also: キャフェテリア
A self-service restaurant, often in a school, office, or hospital.
大学のカフェテリアで昼食をとった。
I had lunch at the university cafeteria.
食堂 is a general dining hall or eatery, while カフェテリア specifically refers to a self-service cafeteria style restaurant.
カフェ is a coffee shop or casual café, whereas カフェテリア is a self-service dining hall, so the two are easily mixed up despite similar sounds.
cafeteria plan; flexible benefits plan
Standard katakana spelling for the loanword 'cafeteria'.
Search-only variant; not a common practical spelling.
Loanword from English 'cafeteria'.