counter service
Order at register
Counter service is a restaurant format where customers order and pay at a counter, then carry their own food to a table—as opposed to being waited on.
Fast food chains and casual eateries typically operate this way: The café offers counter service only.
The term often appears in reviews and signage to set expectations.
- fast-foodRapidly prepared meals
- cashierTill operator
- registerRecord officially; vocal range
- cash onlyPayment without credit
- orderingPlacing in sequence
tray · pickup · window · drive-thru · combo meal · queue · takeout · diner · cafeteria · walk-up · kiosk · bustling · lunch crowd · order up · next in line · waiting · grab-and-go · to go
- pubstavern, pub, barroom, alehouse, public house
- service deliveryin-person, on-site, remote, online, pickup
- restaurantsmenu, chef, reservations, waitstaff, hostess stand
- American diningdiners, free refills, doggy bag, tipping, hamburgers
- coffeehouseespresso, Turkish coffee, latte, barista, macchiato
- dinersdiner, diner booth, booth, booths, booth seating
counter servicetable service
Meals brought to you
full service · silver service · tableside service · white-glove service · formal service
counter servicefine dining
Elegant restaurant experience
haute cuisine · formal dining · upscale dining · tasting menu · prix fixe
counter, service, counters, countered, countering, countable, encounter, services, served