restaurants|Piccadilly]] in the southeast, and [[Luby's]] in Texas. Another, [[Morrison's Cafeteria]], survives as a single, Piccadilly-owned location in [[Mobile, Alabama]], and a fourth, [[Bickford's (restaurant)|Bickford's]] in New England, converted to a non-cafeteria chain and closed all but one restaurant. 

There have also been a number of smaller chains in the United States, sometimes located in and around a single city. Existing examples include [[MCL Restaurant & Bakery]], with locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; S&S Cafeterias, in Georgia and South Carolina; [[K&W Cafeterias]], in North Carolina and Virginia (a subsidiary of Piccadilly since 2022); Niki's in [[Birmingham, Alabama]] (one location remains); and the Jewish deli-style cafeteria [[Manny's Deli|Manny's]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]] (one location remains).  

Other small chains, such as [[Britling Cafeterias]] and [[Blue Boar Cafeterias]], closed in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s due to competition from [[fast food chains]], [[all-you-can-eat buffet]]s and other [[casual dining]] establishments. Southern California-based [[Clifton's Cafeteria]] closed its penultimate location in 2003, and its final location in 2018.