cafeteria-style
adjective
caf·e·te·ria-style
ˌka-fə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌstī(-ə)l 
: cafeteria
cafeteria-style benefits
Examples of cafeteria-style in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This cafeteria-style macaroni and cheese recipe is full of comforting flavor.
—
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2025
Only 15% of U.S. workers have access to cafeteria-style or flexible benefits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
—Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The visitation room Warden Jerry Goodwin escorted us into is large, square, and filled with cafeteria-style tables.
—Longreads, 8 July 2025
Inside the building, images showed metal plates of uneaten food on cafeteria-style tables – with a wall now blown out from the impact.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
In Kansas City, providers are planning patient care while facing each other across narrow, cafeteria-style tables in a large, open space, according to staff members.
—Ellen Barry, New York Times, 4 May 2025
Set up tents, arts and crafts stations, and a cafeteria-style buffet.
—Maggie Griswold, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025
The pair produced the idea after watching the demand grow for their hot chicken in Bishop’s Meat & 3, a cafeteria-style restaurant that Nick Bishop Sr. opened in Franklin years before.
—Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 10 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2025
Only 15% of U.S. workers have access to cafeteria-style or flexible benefits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
—Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
The visitation room Warden Jerry Goodwin escorted us into is large, square, and filled with cafeteria-style tables.
—Longreads, 8 July 2025
Inside the building, images showed metal plates of uneaten food on cafeteria-style tables – with a wall now blown out from the impact.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 12 June 2025
In Kansas City, providers are planning patient care while facing each other across narrow, cafeteria-style tables in a large, open space, according to staff members.
—Ellen Barry, New York Times, 4 May 2025
Set up tents, arts and crafts stations, and a cafeteria-style buffet.
—Maggie Griswold, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025
The pair produced the idea after watching the demand grow for their hot chicken in Bishop’s Meat & 3, a cafeteria-style restaurant that Nick Bishop Sr. opened in Franklin years before.
—Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cafeteria-style.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cafeteria-style. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share