English▸ noun a restaurant in which customers serve themselves from a counter and pay before eating.
▪ [as modifier] North American English denoting a system in which people may choose from a number of available options, especially one in which an employee may select a personal package of company benefits:
employers who offer cafeteria plans and other flexible programs.
– ORIGIN mid 19th century (originally US): from Latin American Spanish cafetería ‘coffee shop’.