a restaurant in which customers serve themselves from a counter and pay before eating 自助餐馆;自助食堂 ■[as modifer](N. Amer.)denoting a system in which people may choose for themselves from a number of available options, especially one in which an employee may select a personal package of company benefits (北美)(制度,尤指公司福利制度)自助餐式的 employers who offer cafeteria plans and other flexible programs. 提供自助餐式福利计划及其他灵活方案的雇主。
语源
mid 19th cent. (originally US): from Latin American Spanish cafetería 'coffee shop'