chowline
Cafeteria food queue
A chowline is a queue of people waiting to be served food, especially in military or institutional settings.
The term comes from military slang, where chow means food: The recruits filed into the chowline at 0600.
It extends to any cafeteria-style food service where people line up with trays.
Military dining facility
- barracksSoldiers' residential building
- rationsControlled food portions
- enlistedSigned up formally
- infantryGround combat troops
platoon · fatigues · garrison · MRE · canteen · commissary · reveille · field kitchen
Remaining in expectation
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- patienceCalm during delays
- shufflingRandomizing order of items
- snakingMoving in curves
anticipation · single-file · trays · cafeteria · steam table · ladle · portion · orderly
mess hall
Military dining facility
infantry · platoon · fatigues · garrison · MRE · canteen · commissary · reveille · field kitchen · galley
waiting
Remaining in expectation
snaking · anticipation · single-file · trays · cafeteria · steam table · ladle · portion · orderly · progression
chowlinebuffet
Self-service meal display
table service · personal chef · self-service · free-for-all · room service
chowlinefine dining
Elegant restaurant experience
silver service · formal dinner · seated dinner · tasting menu · chef's table
chow, line, chows, chowing, chowed, lines, lined, lining, liner