food served on a table; dinner; cover charge
Refers to food placed on a small Japanese table (膳), or the meal itself. In restaurant contexts, it can mean a cover charge or table charge.
See also: 膳
A lavish meal was served on a small table at the inn.
This restaurant charges a 500-yen cover charge.
In the Edo period, a zenbu was a person responsible for placing dishes on trays.
Compound of 膳 (zen, 'small Japanese table/tray') and 部 (bu, 'division' or 'section'), originally referring to the food arranged on a tray, and later to the person in charge of that arrangement. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.